Albus Dumbledore

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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:
Dumbledore by Ahmed Abdel Al
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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]

"Book vs Movie Dumbledore" - fanart by kellywormtongue

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

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.

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

Fanart

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

Archives & Fannish Links

References