10 unpopular opinions on Lupine (according to Reddit)
The kind, pleasant, decent and loyal Remus Lupine quickly became a much-loved character in Harry potter since it was introduced in the third part of the series. But it might be surprising to know that there are those with a bone to choose from with this mild-mannered ex-professor.
Most fans have rooted for Lupine even as his werewolf identity came to light, then he became a prominent member of the Order of the Phoenix and married young Nymphadora Tonks. However, a few reasonable people believe that Lupine was not as lovable as it is claimed, and neither was his relationship with Tonks.
Hogwarts shouldn’t have hired Lupine as a teacher
Redditor Cayuconostalgia astutely points out that Lupine shouldn’t have been hired as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and “allowing a dangerous limb near the students” was not really expected from a place with high magical standards like Hogwarts.
However, as other users point out, even despite his lycanthropy, Lupine was still one of the best DCFM teachers the school has ever had. Plus, Dumbledore, of course, wouldn’t discriminate against someone who through no fault of their own was a werewolf.
Where was Remus Lupine?
Another Redditor, JKjustJ9, dislikes Lupine for not showing up to the Dursleys, or ever asking after Harry in the first eleven years of his life. Even though he didn’t have a job and didn’t have the ability to raise Harry on his own, the user asks why doesn’t he “just have a recording every now and then”?
While that might be a valid point, the counter-argument Potterheads would provide was that Lupine had had a pretty rough time as he did in the Wizarding World and lacked the confidence to introduce himself to Harry or take care for him. He might not even have known that the Dursleys were putting Harry Potter in a series of dangerous situations. In any case, Lupine, fans agree, was a good man but certainly not a perfect one.
The Tonks-Lupine romance was disgusting
Here’s another controversial review featured by SkyFire4-13 on Reddit. The user takes issue with people who glorify Lupin’s relationship with Tonks. The latter, believes the fan, behaved in a manner “disgusting and there is nothing romantic about it”. The user particularly highlights the moment Tonks “acted like a spoiled child” after Dumbledore’s death and goes so far as to say that her relationship with Lupine should never have happened.
That would seem a bit too much for most fans who love to romance this couple and their tragic deaths in the Battle of Hogwarts. Tonks may not have handled her feelings very maturely, but a large majority of fans think theirs was a very difficult situation. They loved each other and Tonks was trying to convince Lupine that he didn’t have to stay away for her. That said, there is food for thought in what the user says about the scary stalker’s clue in certain behaviors.
David Thewlis was a big lupine
Redditor Docamanx has an unusual opinion to share about actor David Thewlis who played the beloved Lupine in the Harry Potter films. The user says Thewlis had “great energy, incredible portrayal and a fantastic voice,” and he nailed the character, making him even better than the fan had imagined.
This goes against the general trend in fan opinions since most fans believe Thewlis was a bit misinterpreted as Lupine. While the actor certainly couldn’t be faulted for his performance, he wasn’t like many fans imagined Remus Lupine in their heads.
Lupine was better than Sirius as Harry’s father figure
In another unpopular opinion, Redditor throwawaycon369 believes that Lupine would have made a better father figure for Harry than Sirius would have – “Of course, by reducing the burden of his lycanthropy.”
The majority of fans, however, would have preferred Sirius as a replacement for James Potter. He was, after all, Harry’s godfather and had the kind of drive Harry thought his father must have. There were reasons Lupine and Sirius would have made wonderful mentors for Harry Potter, but Sirius seemed to be a better fit.
Lupine was Harry Potter’s bravest character
This user whose account on Reddit has since been deleted says that “Lupine is the bravest character in Harry Potter”. Now there is an unpopular opinion if there is one.
No one can deny Lupin’s bravery – he had it worse than most and managed to survive as a werewolf before sacrificing himself in the Battle of Hogwarts. Still, the troubled former Hogwarts professor wouldn’t be most people’s first choice as Potter’s bravest character. Most fans would even consider someone as polarizing as Snape to be braver than Lupine, though the justification for that is another matter.
It was justified to leave Tonks
Reddit user Noh_Face posts Lupine was justified in leaving a Tonks on hold Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The user reminds everyone that if this gesture by Lupine is seen as cowardly, then “we have to be consistent and say that any man who leaves his pregnant wife to go and fight in a war is a coward.”
This is controversial as one of the biggest complaints Potterheads have against Lupine is his decision to abandon his pregnant wife in the wake of the looming war. Of course, he hadn’t done it because he was a bad person or because he didn’t like Tonks or her son, but because he was convinced they would be better off without him. Still, fans were never able to buy into her decision, seeing it as a lack of responsibility.
He was cowardly
Speaking of cowardice, CheruthCutestory believes that Lupine wasn’t just a coward for leaving Tonks, but always had been. The user presents two compelling examples – first, that “In the PoA, Lupine spends the whole year afraid to tell Dumbledore that the dangerous murderer Sirius Black is an animagus” and second, that he doesn’t say to Harry as soon as they met “that he was one of his father’s closest friends.”
Given the complexity of the character, most of the Harry potter fans felt sorry for Lupine, or found him inspiring, but they never found him cowardly. They would contradict the above opinion by stating that Sirius had, after all, become an Animagus for Remus’ sake. So Remus would have felt like betraying Sirius if he had told Dumbledore about Black’s ability to transform into a huge black dog. Moreover, it is true that Lupine did not immediately tell Harry about his connection with James, but it could have been because he did not want to accumulate painful memories for him or for Harry.
Lupin’s role “What if … if” in The Deathly Hallows
User MeyyoLOL wonders what it would have been like if Harry had let Lupine join the horcrux hunt in Deathly Hallows– “and ‘Three became Four.'” Remus had introduced himself to Harry, wishing to join him and the others as they traveled practically into the unknown. Harry yelled at him, asking him to return to Tonks, furious that he planned to leave them.
This is only unpopular because few people would be surprised by the so-called “what if” scenario. Though brave and kind, Remus Lupine, rather sadly, has never garnered as much fan attention as, say Sirius or Snape.
He would have swallowed up the trio
Finally, in a very unpopular and positively gloomy opinion, Sabrielle24 on Reddit seems to think that if Lupine had joined Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they set out on their journey to find horcruxes, “he probably would have eaten them at some point. , assuming he doesn’t have an endless supply of wolfsbane. “
Of course, even Lupin’s most vehement hate wouldn’t have thought about what might have happened if he had been allowed to travel. However, one can only hope that Hermione, still thoughtful, would have had the foresight to carry a life’s supply of the wolfsbane potion. The potion, by the way, for Harry potter fans who didn’t know this about werewolves didn’t cure lycanthropy, but at least made the transformation less terrible.
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