Harry Potter vs. The Lord of the Rings is a debate that’s been going on since the emergence of J.K. Rowling’s series. Now, George R.R. Martin, writer of the immensely popular Game of Thrones books, has spilled the argument onto the red carpet of the Tolkien premiere. And the author had some very passionate opinions when discussing his love for Middle Earth during the opening night of the late wordsmith’s biopic.
While chatting about how much The Lord of the Rings has influenced his own work, one of the stars of Tolkien professed her preference for Harry Potter. Poor Lily Collins clearly had no idea what she was starting, though, as Martin responded to her comment with an honest one of his own: “Gandalf could kick Dumbledore’s ass.”
This is quite the bold statement and one that Rowling herself has yet to respond to. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know which elderly fictional yet powerful bearded wizard would best the other in a challenge of abilities, but Martin seems certain his claim is the correct one.
This is a debate that isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, either. Four more Harry Potter books will be released in the near future, as well as the third installment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Meanwhile, Tolkien has just hit theaters and Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings show is scheduled for a premiere in 2021. This gives the respective fandoms plenty to bicker about as they each adamantly defend their favorite series.
Martin’s claim to fame seems to have slowed down for the time being, though. It’s still unknown when the new Game of Thrones novel will be released, and while HBO is interested in many spinoffs centering around Westeros and the familiar characters within, nothing appears to be imminent.
Regardless, that’ll give the author plenty of time to continue asserting his claims that Gandalf’s superior to Dumbledore, and it seems likely that The Lord of the Rings writer would agree if he were still alive today.
