After the last installment of the Fantastic Beasts saga, The Secrets of Dumbledore, David Zaslav, HBO's CEO, commented that he would like to keep making Harry Potter movies. This is great news for all fans of the series, who would love to keep receiving content from the franchise. Still, it's going to be hard to create a Harry Potter project that earns the fandom's heart in the same way the original saga did.
At the end of the day, the main saga films were the entrance to the Harry Potter world, and characters like Albus Dumbledore could never be replaced. Richard Harris and Michael Gambon's portrayals, even though very different, created both sides of the characters and both of them have become the official image of Dumbledore in the fandom's mind. Their roles are so iconic that there are hundreds of memes about them on the internet.
The Sorcerer's Stone
When Harry first arrives at Hogwarts, he only knows Albus Dumbledore is Hogwarts's headmaster. During this movie, they don't interact as much as they do in later installments, but even though Harry doesn't know it yet, the friendly wizard displays clear favoritism for the boy.
Throughout the first movie Dumbledore, for example, allows Harry to go through the castle at night to visit the Erised Mirror. On top of that, he finds a way for Gryffindor to earn the House Cup, giving away points in the last minute, as this Reddit meme points out. Although it makes sense that Dumbledore wants to make Harry happy after all he's gone through, it doesn't make it okay for the other students in Hogwarts.
The Chamber Of Secrets
Even though most Potterheads love Dumbledore as a character, as the fans grow up, some of the Headmaster's actions throughout the books and movies become more and more questionable. In the Chamber of Secrets, for example, Dumbledore not only keeps important information about this place for himself but also lets several students get hurt before even considering closing down the school.
Throughout the series, Dumbledore always has an agenda. His role in the Chamber of Secrets is not as different from his role in other installments. However, this is the first time that the headmaster shows this side of himself, so a lot of the viewers didn't realize it at the time.
The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Just like in most works of fiction, in the magical world traveling through time is dangerous and complicated, and could have many unpredictable extreme consequences. However, even though Time-Turners are supposed to be used carefully, Dumbledore not only gives one of these artifacts to a thirteen-year-old but also encourages her and her to use it to change the course of events, one of Harry Potter's biggest deus ex machinas.
This is one of the many contradictory attitudes that Dumbledore displays throughout the franchise but this time the headmaster is particularly neglectful. Not only does he leave a Time-Turner in the hands of teenagers, but he allows teenagers to play heroes instead of solving the situation on his own.
The Goblet Of Fire
One of the most criticized aspects of the Harry Potter movies is the change of behavior in Dumbledore's character adaptation. While in the books the Headmaster is a calm and solemn presence, Michael Gambon's interpretation of Dumbledore is more energetic and frantic.
This is particularly obvious during the Goblet of Fire, where Dumbledore acts agitated and distressed throughout most of the film, especially when Harry's name appears in the Goblet of Fire. There's no doubt Dumbledore always has Harry's back, but on this occasion, it seemed like he was going to attack him.
The Order Of The Phoenix
Even though this meme references Dumbledore in the first movie, it also explains very well his role during the Order of the Phoenix. After Harry goes through one of the worst things that ever happened to him, witnessing the return of Lord Voldemort and the murder of one of his classmates, Dumbledore completely abandoned him.
It's clear that Dumbledore was at his worst throughout this film. The Headmaster left Harry alone throughout most of the summer with his abusive relatives. On top of that, for the rest of the film, Dumbledore avoided Harry, even when he was about to be expelled from Hogwarts, the only home he ever knew.
The Half-Blood Prince
From the beginning of the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore displays a wounded arm. However, it's not until Deathly Hallows Part 2 that the audience comes to know that this wound came from a curse from Marvolo's ring, which he decided to wear against all warnings. This is the first act Dumbledore does during the film that puts his life at great risk.
Throughout the Half-Blood Prince is obvious Dumbledore thinks his life is dispensable. He begs Snape to take his life, so Draco won't face the wrath of Lord Voldemort. On top of that, he poisons himself when he and Harry are looking for Voldemort's Horcrux and, finally, lets Draco take advantage of the situation. Throughout this movie, Dumbledore acted more like a villain than a hero.
The Deathly Hallows Part 1
Throughout the movies, Dumbledore was always a very cryptic character, only revealing information when he felt it was convenient. This often caused a lot of trouble, the most prominent one being Sirius's death in the Ministry of Magic. However, the most cryptic message he ever left was his testament after his death.
Even from the great beyond, Dumbledore decided to not leave clear answers. Instead, in his will, he left a series of seemingly unrelated objects to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, so they had to figure out the next steps in their mission. Even though it's true that for most of his time alive Dumbledore should've been straightforward, it's also true this time he couldn't risk it, since all of these items were thoroughly inspected by the Ministry of Magic.
The Deathly Hallows Part 2
After Dumbledore's death in the Half-Blood Prince, fans didn't think they would see this character ever again. However, Dumbledore returns to the film, first, in the form of Snape's memories, and later, as possibly a fragment of Harry's consciousness.
During this film, Dumbledore's plans finally take shape, and it becomes evident that he always knew Harry had to die in order for the world to remain at peace. The cold and methodical way in which Dumbledore went around this is one of the most shocking parts of the movies, and it completely resumes Dumbledore's role not only in the last installment of the series but also in the whole saga.