Dumbledore is introduced – and usually perceived – as the benevolent old man who helps Harry Potter through his trials and tribulations. He’s clearly a hero to Harry, and the bulk of the ‘good guys’ in the original franchise look up to Dumbledore for wisdom and protection, so it’s easy to see why fans think this too. However, there’s also a fair bit of evidence that Dumbledore is a villain – which is sure to be explored in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

In just the original series, though, there are plenty of reasons to consider Dumbledore part of the dark side – from his treatment of Harry to the way that he deals with power and responsibility, to some of his major decisions throughout. He may not be the kindly old Headmaster he first appears…

He Gave Harry To The Dursleys (& Didn’t Follow Up)

When Harry’s parents were killed, Dumbledore made the decision to leave Harry with the Dursleys, despite the fact that he was warned about how terrible they were. Not only that, but he left the baby on the doorstep (in the book, for several hours), and he didn’t bother to check back on him.

This led to Harry being raised in an abusive environment for a decade, where he was miserable, and left knowing nothing about his parents or the wizarding world. The reveal was later made that Mrs. Figg had been keeping an eye on him for Dumbledore, but in many ways, that means he knew how bad things were, but left Harry there anyway. It may have been done because it created a protective charm around him and the house, but there was no reason not to come back and threaten the Dursleys into treating him decently.

He Secretly Held Dark-Wizard Views (For A While, At Least)

This can theoretically be put down to the mistakes of youth, and will no doubt be explored much more comprehensively in the Fantastic Beasts series, but it’s hard to discount the fact that Dumbledore took up with a Dark wizard to consider enslaving people for their own good. Or that he, and his actions at this time, led to his sister’s death.

This alone would not have been enough to paint him as a villain, of course, but combined with all his other actions, it seems that Dumbledore may not have learned the lessons he claimed to. He still seems to have a superiority complex, and be willing to play with peoples’ lives, in which case, this isn’t a tragedy but the start of a pattern.

He Left The School (Repeatedly) Despite His Incredible Power

It seemed, for many of the early books, that whenever Harry was about to go and take down the big bad, Dumbledore wasn’t there. Sometimes, he was mysteriously called away, and other times he was arguably ‘forced out’, but given the sheer power Dumbledore was said to hold, the decision to go seems careless at best.

When Umbridge took over, she was unable to get into the office – and it’s impossible to Apparate on Hogwarts grounds. So Dumbledore’s decisions to simply leave (as well as earlier in the series, when the Basilisk is loose), rather than stand his ground against weaker witches and wizards, seems almost cowardly.

He Avoiding Taking Power When It Could Have Made A Difference

Dumbledore seems to consider it a mark in his favor, that he refused to take the position of Minister of Magic when it was offered, showing that he would turn down a position of power rather than risk misusing it. However, this doesn’t really line up, as he does become extremely powerful in every other circle, including the Wizengamot and Hogwarts, arguably amassing greater power and influence without as many limitations as the Minister would have.

He also would have been able to help as Minister – rather than hiding Voldemort’s return for so long, he could have stood up and announced it, working against the Death Eaters faster and more efficiently.

He Let Harry Participate In The Triwizard Tournament

Dumbledore claims that he could do nothing about Harry’s participation in the Triwizard Cup, because the cup constitutes a binding contract – but this doesn’t hold up. He is the most powerful wizard in the world – and Harry didn’t even put his own name in.

However, Dumbledore lets an underage wizard compete in a highly dangerous event, while he’s battling his lifelong nemesis… for no real reason. This truly does seem like the work of a villain, rather than a hero.

He Let Tom Riddle Grow Into Voldemort

Arguably, there was nothing anyone could do to prevent Tom Riddle becoming Voldemort – but Dumbledore brought Tom into the school and trained him, despite seeing how he only used his magic as a child to hurt and frighten others. He gave Tom access to everything he needed to become the Dark Lord, and despite seeming to be aware that he may have been the one to open the Chamber of Secrets, Tom is kept on at the school.

While there is only so much responsibility that can be placed on Dumbledore for how someone else turned out, it seems suspicious that he couldn’t find any reason to deny Tom the training or resources to prevent him becoming a killer, when he knew there was an issue there.

He Thrives On Chaos And Secrets

The upcoming Fantastic Beasts film seems aptly named, as Dumbledore has a huge number of secrets, and seems to take a villainous pleasure in keeping them and doling them out. He sets himself against the Ministry, keeps secrets from Harry, the other professors, and his allies, he keeps secrets from the Order of the Phoenix, and seems to prefer to try and do things himself

This love of secrecy strengthens the idea that Dumbledore has something of a superiority complex, and wants to feel that he knows more than everyone else. He hoards his information and uses it to manipulate, which is definitely the trait of a villain.

He Spent An Entire Year Ignoring Harry

Dumbledore spends the first few films acting as a friend and mentor to Harry, indulging him, helping him, and treating him as almost family. However, in The Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore makes the bad choice to abruptly start ignoring Harry. He refuses to speak to him, communicate with him, or even look at him, and will not tell Harry why. This is later explained as concern about Voldemort’s connection with Harry, but the act itself is still horrifying.

After essentially creating a parental dynamic with a neglected orphan, suddenly refusing to do so much as look him in the eye isn’t just cruel, it’s traumatic – and something that could have pushed Harry into a truly dark place.

He Withheld Useful Information From Harry

Dumbledore’s superiority complex and love of secrets come into play again in the way he treats Harry, as he decides to hide things from the young Chosen One time and time again. Rather than simply giving Harry useful – and in some cases, life-changing, information – he drip-feeds the truth to Harry, manipulating him into doing whatever Dumbledore wants.

Obviously, the main drive behind this is nothing to do with the character at all, but with storytelling, as the books would not be nearly so enjoyable if Dumbledore took good care of Harry and them simply told him all the useful information he would need. Still, it’s frustratingly manipulative and villainous.

He Willingly Readied Harry To Die ‘At The Correct Time’

Of all the heinous things that Dumbledore has done, his most villainous is that he knew from the start that Harry would have to die in order to defeat Voldemort – and he set him up for it. Some of his actions have even been theorized to be manipulating him from the start into a hero-worship of Dumbledore strong enough to sacrifice himself: his exile from the wizarding world, his triumphant and love-filled homecoming, years of being praised and supported by Dumbledore and finding only success, the sudden ignoring, the apologies and the pleas for help – all of it may have been part of an evil master plan leading to his death.

It may be that Dumbledore felt that this was the only way to take down Voldemort once and for all, but in the end, all villains have reasons for their plans, and justifications for their actions. Dumbledore, it seems, was no different in plotting the death of a child.