Harry Potter: 10 Unpopular Opinions About Dobby (According To Reddit)

Dobby the elf is quirky but loved by most Harry Potter fans because, after all, he was one of the few magical creatures Harry was attached to who died in the fight against the dark forces, and for Harry.

Yet, not everyone appreciates the unusual little house elf or is moved by his tragic death in the series. Fans have been vocal about the way the character’s role was mutilated in the movies, and don’t have any qualms about expressing a few controversial opinions on Reddit.

10 Kreacher Is More Productive Than Dobby

An unpopular perspective is put forth by a user whose account has since been deleted. The user states that the obnoxious house-elf, Kreacher, who served the Black family at Grimmauld Place, was at least “a good and productive character” within the narrative while Dobby only seems to annoy.

Of course, the controversial nature of this opinion jumps to the eye. Harry Potter fans widely consider Kreacher one of the low- key villains in the series. He did help Harry and his friends, but that was only after he did serious harm to Harry and the Order, and only in the final book, after years of being unhelpful and furious. Very few fans find Kreacher more agreeable than Dobby.

9 He Was Irrelevant In The Movie Adaptation

Another Redditor, chardogrande, opines that Dobby was “entirely irrelevant” in the movies. He only appears in a couple of films, in one of which, The Chamber Of Secrets, his behavior isn’t exactly adorable. This, the user feels, predisposes the viewer such that they fail to like him if they read the novels only after watching the movies.

This is not as unpopular an opinion as it is a tad unusual, but does offer food for thought. The elf does get very little screen time in the movies and perhaps fails to build in character. However, for the majority of fans, the books are as important, if not more important, than the movies, and in the former, Dobby definitely creates an impression.

8 He Was More Hateful Than Umbridge

User Brythonic-Moo goes to the extent of expressing his distaste for the character of Dobby by comparing him with Dolores Umbridge, who the user says, was at least “meant to be an antagonist.” Yet, Dobby, who is set up as someone who cares for Harry is shown to be constantly putting the Chosen One in potential physical danger. The user is quite categorical of their hate for the house elf “across the board in the movies.”

This is of course heavily against the grain since Umbridge is one of the most obnoxious antagonists in the series, for some, even worse than Voldemort himself. To state that Dobby was somehow more hateful than the sadistic former High Inquisitor at Hogwarts is certainly unpopular.

7 Dobby’s Death Was His Way Of Punishing Himself

Dobby was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange’s knife after he had disapparated from Malfoy Manor with Harry and his friends. User Dendi suggests that the house elf was subconsciously punishing himself for not keeping his word to Harry wherein he had promised him never to try save his life again. His death was, the user feels, “a knee jerk reaction” since hurting himself had always been the only way he had known to punish himself. In this case, the “easiest and quickest way for him to do this was Bellatrix’s knife,” reflects the Redditor.

This is indeed a rather profound and uncommon way of approaching the elf’s death. While very few people would have thought along these lines, it does offer food for thought. However, one could argue that Dobby was by now a free elf and thus didn’t have to punish himself at all.

6 He Had To Die For The Plot To Make Sense

Redditor VMNC presents another unpopular perspective when he states that Dobby’s death was necessary for the plot to make sense. Dobby would have become “a get-out-of-jail-free card for the entire rest of the plotline” and Harry and the others would have been able to communicate easily with the Order without the Death Eaters or Voldemort being able to trace them. So, for the plot to work, the elf had to die.

This is an offbeat explanation for Dobby’s tragic death, but on closer look, it perhaps makes sense that Dobby had to die to make things as difficult for the trio as they became. Otherwise, the house elf would have been a perpetually available channel of communication not only for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but also for the members of the Order of the Phoenix.

5 Selfish & Ridiculous

Another unpopular view is shared by sidcrozz87 on Reddit wherein they regard the house elf as “selfish and ridiculous” with an annoying voice. Even though he dies a noble death, the fan’s first impression of the character as he was portrayed in The Chamber Of Secrets had “already ruined it” for them.

For someone who literally gave his life for the boy wizard, Dobby is seen as a low-key hero in the series by Harry Potter fans, thus making this opinion one against the grain. Dobby did make life difficult for Harry at first but in his own twisted way he was helping someone he had pinned his hopes on. To call him selfish when he died an entirely selfless death would seem a bit much for the majority of fans.

4 Did His Freedom Seem Too Easy?

HairyPawterrr, a take on Harry Potter, for those who don’t get it, has a rather hilarious observation to make about Dobby’s freedom in the series’ second part–Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets. The user wonders if it wasn’t all too easy in the end for the freedom craving house elf. Lucius Malfoy had tossed Harry’s sock to the elf who interpreted it as being released by his master. Now, “If that is the case are House Elves…accidentally freed every laundry day or spring cleaning?” asks the Redditor.

Now, as some users point out, the general consensus would probably be that Dobby wasn’t exactly a loyal little elf and read the situation as sufficient enough to free him. Other, more loyal elves, might not have necessarily done so. Having said that, it is rather fun to imagine house elves scurrying along bewildered every laundry day, mistakenly freed from service.

3 The Character Was One Of The Worst Changes The Movies Made

Redditor BlazeMyOwnPath rants that the character of Dobby suffered one of the worst changes that the movies, which they consider “mediocre”, made from the books. States the user, “Dobby not mattering at all past the second book” and then being brought back in the last few minutes of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 so that his death somehow mattered, didn’t make sense.

There were indeed book-to-movie changes that Harry Potter fans don’t talk about. However, while Dobby’s role had been drastically cut short in the movie adaptations thus entirely leaving out the house elf’s role in Harry’s saga, the character is still loved for whatever little screen time it gets. And those who are familiar with the elf’s role in the books do still respond emotionally to this well-meaning freedom-loving elf.

2 Dobby As The Jar Jar Binks Of The Potter-verse

A user with a now deleted Reddit account states, “dobby is the certified jar jar binks of harry potter.” Jar Jar Binks, Star Wars fans know, is widely touted as one of the most irritating characters in this epic universe. The latter had, unfortunately, faced overwhelming criticism for its racist profiling and has gone down in Star Wars history more for the backlash it received from audiences than for anything else.

Comparing Dobby to Jar Jar Binks is thus definitely unpopular. Dobby might not be everybody’s cup of tea but he was certainly not Jar Jar Binks. Moreover, most fans agree that the Dobby had an actual part to play in the events of the series while Jar Jar Binks, for the most part, is deemed useless.

1 No Tears At Dobby’s Death

Redditor toomanyreadits feels that Dobby had always caused unnecessary trouble for Harry. “Not a tear was shed when he died,” says the user.

This is certainly unpopular since Dobby’s death was one of the major deaths in Harry Potter and a tear-jerker, His sacrifice is considered as heartbreaking as those of others who lost their lives in the final battle like Remus Lupin or Fred Weasley. Dobby’s death was also a terrible loss for Harry who considered him a friend, and the hero’s pain is the fan’s pain.

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