The Harry Potter Movies Left Out Snape’s Worst Traits
Snape’s Worst Memory Isn’t Accurately Depicted In the Movies

The Movie Adaptations Made Snape a Far More Redeemable Character
The New Harry Potter Series Could Bring to the Screen a More Faithful Adaptation

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Harry Potter is one of the most influential and beloved fantasy sagas of all time, and it’s a testament to its legacy that some of the main characters of the book series continue to be relevant today. Many still discuss whether Albus Dumbledore was a good person or whether he manipulated Harry to fight against Voldemort. Others still debate about whether Ron and Hermione should’ve ended up together. But if there’s one character in the Harry Potter saga that is both popular and controversial, it’s easily Harry’s Potions professor, later turned Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Severus Snape.

Severus Snape began as one of the most hated characters for many Harry Potter fans. As the Harry Potter book series is told mostly through Harry’s point of view, fans were only privy to whatever Snape did to Harry or his classmates. However, one of the most shocking twists in Harry Potter was the revelation that Snape was working with Dumbledore all along, and he wasn’t the bad guy Harry believed. And in the end, Harry even names one of his children after Severus Snape. But even though Snape got his redemption arc in the Harry Potter series, many still question whether he deserved it or not. And one of the biggest reasons for this debate is the fact that the movie version of Severus Snape is far less cruel and mean than the book version.

The Harry Potter Movies Left Out Snape’s Worst Traits

Snape Bullied His Students Without Any Justification

Throughout the Harry Potter movies, audiences get a glimpse of Severus Snape’s dislike for Harry. There are many scenes in Harry Potter where Snape is making snide remarks about Harry, or even moments where he is outright mean to him. And there’s one explanation for this: Harry’s father, James Potter, bullied Severus Snape when they were both students at Hogwarts. The fact that James bullied Snape could explain some of the animosity that Snape felt towards Harry, which the movies make obvious, just like in the books. Another explanation could be that, since Snape had to keep up appearances to work as a double agent, he pretended to dislike Harry. However, this doesn’t explain why Snape was just as mean and cruel to Harry when they were alone. But even though there are some theories and explanations about Snape’s treatment of Harry, there’s no real excuse about how Snape treated the rest of his students.

The Harry Potter movies left out some of Snape’s most cruel and mean moments, especially the moments when he was particularly vicious towards children. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Snape tries to poison Neville’s pet toad during a Potions class. While Snape bullying Neville wasn’t anything new, finding joy in the threat of poisoning someone’s pet isn’t excusable. Another moment of Snape being cruel that was left out of the movies happens in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when Snape makes fun of Hermione’s appearance.

“Malfoy got Hermione!” Ron said. “Look!” He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth – she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape’s back.

Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, “I see no difference.”

Hermione let out a whimper; her eyes filled with tears, she turned on her heel and ran, ran all the way up the corridor and out of sight.

During a fight between Harry and Malfoy outside of Snape’s dungeon, Malfoy’s attack hits Hermione. This hex caused Hermione’s front teeth to grow at an alarming rate. However, when Ron points out the result of Mafloy’s hex on Hermione, Snape replies with one of his cruelest comments: that he sees no difference, even though Hermione’s teeth were past her collar by that point. The Harry Potter books mention in a few instances that Hermione’s front teeth have always been larger than average, and while Hermione is a strong and powerful witch, she was still just a fourteen-year-old girl at that point. Snape making fun of Hermione’s appearance in front of the entire class is easily one of his most questionable moments, which never made it to the movies. But there’s another moment where Snape proved just how hateful he could be, which was also left out of the movie adaptations.

Snape’s Worst Memory Isn’t Accurately Depicted In the Movies

Snape’s Obsession With Lily Wasn’t as Romantic as the Movies Made it Out to Be

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry begins taking Occlumency lessons with Severus Snape. These lessons are meant to shield Harry’s mind from Voldemort, as they both seem to share a unique connection that allows Harry to see into Voldemort’s mind. But Dumbledore doesn’t want this connection to remain open, fearing that Voldemort could use it against Harry or against Dumbledore himself. This is why Dumbledore asks Snape to teach Occlumency to Harry, but Harry soon realizes that Snape is at his most cruel in these moments. And things only get worse when Harry accidentally glimpses into Snape’s mind.

“Snape’s Worst Memory” is the name of a very important chapter in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix book. This is a chapter that reveals a lot about Snape’s time as a student, and how James and the Marauders bullied Severus during their time at Hogwarts. James Potter and Sirius Black, who were best friends at Hogwarts, enjoyed making fun of Severus Snape and even called him “Snivellus.” Lily Evans, who later became Lily Potter after she married James, defended Snape as they were friends. That is, until Snape called Lily a Mudblood, something that was left out of the movie.

