Albus Dumbledore
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore |
| Occupation: | wizard; Headmaster of Hogwarts |
| Relationships: | Gellert Grindelwald (possible romance), Aberforth Dumbledore (brother), Ariana Dumbledore (sister) |
| Fandom: | Harry Potter |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books. He is described in the books as one of the greatest wizards of all time, and the fandom is divided on the issue of whether he is actually benevolent or, rather, manipulative in his effort to help Harry fight Lord Voldemort.[1] A small number of stories show him as actively evil.[2]
Canon
Books
Dumbledore in the Films
Many fans were unhappy with the way Michael Gambon portrayed Dumbledore in the films. The fourth movie especially caused much wank because fans felt movie!Dumbledore was not an accurate characterization of Dumbledore in canon. At least one person described the audience clapping and cheering when Dumbledore was killed in the sixth film.[3]
Fans who blame Gambon for Dumbledore's OOC-ness often cite his 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times, in which he states that he had never read the books. However, the same article states that it was screenwriter Steve Kloves and director David Yates who "demanded an intense Dumbledore."[4]
Fantastic Beasts
| Needs Updating: This page is out of date. Editors are encouraged to add more recent information. |
Dumbledore's Sexuality
On October 19, 2007, J. K. Rowling revealed that she always thought Dumbledore was gay and in love with Gellert Grindelwald,[5] making him the only canonically gay character in the Harry Potter series. This "outing" lead to a surge in popularity of the Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald ship,[6] but also created some controversy.[7]
There has been a lot of discussion about Rowling's statement, its political implications, its relationship to canon, and whether Dumbledore's sexuality can be inferred from the books alone.
- Tumblr discussion with comments by gyzym 2012-2013
A small subset of evil!Dumbledore fanfic attributes his behaviour to his sexual orientation, for example claiming that Dumbledore helped Snape escape justice because he was attracted to him. Usually this characterisation seems to have homophobic overtones.
Fan Perspectives
For Harry Potter fans who like Dumbledore, his complicated role as the mastermind of a war is usually seen as a feature, not a bug. As one anonymous fan writes,
"[He is] Probably the most complex character in the entire series, even in front of Snape. I love his arc: how you start out thinking he's just this fluffy old man, and how by the end you realize just how much he's done and sacrificed in an attempt to save the world."[8]
Another reflects that, "the whole relationship with Harry is fascinating to me: Harry is the tool that will bring down Voldemort for good and Dumbledore makes his moves with that in mind, but he's genuinely grown to care about the boy far more than he expected."[9]
Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanart
high femme, by magicaldragon
Fanfiction
- Six Years, Six Applicants by Sarah1281, Chronicling Dumbledore's never-ending and sometimes desperate attempts to fill the Defense Against the Dark Arts position with anyone but Snape and Snape's persistent attempts to land the job anyway. (2009)
Meta
- Saint or Sinner - All Things Characterisation - "The White Bumblebee" Albus Dumbledore by JK Ashavah
- Out of the Closet, Into the Fire by Leila Belhadjali (October 22, 2007)
- He's Gay and He's Mine by Leila Belhadjali (October 22, 2007)
- What did Dumbledore do that makes him a bad person?, Archived version by apriki - an anti-Dumbledore post analyzing his actions throughout the series
- we’re all in agreement that Dumbledore brought the Philosopher’s Stone to Hogwarts in Harry’s first year as a test to see whether Voldemort was paying attention and what sort of state he was in, Archived version - an untitled tumblr post by c-is-for-circinate about why many fans dislike Dumbledore.
Archives & Fannish Links
- Albus Dumbledore works on Ao3
- Albus Dumbledore works onff.net
- Albus Dumbledore page on the Harry Potter Wiki
References
- ^ travisprinzi. "Defending Dumbledore, Part I: Loyalty and Manipulation".
- ^ "Harry Potter works with the Evil Dumbledore tag".
- ^ an RL acquaintance of user:aethel, cannot remember when
- ^ Denise Martin. Gambon is playing by the headmaster's rules, The Los Angeles Times. 14 July 2009.
- ^ "TLC: J. K. Rowling at Carnegie Hall Reveals Dumbledore is Gay; Neville Marries Hannah Abbott, and Much More". Archived from the original on 2022-06-05.
- ^ 88 + new members in 18 hours or so? at Grindeldore LiveJournal community, October 2007. (Accessed October 2008.)
- ^ Daniel Hemmens. "What The Fucking Fucking Fuck JK Rowling?". Archived from the original on 2009-09-03.
- ^ Anonymous comment on Fail_Fandomanon. February 13, 2021.
- ^ Anonymous comment, Archived version on Fail_Fandomanon. February 13, 2021.