The Harry Potter movies do, for the most part, do a brilliant job of staying to the source material written by JK Rowling. However, Warner Bros chose to alter some things from the books in order to make things even better for those learning about the Boy Who Lived and his battle against Lord Voldemort via the big screen.
That means that even deaths of some characters were altered in some ways. Some fans took issue with this but others could appreciate the creativity displayed from those behind the scenes. We now take a look at 10 characters who had their deaths tinkered with throughout the eight movies in the franchise.
Professor Quirrell
Throughout the Sorcerer’s Stone, you’re led to believe that Severus Snape is working on behalf of Lord Voldemort, helping the Dark Lord in his mission to return to full power. However, in a stunning twist, it’s revealed to be the not-so-nervous Professor Quirrell instead.
Quirrell’s death in the movie is brutal, with his entire body combusting at Harry’s touch. It’s similar in the book but slightly different, with his body staying intact. We imagine Warner Bros didn’t want to scare too many people by showing a severely-burned corpse - and we don’t blame them.
Frank Bryce
At the start of the Goblet of Fire movie and book, a muggle man named Frank Bryce sees odd, flickering lights inside the long-abandoned Riddle Manor. He decides to go and take a look and is then killed by Lord Voldemort.
Two things are different here. Firstly, in the movie, Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew are joined by Barty Crouch Jr – which isn’t the case in the source material. Secondly, Frank puts up a fight in the book, coming across as courageous rather than merely looking frail and lost as he does on the big screen.
Barty Crouch Sr.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione are left reeling in the Goblet of Fire movie when, on a walk with Hagrid, they stumble across the corpse of Ministry of Magic chief Barty Crouch Sr. By this point there’s nothing they can do, with the culprit already long gone by the time they find him.
In the book of the same name, however, it’s a lot more dramatic. Crouch surprises Harry and Viktor Krum by babbling away to them, speaking about Lord Voldemort and doing something terrible. Harry leaves the scene to go and get help but, when he returns, Krum is unconscious and Crouch is gone. It’s later revealed that Barty Crouch Jr, under the guise of Alastor Moody, murdered his father and transformed his body into a bone.
Sirius Black
Sirius Black’s death in the Order of the Phoenix is one of the most heartbreaking moments in the entire franchise. And it’s tinkered with ever so slightly for the movie version of the story.
In the film, Sirius is hit by Bellatrix Lestrange with the killing curse Avada Kedavra. However, in the book, it’s a standard curse that just so hits him in the heart, cruelling ending his life in the process. Bellatrix is also a lot more celebratory in the source material – whereas in the book she initially appears to show some remorse.
Mad-Eye Moody
In the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Alastor Moody’s death is announced to the group by Bill Weasley following their successful attempts to get Harry away from Number 4 Private Drive and to the Burrow. It’s the only time it’s mentioned in the blockbuster and we don’t learn much about how it unfolded.
But, while the book is similarly vague and mysterious, we do at least find out a little bit more. It’s explained that Moody was killed by Lord Voldemort himself, whose very presence had forced Order of the Phoenix member Mundungus Fletcher into running away. To be fair, if the Dark Lord himself is flying after you, who can really blame him?
Peter Pettigrew
Peter Pettigrew, despite being a rather significant character in the grand scheme of things, has his role in Harry Potter movies greatly reduced as time goes on. His death barely takes place onscreen, with the last we see of him when Harry and Ron Weasley escape from the prison within Malfoy Manor.
The book, of course, gives the character a far greater death. Pettigrew’s own silver hand, the one given to him as a reward for his loyalty to Lord Voldemort, turns on him when he hesitates to stop Harry and Ron from escaping. The duo is powerless, and horrified, as the silver hand clutches round Pettigrew’s throat and tightens until he can breathe no more.
Fred Weasley
We can’t help but feel Warner Bros should have spent a couple more minutes giving Fred Weasley a good death, particularly given he’s one of the most popular characters. You see Fred screaming as a Death Eater closes in on him in the Battle of Hogwarts – and the next time you see him his body is lying in the Great Hall with his family grouped around in mourning.
As you’d expect, it’s a lot sadder in the book. Fred dies with a smile on his face and with brother Percy by his side. There’s a huge explosion, just as the Weasley twin is halfway through one final joke, and Percy is left devastated when the dust settles and his brother is gone.
Severus Snape
The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 movie certainly did a good job at giving Severus Snape a satisfying final scene. In a rather violent move, Lord Voldemort slashes Snape’s throat and then instructs Nagini to finish him off.
But in the source material, it’s just Nagini. Voldemort sets his snake on his favorite Death Eater and it doesn’t stop biting him until it’s clear he won’t survive. We imagine Warner Bros wanted to show some of Snape dying and not horrify millions of young children in the process, so the slight change is understandable.
Bellatrix Lestrange
The Deathly Hallows book sees Bellatrix Lestrange go up against Mrs. Weasley, mocking her for the death of Fred and laughing at her resistance to Lord Voldemort. She dies in the exact same scenario as cousin Sirius Black, though, with a curse hitting her in the heart and sending her toppling backward onto the floor.
That would have been good to see, particularly as Voldemort then tries to take Mrs. Weasley out of the Battle of Hogwarts. Instead, the movie has Molly perform a bizarre spell that forces Bellatrix to swell up before exploding. A completely unnecessary change, if you ask us…
Voldemort
The sight of Lord Voldemort turning to dust, almost as if he’d been snapped by Thanos from the MCU, is iconic. It’s a good and befitting ending for such a nasty character and there were no complaints when this happened towards the very end of the movie.
However, in the book, the Dark Lord stays intact. He actually has a body to bury and it’s moved to a separate location as the cleanup after the Battle of Hogwarts begins. We wouldn’t want to be the person putting THAT in the ground…
