The Harry Potter Remake: Redefining the Death Eaters

Redefining the Death Eaters

The Harry Potter movies did the Death Eaters dirty, but the upcoming HBO remake has the opportunity to make them far cooler, as well as better aligned with canon. Voldemort's followers were often easy to pick out in the Warner Bros films since they all had a rather specific look. Grungy, dirty, and thoroughly evil, it was a wonder the Ministry of Magic had such a problem figuring out who was a follower of the Dark Lord and who wasn't. Add on the fact that the Death Eaters of the Harry Potter movies were far from the brightest of the bunch, and they didn't make for particularly threatening villains.

Harry Potter Death Eaters Header Image

Of course, this wasn't the case for all the Death Eaters. In the Harry Potter movies, Lucius Malfoy is sophisticated and cunning, believing himself to be the pinnacle of high-class wizarding society. This made it even stranger that the man would believe his greasy, bumbling fellow Death Eaters represented the glory of pure-blood elegance and power. Ultimately, this wasn't quite the case in the Harry Potter books, where Voldemort's inner circle was never described how they were depicted on screen. The Death Eaters were the most frightening force the wizarding world had ever seen, and HBO's Harry Potter remake can restore them to this status.

Harry Potter why Voldemort never Fenrir Greyback a death eater

The Harry Potter movie created a stark visual contrast between the Death Eaters and the good characters of the wizarding world. Where individuals like the Weasleys were clean, bright, and cheery, the Death Eaters looked like they had been surviving in the slums of Knockturn Alley for decades. Though characters were certainly described this way in the Harry Potter books, they weren't typically members of Voldemort's inner circle. After all, the Dark Lord's goal was to secure himself atop the pure-blood elite, using their generational wealth and status as a reflection of his own strength and power.

The Death Eaters in Harry Potter.

Hierarchy and Sophistication

Since the Harry Potter TV reboot is taking Harry's entire story from the top, HBO will have the opportunity to redefine how we see the Death Eaters. Rather than dirty scoundrels, it would be far closer to canon for these Dark witches and wizards to be more like the Malfoy family—Dark and menacing in a sophisticated, untouchably wealthy sort of way. After all, Voldemort favored the old-money, pure-blood wizarding families for his Death Eaters. The rougher, low-class followers weren't allowed to receive Dark Marks or consider themselves among the Dark Lord's inner circle. Rather, they were simply a disposable fighting force.

Bellatrix Lestrange (1)

Though the Harry Potter movies seem to imply that any follower of Lord Voldemort was a Death Eater, that wasn't the case in the books. The Dark Lord had hundreds within the wizarding community loyal to him since some lower-class families were manipulated into believing that Muggles were the reason for their misfortunes. However, only those who proved themselves powerful, pure-blooded, or wealthy were allowed to call themselves Death Eaters. They were branded with Voldemort's mark, allowed in on secret meetings, and believed themselves to be their master's true 'friends.'

Nagini the snake with the Death Eaters in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

A prime example of the difference in Voldemort's followers is Fenrir Greyback. Though he appeared to be a Death Eater in the Harry Potter movies, the books specified that he was not allowed a Dark Mark nor a place at Voldemort's table. The wizard was uncouth, filthy, vulgar, and, as a werewolf, considered a despised half-breed. Still, he was useful to Voldemort and was, therefore, permitted to participate in certain missions. The same is true for the snatchers, who were also assumed to be Death Eaters in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movies. The books described them as stupid, dirty, and entirely unworthy of standing in Voldemort's presence. Still, they fought for him.

Fenrir Greyback the Werewolf in Harry Potter

Cunning and Menacing Villains

The Harry Potter movies established the idea that 'dirty and stupid equals evil,' and though this works for Voldemort's lowly followers, it significantly minimizes the threat associated with the Death Eaters. There were certainly times in the books when characters like the adult Crabbe and Goyle were referred to as stupid, but they were still sophisticated, wealthy, and powerful, which is why they were such close friends to Lucius Malfoy. Since the themes of Harry Potter hinge on the power associated with social class, it would be far more effective for the Death Eaters of the Harry Potter reboot to reflect this.

Voldemort with Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy And Other Masked Death Eaters

This would drive home the fact that, though he is their leader, Voldemort isn't actually a member of the wizarding elite. He's a poor, orphaned half-blood using pure-blood mania to gain wealthy, refined followers who are eager to kiss his boots. If the Harry Potter reboot can capture this, it would mean a different caliber of Death Eaters than has previously been seen on screen.