1) Harry Potter
“He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy!” Well, maybe in Brian’s case, but for J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard, the Messianic qualities are plentiful. Spanning eight lucratively successful films, the Harry Potter franchise is the highest grossing film saga of all time. As an intellectual property, it has become a modern epic and established itself as both a literary and cinematic phenomenon. And yet, perhaps one of the most overlooked elements in the adventures of the boy wizard is the allusions to biblical myth. As a matter of fact, J.K. Rowling’s bespectacled hero is an excellent example of the Christ-like archetype in a post-modern era.
Harry is often referred to as the ‘chosen one’. The ‘boy who lived’ and he is, above all else, humanity’s one remaining hope against the maleficent Voldemort. It is he who galvanises the divided society – in Rowling’s universe; neatly represented as Full Bloods, Half Bloods and Muggles – to conquer the pure, nose-free embodiment of evil. One of the most prevailing devices in a messianic narrative is the way in which the protagonist’s arc encompasses death and resurrection. For Harry, discovering that he was in fact the final horcrux forced him to lay his life on the line in order to kill Voldemort. In sacrificing himself in the Forbidden Forest, Harry effectively places the needs of the many above his own and, ultimately, rises to new life as a wizarding saviour.
From humble beginnings in Privet Drive to overthrowing The Dark Lord himself, the upward trajectory of Harry Potter has a plethora of Messianic tropes. One would argue that many of the Christ-like characteristics become apparent in the ultimate film, although as Harry gradually realises his destiny throughout the course of the films via the John-the-Baptist-like Dumbledore, it becomes clear that J.K. Rowling’s wizarding universe has a subtle, yet conceivable religious dynamic.
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