Albus Dumbledore is one of the most famous, wise, and respected wizards o𝔍f his time. He almost needs no introduction. After all, he was a talented teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry even before he became Headmaster. He was an incredibly powerful wizard, feared by even the most twisted dark witches and wizards, and a mentor to many, many young Hogwarts student— including Harry Potter himself.

Dumbledore has a complicated past, however. His younger sister Ariana couldn’t completely control her magic and accidentally ended their mother's life while their brother Abeforth was away. After that, he grew very close to Gellert Grinderwald, who eventually went on to become one of the wizarding world’s most wanted criminals. The two of them plotted to take over the Muggle world (and accord👍ing to J.K. Rowling, became lovers along the way.) However, it all came to an end when Grinderwald cast the Cruciatus curse on Abeforth Dumbledore, and the three of them ended up in a duel. Ariana Dumbledore accidentally lost her life during that duel, and Grinderwald and Dumbledore became sworn enemies.

The new Fantastic Beasts movie gave us a more in-depth look at Albus Dumbledore’s past and had many of us wondering— is he actually stronger than Grinderwald? It’s a good question: which Harry Potter characters are stronger than Dumbledore? He’s presented as an extraordinary wizard, but is he all powerful? Here are 15 wizards who are stronger th꧋an Dumbledore— and 15 who aren’t. You might be surprised by some of these!

30 💮 Stronger: Grinderwald

Sure, Grinderwald was ultimately defeated, but if you look at the facts, it’s pretty clear that Dumbledore’s old lover/nemesis is more powerful than him. In fact, Grinderwald is more powerful than most Harry Potter characters, including his fellow dark wizard 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Voldemort. You might be thinking this doesn’t make sense— after all, Dumbledore defeated Grinderwald. However, the dark wizard’s power a🍃lso comes from his charisma and his hordes of devoted followers. He was a terrible threat, and Dumbledore knew it— no wonder he enlisted Newt’s help to defeat him.

29 💞 Not Stronger: Harry Potter

Of course, Harry Potter is the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, and the one who ultimately defeated Voldemort. It’s his name on the books, after all. But is he stronger than Albus Dumbledore? That’s debatable. He survived the Avada Kedavra curse, but that w🦋as 🔜thanks to his mother’s love and protection; without Dumbledore’s tutoring, Harry may not have been able to defeat the Dark Lord at all. Yes, Harry Potter was a brilliant wizard and a hero, but he was not stronger than Dumbledore.

28 🌼 Stronger: Hermion🍸e Granger

Harry may not be stronger than Dumbledore, but Hermione? Hermione could beat Dumbledore any day if she wanted to. She’s one of the most brilliant minds of her generation; like any good Gryffindor, she’s brave, loyal, and strong. She mastered advanced spells at a young age, could make any potion perfectly, and her quick thinking saved her, Ron, and Harry more than once. She grew up to be an incredible witch— in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, she became Minister for Magic.

27 Not Stronger: Voldemort 🐬

Voldemort was definitely a threat and a vicious, powerful dark wizard in his own right. And yet he wasn’t stronger than Grinderwald, and he wasn’t more p💧owerful than Dumbledore. He was strong, yes, and he had charisma, but unlike Grinderwald, who had an actual army and terrorized the entire wizarding world, Voldemort failed year after year to take control of a single school. Why? Becaus🐼e Harry Potter— and Dumbledore— were there. There was no way Albus Dumbledore was letting a dark wizard take over his school!

26 Stroꦫnger: Merlin ✨

Dumbledore may have been a legendary wizard, but he can’t be compared to, well, Merlin, a wizard so legendary even Muggles know of his exploits. Merlin was the world’s most famo𝕴us wizard, and, arguably, the world’s most powerful. Fellow Slytherins, you can be proud of our house— the great Merlin himself was one of us! The Prince of Enchanters was also part of King Arthur’s court, and founded the Order of Merlin. As for his story, well, you all know the legends.

25 Not Stronger: Bellatrix Les💙trange 🌟

Bellatrix Lestrange was arguably one of the coolest— and most stylish— dark witches in the Harry Potter world. He🌠lena Bonham Carter’s portrayal of her in the movies took her character to a whole new level. She was, however, for lack of a better word, Voldemort’s lackey. Voldemort himself wasn’t more powerful than Dumbledore, and his followers, including Bellatrix, definitely weren’t. Don’t get me wrong, she was dangerous, and committed horrible crimes, but she wasn’t as strong as Albus. After all, she was ultimately defeated by Molly Weasley.

24 ♕ Stronger: Professor McGonagall 💛

Like Albus Dumbledܫore in his youth, Professor McGonagall was the head of house for Gryffindor student, an honor that was certainly well deserved. It’d be a mistake to underestimate her; though you may not hear about her exploits as much as Dumbledore’s or Harry Potter’s, Minerva McGonagall was a strikingly powerful witch.

After all, she survived the Bat⛎tle of Hogwarts and became the school’s Headmistress after Albus, a testament to her fame and power. She also was an animagus, on top of being a skilled p🏅rofessor.

23 Not Stro🐬nger: Fili♛us Flitwick

Not all of Hogwarts’ teachers were stronger than Dumbledore, however. Filius Flitwick, for instance, the head of Ravenclaw, was a talented wizard, a skilled spellcaster, and an expert duelist. He was an asset to the forces of light during the battle against the Dark Lord, but it’s a stretch to say he’s more powerful than Dumbledore. He was a great professor, and fans were glad to learn more about him in the mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, but he’s not quite on Dumbledore’s level.

22 🍸 Stronger: Godrick Gryffindor ꦑ

Godrick Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts, and the owner of the legendary Sword of Gryffindor, was absolutely more powerful than Dumbledore— and it’s a good thing he was, too, because Dumbledore wasn’t around in Hogwarts’ early days to keep Godrick’s fellow founder Salazar Slytherin in check. The four found🧜ers of Hogwarts lived so long ago, it’s hard to truly compare thei💟r power to Dumbledore’s, but since they were figures of legend and founded the school, it’s safe to assume they were more powerful.

21 ⛦ ﷺ Not Stronger: Lucius Malfoy

If Bellatrix Lestrange isn’t stronger than Voldemort, then notorious Slytherin slimeball Lucius Malfoy certainly isn’t. Despite Draco’s constant cries of “My father will hear about this!”, Lucius doesn’t seem to do much in the series. He’s a loyal(ish) follower of Vo𝕴ldemort, but he’s not even depicted as a great dark wizard. In fact, Lucius’ real power is his money and influence with the Ministry of Magic. Those make him a force to be reckoned with, but in terms of actual magical strength, he can’t even be compared to wizards like Dumbledore.