Harry Potter Fans Are Divided Over Which Father Figure Had The Saddest Arc

No matter the year, "Harry Potter" will forever be at the forefront of fans' minds. The bestselling book series quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, with an equally popular Harry Potter film series bringing Harry, Ron, and Hermoine's story to millions of moviegoers around the world.

While "Harry Potter" excels on many fronts, the series' ability to use a robust cast of characters while giving each a complete story arc is truly remarkable. Unfortunately for the wizards and witches of the Wizarding World, not everyone gets a happy ending. Fans need to look no further than Sirius Black and Remus Lupin to find two of the saddest character arcs in the books and films. Masterfully played on screen by Gary Oldman and David Thewlis, respectively, long-time friends Black and Lupin both meet their ends after serving as influential father figures in Harry's life. Sirius spends years wrongfully banished to Azkaban, only for his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter), to murder him just as it seems he'll live happily with his godson.

Lupin, after being attacked when he was just a kid, struggles with lycanthropy his entire life. He becomes an influential member of the Order of the Phoenix and remains determined to take on Voldemort's army when others drop out of the fight. He and his wife, Tonks (Natalia Tena), die during the Battle of Hogwarts, leaving their son Teddy an orphan and Harry brokenhearted.

Both characters experience more than their share of suffering, and each meets their ends right as things are looking up. Needless to say, "Harry Potter" fans love to debate who had the sadder character arc.

"Harry Potter" fans took to Reddit to discuss Sirius Black's incredibly sad character arc, and that's where people chimed in, comparing Lupin's tough fate to Black's. In a surprising turn of events that you don't see in most fandoms, the debate was very civil, with users simply stating facts to argue their viewpoints.

U/SuperSiriusBlack began the discussion, citing Sirius' backstory to boost his argument. U/Ash3070 put things into perspective, stating, "JK Rowling later revealed that Sirius's 21st birthday would've been the day after he was sent to Azkaban. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" U/AllHailTheNod agreed to the statement, adding that Sirius spent his short pre-prison life with a family that hated him, then his best friend betrayed him, and then Dementors tortured him for over a decade for a crime he didn't commit.

The post provides a strong argument for Sirius, but Lupin fans rallied to explain his equally tragic saga. Similar to the original post, u/aveclesmuguets gave a rundown of Lupin's life story, revealing his numerous struggles containing his lycanthropy and the PTSD he dealt with after fighting against Voldemort's forces as a young adult and as an older wizard. U/lettersfromowls brought up that Lupin slowly watched all of his closest friends die and had to deal with that trauma alone. U/handicapableofmaths argued that Dumbledore basically abandoned Lupin until he found a use for him. U/Amata69 noticed similar treatment, writing, "I wonder if, say, McGonagall remembered her former student who has lost all his friends and wondered how on earth he was managing."

Regardless of what side fans choose, it's clear that both Sirius and Lupin went through a lot. We can't help but agree that they both deserved more happiness.