Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint was recently in the news after the announcement of his role in an upcoming M. Night Shyamalan movie releasing in 2024. Of course, Grint remains best known for playing Ron Weasley, whose loyalty toward Harry and Hermione goes down as his greatest attribute.

However, there were times when Ron behaved much like a villain, like when he openly shamed Hermione to when he antagonized Harry over their differences. Although Ron was never a true villain, he had an antagonistic streak that made him similar in terms of attitude to the characters in the Harry Potter series.

When Ron Alienated Harry Out Of Jealousy

Among the worst fears that plagued Ron in Harry Potter was to be seen as his best friend’s sidekick rather than as an equal. This took the best of him when Harry’s name came out of the Goblet of Fire, which made Ron angry because he thought Harry had deliberately added himself into the mix.

Ron’s attitude was like a villain due to the fact that he treated Harry like a pariah just as the rest of the school did. The alienation Harry felt was very hurtful to him, especially when it came from his best friend. Moreover, Ron vilifying Harry when the latter was worried about his life was a very antagonistic thing to do.

When Ron Made Fun Of A Grieving Moaning Myrtle To Lift His Own Mood

Draco Malfoy is generally singled out for his hostile demeanor toward the likes of Hermione, in that he would mock and insult Hermione to her face. However, Ron did much the same to Moaning Myrtle in Half-Blood Prince, to the point that she fled in tears.

As it happened, Ron found it amusing that Myrtle had made a friend (unaware that it was Malfoy) and made fun of her that he probably lived in an S-bend like her. Ron’s behavior left little to separate him from the accepted villain Malfoy, who was ironically kinder to Myrtle than Ron ever was.

When Ron Wanted To Kill The Death Eaters That Ambushed The Trio

This took place after the café duel where the trio defeated Antonin Dolohov and his associate. Unsure what to do with the Death Eaters, Ron suggested that they kill – his suggestion greatly unsettled Hermione and Harry, with the latter deciding to erase their memories.

In retrospect, this actually showed how smart Ron could be in Harry Potter since he thought strategically as leaving the Death Eaters alive meant they would just fight them later on. But taking their lives also would have meant thinking the same was as Voldemort’s followers, which was what the heroes never wanted to do. The film version played the sinister aspect further by showing Ron looking rather gleeful at the prospect.

When Ron Ruined Hermione's Yule Ball

Overall, Ron can be given a pass for acting like a jerk, considering he was only 14 and not in touch with his feelings. But he still had serious villain vibes during the Yule Ball when he accused Hermione of “fraternizing with the enemy” out of jealousy toward Viktor Krum for dating her.

Hermione was left in tears when Ron kept giving her the cold shoulder and then acted as if she was the one overreacting. Not even Draco Malfoy had anything mean to say to Hermione during the ball, which shows just how hurtful Ron got. Had it been another character who treated her that way, they would definitely have been perceived as villainous.

When Ron Found Pleasure In Kreacher's Mistreatment

Pretty much everyone apart from Hermione behaved like a villain toward Kreacher, with the latter used to being treated like dirt. Ron agreed with Sirius’ claim that Kreacher’s feelings didn’t matter and would laugh along with the rest when events like Sirius tossing Kreacher around happened.

The books never made it out to be a bad thing until Deathly Hallows when Ron and Harry felt ashamed upon realizing how cruel they’d been. From Kreacher’s perspective, Ron was an enabler to the mistreatment he suffered and considered him among the villainous people who took over Mistress Black’s house.

When Ron Shunned Hermione With Harry Over A Broomstick

There were times when Ron was capable of being a wise Harry Potter character, while certain others saw him act like a total jerk. One of his meanest times came in Prisoner of Azkaban when he convinced Harry to shun Hermione after the latter had the Firebolt confiscated.

Ron and Harry were aware that Hermione meant well since the mysterious delivery of the Firebolt could very well have been a stealthy way to harm Harry. However, Ron argued that letting a Firebolt go was nearly criminal, and he ditched Hermione alongside Harry for weeks. He comes across as more antagonistic when considering the fact that Hermione never actually did anything to him, meaning he valued a broomstick more than their friendship.

When Ron Hurt Hermione's Feelings By Openly Mimicking Her

The series made it a point to show how antagonistic Severus Snape was toward Hermione by mocking her studious attitude. Ron behaved the same way when he and Hermione were estranged. This was when he was dating Lavender, and Ron amused his girlfriend and Parvati by mimicking Hermione during class in a satirical way.

Hermione had to retreat to the girls’ bathroom to go somewhere that Ron couldn’t belittle her, which showed just how distressed she was. It also ended up as one of the few times when Harry could make no excuses for Ron’s behavior and fully sympathized with Hermione.

When Ron Mocked Hermione And Harry For Their Inclusion In The Slug Club

Ron’s inferiority complex made him say disparaging remarks toward his own friends when they received more attention than him. After he was ignored for the Slug Club while Hermione and Harry were invited, Ron covered up his jealousy by claiming the Slug Club was pathetic.

Moreover, he mocked Hermione over McLaggen’s interest in her by claiming the two could be named “King and Queen Slug.” Harry noted how Ron had a sneer similar to Malfoy at the time, which was the author’s way of making a parallel between Ron and Malfoy’s antagonistic attitude.

When Ron Belittled And Abandoned Harry

While there are many friendship moments between Harry and Ron in the series, they had a major falling out in Deathly Hallows. This was due to Ron’s use of Voldemort’s locket that was slowly corrupting his mind. It certainly did the trick since Ron straight-up abandoned his friends.

He started out by belittling Harry for failing to keep his family safe, going so far as to mention Harry’s deceased parents. Ron behaved just like Voldemort’s locket wanted to, saying the very things that Harry was insecure about and leaving him to fend for himself. Out of all the times he acted villainous, this was the one occasion where he truly came across as an antagonist.

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