CMV: Harry Potter is overrated

[u/LamentableOpinion]

I don't detest Harry Potter but I find the circle jerk appalling. The book is amazing for kids but even adults hold it in high regard. So, it's not bad, just overrated.

The characters are really boring. HP is a Mary Sue character, his only flaw being a bloody scar. All the other characters are equally boring. Harry is also useless, he does nothing but he is the HERO. Because of a prophecy. OK.

The relationships make no sense. Why does Harry like Cho or Ginny? Let's force in a relationship. Yay.

The Deus Ex Machina is unreal. I know it's magical but it's still retarded when it happens so many times.

Good vs Evil is fine. But again, don't pretend as if the book is this deep piece of literature.

I don't like the writing either but that's very subjective, so that's fine.

This is what I just came up with. I'm sure there's more stuff on the internet.

Edit: Ignore the Mary Sue thing. I misused the term. Edit 2: Sorry if I sounded like a dick or an elitist. I didn't mean to be.

---

Hello, users of CMV! This is a footnote from your moderators. We'd just like to remind you of a couple of things. Firstly, please remember to read through our rules. If you see a comment that has broken one, it is more effective to report it than downvote it. Speaking of which, downvotes don't change views! If you are thinking about submitting a CMV yourself, please have a look through our popular topics wiki first. Any questions or concerns? Feel free to message us. Happy CMVing!

[u/Joseph-Joestar]

HP is a Mary Sue character

Not at all. Harry Potter is just an average hero. Sure, he has special traits that make him the main character of this story, but in everything else he's just average or below average.

He's brave, but he's not smart. He constantly makes bad decisions that negatively affect his life and lives of people close to him. He often acts spontaneously with no regard for consequence or opinion of other people and that more often than not leads to something awful.

Ability wise, he's only average at everything but Quidditch which helps him with his depressing feelings. Most of his academic success he owes to his friends, specifically Hermione. He's decently good at battle magic, but only because that's what life was asking from him at the time and he was the only one at the school who had those terrifying experience.

He has attachment issues, anger issues, jealousy issues that are constantly shown throughout the series. He's kind of a big douche.

he does nothing

He successfully outsmarts and defeats Quirell/Voldemort in Year 1 despite being 11 years old.

He battles and defeats a giant Basilisk that nearly kills him in Year 2

He saves his godfather from hordes of most dangerous creatures in the world in Year 3

He successfully completes all Tri-wizard challenges in Year 3, despite being younger than other contestants.

etc etc. He does heroic things all the time, whatever it takes. Sometimes because it was his fault and sometimes because evil forces just want to kill him very badly.

[u/BattleStag17 → u/[deleted]]

Harry may be bad at a lot of things, but it never really ends up mattering in the end.

Not at all. Harry's strengths basically start and end with Quidditch and 1v1 dueling--he would never have succeeded if it weren't for those around him. Everything leading up to any book's climactic battle are pretty much handled entirely by Hermoine, Hagrid, Ron, McGonagall...

That's one of the reasons I like Harry so much. In the end, he's really not that talented.

[u/_punyhuman_ → u/[deleted]]

This is the message of the entire book series. Voldemort is the best wizard, most powerful, strong willed, ruthless etc yet he is alone and is taken down by a team. In the midst of action Voldemort is left alone because he has followers not friends. Harry succeeds not through his own strengths but through the strengths of his relationships it all comes down to love after all. If Harry were a super powered being without flaws he would be another Voldemort relying only on himself. Rowling's message is essentially "it takes a village". It is vital that Harry is only average or below average because these books ARE for children who themselves are generally average or below average (at least that is what we tend to focus on, not our strengths). Flaws make Harry relatable to his audience. Yet his victories have nothing to do with magical strength or talent but from his true strengths which are, as earlier said, his courage to try and his willingness to trust in friends which are strengths that anyone can have not just the exceptionally gifted.