Harry Potter Fans Lay Down Some Harsh Opinions On Dobby
In the world of "Harry Potter," house-elves are typically seen as less-than since they cook, clean, and do the bidding of their master. They're only freed of their servitude if their master presents them with an article of clothing. Thanks to Harry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe) sneaky sock trick in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," Dobby (Toby Jones) is no longer bound to the cruel home of Lucius Malfoy (Jason Isaacs).
Throughout the films and especially in the books, Dobby makes it his mission to repay Harry for freeing him. In the "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" novel, he comes to Harry's rescue during the Triwizard Tournament by giving him Gillyweed to survive the underwater task. Then, in the "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" book, he agrees to tail Draco Malfoy, the son of his former master, to help Harry prove that Draco is a Death Eater. Finally, in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1," he risks his life to save Harry and his friends from Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor.
Though Dobby's efforts ultimately pay off and he helps everyone escape unharmed, the same can't be said for himself. On the beach, he succumbs to the stab wound caused by Bellatrix Lestrange's (Helena Bonham Carter) flying knife. Despite Dobby being instrumental in helping Harry and the others live to take on Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the final battle of Hogwarts, some fans aren't too fond of the house-elf.
Fans think Dobby is the most annoying character of Harry Potter
Dobby may show heroism in the later "Harry Potter" installments, but many fans haven't forgotten his early antics in "Chamber of Secrets." After learning details about the terrible things that will soon unfold at Hogwarts, he tries to prevent Harry from going back. Dobby steals letters from Ron Weasley, magically drops pudding on the Dursleys' guest Mrs. Mason (Veronica Clifford), and blocks the barrier onto Platform 9 ¾. When all of his attempts at stopping Harry from attending Hogwarts fail, Dobby bewitches a Bludger to attack Harry during a Quidditch match.
All of this caused a number of fans to name Dobby as the most annoying character in the series. In a thread ranking the most annoying "Harry Potter" characters, u/ihave1000beaches wrote, "I know he is a fan favorite, but my number one is Dobby. I know he tries to help but geez is he annoying as f***." U/nejnonein agreed and added, "I never forgave him for causing a disturbance at Privet Drive and the consequences for Harry." Meanwhile, u/adscrypt replied, "I wanted to personally strangle Dobby for the nonsense with the bludger." As for u/Pandamania11, they compared Dobby to another polarizing character in pop culture and wrote, "I tell my HP friends that my hot take is that Dobby is the Jar Jar Binks of the Harry Potter world."
Fans, however, aren't the only ones who have issues with the house elf.
Even the screenplay writer wasn't a fan of Dobby at first
Over the course of the "Harry Potter" book series, Dobby is a fairly regular character. After being freed, he's hired by Albus Dumbledore to work in the Hogwarts kitchens. But after his debut in the "Chamber of Secrets" film, he doesn't appear on screen again until "Deathly Hallows: Part 1."
In a discussion with creator J.K. Rowling, screenplay writer Steve Kloves revealed his early disdain for Dobby. "When I saw Dobby realized on screen the first time, I was not happy. And I thought, 'It is not good enough, it looks fake,'" said Kloves, who then admitted to putting Dobby in the shadows for the next few years. That is until Rowling hinted that the elf would play a significant part in the storyline. By "Deathly Hallows," Kloves' team had enough enhanced technology to make Dobby look more realistic. Thanks to this, Kloves was happy to see the elf's return to the screen. He said, "Now I can't even imagine leaving Dobby out."
As for Rowling, her feelings on Dobby don't align with the anti-elf commenters on Reddit, instead comparing the significance of his death to Cedric Diggory's. She said (via MTV) that Dobby was "someone that was very vulnerable and really entirely guiltless in anything concerned with the wizarding world — who wasn't even a wizard." Toby Jones, the voice behind Dobby, is also a fan of the elf. He described Dobby in an interview with Red Carpet News TV as a "great, great character."