James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the counter-curse.

“There you go,” he said as Snape struggled to his feet. “You’re lucky Evans was here, Snivellus —”

“I don’t need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!”

In Snape’s memory, Harry sees James, Sirius, Peter and Remus as they taunt and bully Severus. Peter and Remus don’t really participate as much, but they don’t stop it either. James and Sirius, on the other hand, seem to enjoy making fun of Snape, embarrassing him in front of many other students. But Lily, Harry’s mother, isn’t comfortable with it and soon comes to Snape’s aid. However, Snape makes everything worse by calling Lily a Mudblood, one of the worst slurs one could use in the wizarding world. This is the moment when Lily and Severus stop being friends, and understandably so. No matter how upset Snape was, there’s really no justification for him using such a cruel slur against someone he considered a friend and someone he was supposedly in love with.

The Movie Adaptations Made Snape a Far More Redeemable Character

Snape’s Decades-Long Love for Lily Was More Obsessive Than Romantic in the Books

Just like Hermione’s worst traits were left out of the movie adaptations or how Ron became the comic relief character, leaving a lot of his smarter moments out of the movies, the movie version of Snape is far more redeemable. This could also be because Alan Rickman did such a terrific job in this role, so much so that many still have a hard time imagining anyone else as Severus Snape. However, Rickman’s version of Snape could also be part of the reason why there’s still so much debate about whether Snape was a good person or a bad person. Granted, Snape is an intriguing character and easily one of the best in the Harry Potter saga, regardless of whether he is good or bad. And his sacrifice played a big role in Harry defeating Voldemort. However, the movies made Snape much less cruel than he is in the books.

Snape’s feelings for Lily in the Harry Potter movies could be seen as romantic, and Snape’s redemption makes sense when audiences learn about it and how Snape protected Harry all along. However, Snape also bullied and shamed Harry constantly. And when he was still one of Voldemort’s Death Eaters, and he realized that Voldemort wanted to kill the Potters after hearing the prophecy, Snape never pleaded for James or Harry’s life, only Lily’s. While it could make sense that he wouldn’t care what happened to James after James made Snape’s life miserable at Hogwarts, there’s no denying that Snape being okay with Voldemort killing a baby raises more than one eyebrow.

“If she means so much to you,” said Dumbledore, “surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother in exchange for the son?”

“I have —I have asked him—”

“You disgust me,” said Dumbledore, and Harry had never heard so much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to shrink a little, “You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die as long as you have what you want?”

Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore.

A lot of Snape’s redemption arc relies on the fact that he is in love with Lily, so he protects Lily’s son, Harry. But some can even argue that Snape’s love for Lily wasn’t romantic, but obsessive. Snape’s hatred for the Marauders also goes overboard, especially when Snape reveals to everyone that Lupin is a werewolf, even after it is revealed that Lupin and Sirius aren’t the bad guys. Lupin never actively bullied Snape, and Snape outing Lupin as a werewolf forced Lupin into a life of unemployment. The movies didn’t have enough time to depict every little moment of every character, as the movie adaptations prioritized Harry’s journey to defeat Voldemort. However, these little moments are what shape a character, and Snape’s little moments in the Harry Potter books make Snape far worse than his movie version.

The New Harry Potter Series Could Bring to the Screen a More Faithful Adaptation

There’s Already Rumors About Possible Casting for Severus Snape in the New Max Series

With the news of a new Harry Potter adaptation in the works, a lot of fans of the books are eager to see some of his favorite moments and forgotten characters finally make it to the screen. Characters like Peeves, who never appeared in the Harry Potter movies, are expected to appear in the upcoming TV series based on the Harry Potter books. Many also want to see scenes like the Marauder’s backstory from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which was left out of the movie adaptation. While seeing some of these forgotten characters and pivotal scenes on screen creates a big expectation for the TV series, many fans also want to see a more accurate portrayal of the book’s characters as well.

Snape’s personality wasn’t the only change in the movies. In the books, Snape is in his early 30s when Harry becomes a student at Hogwarts. However, Alan Rickman was around 5 years old in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which greatly aged up the character.

Snape is not the only character who went through a change in the movie adaptations, but he is the one who became far more popular and beloved thanks to Alan Rickman’s memorable portrayal of the Hogwarts professor. Hopefully, the new Harry Potter adaptation will take into account the many scenes, characters and backstories that many fans want to see from the books, as well as the character traits that were left out of many of the Harry Potter movies.