Determining the most powerful character among the wizarding world in the Harry Potter stories can be very difficult. However, here, we will rank the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe based on the movies, books, and spin-offs of the franchise.
When the Harry Potter series first appeared in the late 90s, our understanding of the Wizarding World in this universe was still limited to the 11-year-old protagonist’s point of view. Since then, the Potter universe has expanded beyond anyone’s imagination.
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The Most Powerful Wizard in the Harry Potter Universe
15. Newt Scamander
Newt is no ordinary wizard, but one of the most powerful in the Harry Potter universe. Although he possesses an incredible range of abilities and can master more spells than most, his real expertise lies with magical creatures. He seems to have a special bond with animals, making him a very valuable ally.
While Newt has proven to be able to compete with great wizards like Grindelwald, not many wizards have had as much influence as he has in exploring and discovering the wonders of the extraordinary creatures in his suitcase.
Her ability to capture various magical creatures also reflects her talent as a witch. Because it is impossible to do so without having extraordinary talent.
14. Sirius Black
Next up is Sirius Black. Fans rarely saw Sirius use his magic as he was trapped in Azkaban for most of the books until his death in Order of the Phoenix. However, he was known to be highly intelligent while at school, one of the strongest wizards in the Harry Potter saga, and also an Animagus.
This means she can transform into a dog that is said to be the size of a bear, and this process is very difficult to do. The audience also realized that she was one of the strongest members of the original Order of the Phoenix during the first war, even though she had just finished school.
This shows that Sirius was a very talented wizard and was able to fight off seasoned practitioners of the dark arts. Furthermore, the fact that he became the Death Eaters’ main enemy-so much so that Bellatrix Lestrange took great satisfaction in killing him-also shows how capable Sirius is.
13. Kingsley Shacklebolt
Kingsley is an Auror, which indicates that he is one of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe. Being an Auror is one of the best jobs a wizard can have after graduating from Hogwarts.
From within the Ministry of Magic, Kingsley managed to deceive other Ministry wizards and distract them in their efforts to capture Sirius Black. In addition, he also served as the main protector for the Muggle Prime Minister, although this is not stated in the movie.
Kingsley was very talented and fought in the war against Voldemort, where he survived. In addition, he served as Minister of Magic for some time. He worked closely with the main character to change magic policies to be more inclusive and effective.
He also served as the Muggle Prime Minister’s personal bodyguard during the events that took place in “Half-Blood Prince.” This element of the story was not present in the movie and will probably get a deeper development in the reboot of the Harry Potter TV series.
12. Remus Lupin
Next up is Remus Lupin. Lupin has great power both in his personal life and in the wizarding world, making him one of the strongest wizards in Harry Potter.
He routinely faced the terrifying effects of being a werewolf while trying to live a normal life, and it was no easy feat. In addition to being a tough individual, Lupin was also a great teacher and taught Harry how to create the Patronus.
Just like Sirius, Lupin was a key member of the original Order of the Phoenix, which shows how extraordinary his abilities are. He fought in both wizard wars and was always ready to risk his life for Harry as well as the attempt to stop Voldemort.
In the end, he even made the ultimate sacrifice by laying down his life in battle. Unfortunately, his life journey and character depth are often overlooked in movies.
11. Harry Potter
Harry shows his power throughout the series in various ways, and it’s clear he’s one of the strongest wizards in Harry Potter.
Not only is she a talented witch who worked hard to achieve academic and magical success, even becoming an Auror and fighting for justice, but she also survived the two killing spells that Voldemort cast and lived thanks to a very strong love.
From a young age, Harry has shouldered a tremendous burden, being subjected to many threats in his childhood, organizing the formation of Dumbledore’s Army, and finally defeating Lord Voldemort, ending the war.
Although he is not as old as some of the other wizards in this universe, he has achieved a lot in his life. While it seems pretty obvious that The Boy Who Lived will be one of the strongest wizards because he is the center of the story, it doesn’t change the fact that Harry has shown his incredible talent time and time again.
10. Aberforth Dumbledore
Although not as popular as his brother, Aberforth is one of the strongest wizards in the Harry Potter universe. He was known as a skilled duelist and often challenged anyone at school, even helping his brother fight Grindelwald in the movie “Secrets of Dumbledore”.
He was able to survive a three-way duel with Albus and Grindelwald, who would later become one of the most powerful wizards in history.
Aberforth plays an important role in Harry’s victory against Voldemort. He came to Harry’s aid, gave Hogwarts students access to the Room of Requirement, and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Dumbledore mentions his brother several times in the Harry Potter series, and Aberforth’s character could get further development in the Harry Potter reboot, including his strange relationship with the goat bringing him a lot of trouble.
9. Severus Snape
Next up is one of the iconic characters in Harry Potter, Severus Snape. Severus Sanpe is a very controversial character to many. Nonetheless, he is one of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe. J.K. Rowling even believes that Snape is a hero in her heart.
However, many people can’t forget the abusive treatment he gave his students over the years, even though Snape did the right thing in the war. Snape had a great talent in potions and was a very talented wizard who could create new spells such as Sectumsempra and Levicorpus.
He was also a very powerful Occlumens; to the point of being able to trick Voldemort into believing he was on the Dark Lord’s side, proving him to be a heroic Slytherin. To achieve that, of course, requires extraordinary skill and strength.
8. Credence Barebone
Credence is first known to audiences as a Nomag who struggles to come to terms with the fact that she cannot perform magic spells.
