Yes Harry is OOC in Cursed Child.
I see this discussion across multiple social media’s, debating whether Harry James potter was OOC in the cursed child. I believe he was and I’ll try to explain why I believe that.
He’s not the only character that was butcher almost all of the adult characters (Ron, Hermione, McGonagall, poor Cedric etc.) were. And I think I know why. To put it simply: ADULT BAD! ANGSTY TEENAGER GOOD! The original series kinda did the same thing. Most adults in Harry Potter were incompetent or just couldn’t help Harry because Harry was the chosen one. Quite literally no other wizard could defeat Voldemort except for him. And due to plot reasons if there was a capable adult then a lot of their adventures would be stopped which would make a pretty boring plot.
CC didn’t seem like it was written from a place of loving or even understanding the characters and yes I do is that JKR wasn’t the only writer. It’s why the best part of CC is Scorpius because he’s an original character we know nothing about.
Let’s start off strong with the most infamous quote from Cursed Child.
To be fair, this isn’t a horribly intentioned as both sides make it out to be. Albus says that Harry not having a father wasn’t unlucky, kinda insinuating he wished he also was fatherless but he clarified he just wished that Harry wasn’t his father. Harry ‘sees red’ and says he wishes there are times Albus wasnt his son. Then he immediately takes it back but Albus takes his word to heart.
And honestly, I know majority of the fandom despise Harry saying it think he’s evil but for one moment I’ll defend CC’s version of Harry. Even if he was a regular dad with absolutely no trauma, Albus hurt him. When you became an adult you don’t suddenly lose all your emotions. Yes, if your son says he wishes you weren’t his dad that could hurt. He’s still human.
But to be totally honest it was still a shitty thing to say and yes it was out of character for Harry to say that.
An argument for why Harry isn’t actually OOC in CC was that he has ‘anger issues’ and his trauma causes him to lashes. Trauma effects people in different ways and that’s not how Harry’s trauma manifests. People with trauma react in this different ways and this is simply not Harry. ‘But in OOTP-’ Not even in OOTP did Harry ever say anything remotely as hurtful to Ron or Hermione, even when he was isolated and ignored in an abusive home he never says that he hated them or denounced them as friends but instead ranted about how much he hated staying at the Dursleys and how they were wrong about leaving him alone.
There’s a reason why many people refer to OOTP Harry as ‘caps lock Harry’ and that’s because he’s not usually like that. Although ‘caps lock Harry’ is my favourite Harry, he’s the anomaly, mostly due to the events of the graveyard and the wizarding world believing he’s a liar and his constant nightmares of that said event, he was also being forced to carve ‘I must to not tell lies’ in his hand etc. etc. Due to this extremely stressful environment it caused Harry to be agitated and constantly on edge.
I hate that the fandom has turned Harry into this hothead which he isn’t. A lot of Harry snark is kept in his own head, most of the times when he’s annoyed with Ron and Hermione bickering he keeps it in his head. I literally can’t think of a single time Harry has ever denounced his loved ones even when it hurt He isn’t vindictive and easily forgave those he loved.
The problem I have with the quote is that Harry Potter would never say that to his child. ‘But he had trauma-’ NEVER. He knew first hand how words could sting you from the Dursleys and as I said, Harry wasn’t careless with his words. His greatest desire was to have a family and when he got that family he suddenly started to be cruel because his son was a little shit? Not my Harry.
Apart from the the infamous quote Harry to using his powers at the Ministry to bend rules- this is behavior worthy of Lucius Malfoy not Harry Potter. Using his power at the ministry to strong arm Hogwarts (REMEMBER HOW BAD IT WAS WHEN FUDGE DID THAT). Insults Minerva by claiming she "Doesn't understand how he feels since she doesn't have kids". This is just insulting to Harry’s character. If there’s one person Harry respects the most out of the entire franchise it’s McGonagall, that was unwavering throughout. He even TORTURED someone for disrespecting her and yet they wrote Harry himself disrespecting McGonagall??? If that’s not OOC, I don’t know what is.
Also the fact that Harry repeats what fudge (an incompetent adult) reinforces that adult characters were written as incompetent for the sake of plot so the teenagers could have an active role which sacrifices his entire character and destroys any likability he have.
He also HATED his fame, in all seven books yet suddenly in cursed child he doesn’t. And he would never, ever bully his kids, wife, and McGonagall with his fame and into his shadow. Why the hell did they write that he liked fame?
Also it’s implied that Harry is prejudiced against Slytherins??? Since when? Didn’t the epilogue in DH show that Harry didn’t care which house Albus was in as Severus Snape, the guy Albus Potter was named after, was the most bravest man he ever met. But suddenly he prejudiced and acting like a literal monster and isolating Albus and believing the crazy rumours about Scorpius. (You’ll never guess who else and crazy and horrid rumours throughout all their years at hogwarts.) Genuinely who is this man.
Oh and the fact that Harry's scar starts hurting again. Which is impossible, since he is not a horcrux anymore.
Now let’s speed run the rest of the adult characters that were also butchered by CC.
Hermione Granger: Choose which sentence describes Hermione best: a) someone who will become the worst teacher just because she didn’t marry Ron, b) someone who is so dumb that she doesn’t even recognize most basic polyjuice ingredient (something she brewed flawlessly at 12), c) someone who stayed single forever because some boy she had a crush on (at FOURTEEN!!!) didn’t act jealous towards her. If you chose none of the above, give yourself a pat on the back. For the sake of the new main character she was dumbed down so that Hermione Granger the smartest witch in the whole franchise could be outsmarted by 14 year olds.
Why is Hermione’s success based on if she could date Ron. Are they seriously trying to convince that Hermione would never achieve her dreams if Ron didn’t get with her. Hard disagree, if the writers ever even tried to write a teen girl they’d know what it’d be a big deal at the moment fur her but she’d get over. As I keep saying she’s only 14!!!
Cedric diggory: one of the most kindest characters. He never felt resentful towards Harry that he had to share being a Hogwarts Champion, defending Harry against those stupid ‘Potter stink’ badges.
So honourable, even though he got there first was willing to lose for honour. Are you expecting me to read this and believe that Cedric Diggory would be a death eater because he was humiliated once… This was probably the second worst mischaracterisations of CC. The most honoruable man in Harry potter becomes a death eater due the most stupidest reasons.
Saving the worst for last: Ron. Ron is not a background character; he is not there for the funny lines and being a cheap caricature of what Fred Wealsey was.
Would Ron “I Am A Chessmaster & A Under-utilised Strategical Thinker, a child solider and ex auror" Weasley barge into a room WITH A WAND POINTING IN THE WRONG WAY???
Would Ron “I Got Poisoned To Death Just Because Of Love Potion Consumption” Weasley gift HIS NEPHEW THE SAME DATE-RAPE DRUG as a joke to get some girls for fun???
Would Ron “I Overcame My Insecurities And Am A Good Man" Weasley get drunk with Neville Longbottom at the pub and be a superficial idiot finding Delphi Diggory a “cracking one" type of attractive in front of his own family??? Siriusly, whhaaaaa???
I dont know what’s worse, the movies which gave all the good Ron lines to Hermione and other characters, and made him a lazy pig or the play, with their obsession of Redeemed Draco and his adorkable son Scorpius by tearing down Ron and Rose Weasley??? You tell me.
(Don’t get me started on Panju Weasley, I think this franchise just doesn’t know how to name Asian characters.)
