Barty Crouch Jr.'s Ending Isn't Clear In The Harry Potter Films

When it comes to popular adaptations of equally popular books, the "Harry Potter" movies are easily one of the biggest examples. They became a cultural phenomenon, and the Wizarding World franchise as a whole has grossed over $9.5 billion at the worldwide box office (via The Numbers). All told, eight films were adapted from the seven "Harry Potter" books, which center on the eponymous protagonist as he makes his way through Hogwarts and contends with the evil Voldemort, who murdered his parents when he was a baby.

In the fourth film, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the story throws fans a curveball by having the main antagonist be Barty Crouch Jr. (David Tennant) disguised as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody (Brendan Gleeson). Crouch is eventually discovered, but not before he successfully puts his plan to restore Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) to his body by secretly ensuring Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) wins the Triwizard Tournament into motion. However, when it comes to wrapping up Crouch's story arc, the film leaves it very open-ended compared to its source material.

In the book, Barty Crouch Jr. fully explains his motivations and plan to Harry, as well as how he managed to escape from Azkaban with the help of his mother and father, with the former taking his place in the prison with the aid of Polyjuice Potion and dying shortly thereafter. Then, a Dementor that arrives with Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge performs a quick Kiss, which is described as a soul-sucking act that leaves the victim in a state that's worse than death.

However, the character offers no such explanation in the movie. Even worse, it is never confirmed what happens to Crouch after he is caught, with Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) offering up a throwaway line about Azkaban missing a prisoner. He is never brought up again, but even if he does just go back to Azkaban in this version of the story, he doesn't break out with the other Death Eaters who escape in the following film, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." At the end of the day, it's yet another "Harry Potter" storyline that disappears without explanation.