However, who would have thought that a great destiny awaited Barebone, and Credence’s magical powers would become so terrifying for him as Obscurus, making him one of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe. Not only does he have very powerful innate magic, but is also part of the Dumbledore family as the estranged son of Aberforth.
As one of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe, she has gained new abilities that are starting to develop, and it’s clear that she’s a force we can’t ignore among the many other wizards on this list. Her true potential will continue to be explored in the upcoming movies.
7. Godric Gryffindor
Often, people forget that the founders of Hogwarts were some of the most powerful wizards ever in Harry Potter history. The houses in the academy are named after them.
These four founders were the most proficient wizards of their time, and it’s clear that few people who lived during the time of the Harry Potter stories were able to match their abilities.
The founders of Hogwarts worked together to create this school of magic so that their great legacy could live on for many generations. Godric symbolizes strength, courage, and compassion.
He is very adept at using spells and amulets, and is known as a brave warrior, which is in keeping with the character of his house. Interestingly, his house still reflects that power and magnetism even years later.
6. Salazar Slytherin
Salazar Slytherin may be stronger than Godric because he does not hesitate to utilize some of the dark magic at hand, making him one of the strongest wizards in the Harry Potter universe.
Slytherin’s legacy is still felt hundreds of years after his death. As well as being highly proficient in magic, his views on Wizard-Muggle relations and the importance of Wizard Pure Blood still hold true today.
The founder of Slytherin House possessed a variety of extraordinary abilities that few other wizards possess today. He is a parseltongue, just like Harry and Voldemort, and particularly enjoys his ability to speak with snakes.
He was powerful enough to create the Chamber of Secrets, trap a basilisk in it, and manage to hide all traces of it from the other founders of Hogwarts, despite their many magical ways of uncovering the lie. Although eventually expelled from Hogwarts, his legacy remains a symbol of darkness and power.
5. Nicolas Flamel
Nicolas Flamel is one of the legendary, almost immortal wizards and one of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe, especially when it comes to extending his life. He is known as a very powerful wizard and talented alchemist, and is the man behind the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone, one of the most magical items in the wizarding world.
Although how Flamel obtained the Elixir of Life is not explained, we can assume that he was very adept at making potions. True fans know that Flamel is one of the oldest wizards in history. Thanks to the Elixir of Life, he had almost 700 years to hone his magical skills.
Despite his age, Flamel was instrumental in countering Grindelwald’s spell and he instructed everyone there, thus saving the town from disaster.
4. Merlin
Merlin is probably the only wizard from outside the Harry Potter universe to be adapted into the wider mythos of the franchise, and for good reason. We can think of Merlin as the most famous fictional wizard of all time, so it’s only natural that his version of the wizarding world would also be legendary.
Documents in the wizarding world show that Merlin is one of the most powerful wizards in the history of Harry Potter and also human history as a whole. Merlin was a Slytherin at Hogwarts and showed a remarkable understanding of the art of magic.
Some would argue that Merlin is perhaps the most powerful wizard of all time. He had a huge influence in the muggle world, helping King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, as well as founding many organizations that still exist long after his passing. After all, without this prolific wizard, the title “Order of Merlin” would not exist.
3. Gellert Grindelwald
Grindelwald appeared before Voldemort as a disgruntled wizard who craved power and dominance, but he had a slightly more political approach to achieving his goals.
One of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe, although his reign of terror was not as dark as Voldemort’s, his influence spread across Europe. He is powerful enough to be a comparable dueling opponent to Dumbledore.
Although Voldemort ‘s power and resurrection from the dead was more dominating than Grindelwald’s impact, he was still a very powerful wizard and was able to convince others to join him and excel in battle.
He also built a foundation that would support Voldemort in the future. This shows how powerful Grindelwald really is, as his name has been in the Harry Potter books and movies many times, and was known to fans long before the arrival of the Fantastic Beasts movies.
2. Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is one of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe, formerly known as Tom Marvolo Riddle. His magical abilities and skills are almost unrivaled, and no one can match his power until he confronts Harry Potter.
The power of his spells and abilities were immense, and he managed to gather a large following of followers who were ready to do anything for him. In addition, he also managed to split his soul into seven Horcruxes in an attempt to achieve immortality.
At one point, it seemed very difficult to defeat him, and it took the combined strength of many to do so, coupled with some unexplained acts of strength from Harry. Many of the origins of this character and the extent of his abilities have yet to be fully explored in the movie series.
As one of the most powerful wizards in the Harry Potter universe, Voldemort has been given an unfair treatment for the sake of time efficiency, with some of the most horrific crimes not being shown at all.
The Harry Potter reboot should try to fix this, so that He Who Must Not Be Named can be a more dimensional figure, not just a villain who is evil for no reason.
1. Albus Dumbledore
The only man who could fight Voldemort and win, and the only wizard the Dark Lord ever feared, was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Albus can be considered the most powerful wizard in the Harry Potter universe.
When Harry first meets him, Dumbledore seems like a kindly grandfather and Headmaster of Hogwarts who only wants the best for everyone. However, as the story progresses, Dumbledore’s true power and magical skills that surpass even Voldemort begin to be revealed.
In fact, Voldemort’s death came about thanks to Dumbledore’s plan, even though it was Harry who launched the fatal attack in the Harry Potter saga. Dumbledore’s character has been covered in depth in both Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, but his complicated relationship with Harry doesn’t get a comparable treatment in the movies.
The Harry Potter reboot should have explored this relationship more, making Dumbledore a much more interesting figure than just the most powerful wizard in the Harry Potter story.
