Is it possible Dumbledore was evil?

[SilverQueen]

No.

[Kharina]

Originally Posted by GinnyRules

Well I searched and did the usual. It doesn't seem like this has been really discussed, so before you throw tomatoes at me, just consider what i'm saying.

I don't really have any cannon to back me up so feel free to disbelieve me, but wouldn't it just be sooo shocking if in the end we found out that somehow, Dumbledore was with Voldemort. (Note that I don't really believe this myself, it's just a thought). It would certainly be unexpected.

Please post your thoughts.

That would be too unexpected. To have a good twist in a story, you have to lay at least some clues, but clues that are so subtle that the reader misses them, then after the twist looks back at them and thinks "Oh yeah! How could I have missed that?!" Whereas that has no support in canon, in fact everything supports the opposite, so there'd be no explaination for DD's previous behaviour and it would be an absolutely terrible twist.

[King_Sirius]

What is the perception of evil though???? If dumbledore created the prophecy and knowingly risked two lives for the greater good, does this make him evil???? really its open to interpretation...... I believe theres another whopper of a twist to come yet.... and i put my money on it a long time ago it was about DD and the prophecy... it seems to me Dumbledore has always had guilt, especially when it comes to harry...like he owed him something.....

[lzs]

Evil? A bit too strong. Good? Not all the way. Simply human, with flaws.

[Guspike]

No!No! No! No! There's no way I believe that!

[Yoana]

No. If he were evil, there will have to be some enormous balance on the "good" side.

Dumbledore being the best of the good guys is so clearly shown in the books, he's almost a stereotype.

[AliceFO]

It would break my heart. It has crossed my mind once, but that was before HBP was out, and I don't think Dumbledore would of helped Harry this much, by showing him Voldemort's past and how to defeat him. No. I don't think he's evil at all.

[apollonia]

I very briefly considered this idea at one time, but it's too complex for one thing, not to mention how upsetting it would be

[ginger1]

Irritating, yes. Fallible, yes. But evil? No.

[Celestrin]

Originally Posted by ginger1

Irritating, yes. Fallible, yes. But evil? No.

Hehe, I agree. I hope you didn't find him irritating all the time though. That would make the series awful.

[ginger1]

No, Celestrin, certainly not irritating all of the time. But I was hugely disappointed in the way he treated Harry in OOTP. When Harry needed his support most, Dumbledore seemed to withdraw it. For reasons we now know. But still, to me, inexcusable.

[Kendra]

If Dumbledore was actually discovered to be evil, it would go against every fundamental fact written in the books. It's just too unfeasible for my liking I'm afraid.

[Shewoman]

"I loved writing Dumbledore and Dumbledore is the epitome of goodness."
J.K. Rowling Interview," CBCNewsWorld: Hot Type, July 13, 2000

[MHPFAN]

I don't think, nor do I want to, that Dumbledore was evil. Everything in the books points to the exact opposite of him being evil. I believe Dumbledore was who he was: a mentor for Harry, a humble human being, and an overall good person who cared about others, especially his students.

[Narnian]

No, I don't think Dumbledore is evil. I don't think JKR would ever "betray" one of her characters like that.

That being said, I actually think this is an interesting topic. Several people I know in real life have discussed this possibility kind of like, "What if?" Not that anyone actually thinks he is evil. Everything can be seen from a different angle. For example, when people mention DD protecting Harry, and Voldy fighting DD, there are other explanations if we are playing "what if."

If DD were evil, Voldy would be his enemy. They are both extremely strong wizards, and if DD were evil, he'd want to be the baddest of the bad, as others have said. Too, perhaps if DD and Voldy went head-to-head it would be a stalemate, and perhaps Harry is the key to his destruction, hence DD taking care of him. Not as a protector for goodness' sake, but to protect Harry as a tool... as a means to an end.

Again, I don't think he is, and I don't know of anyone who seriously considers it...but I find it amusing to discuss, and it is interesting to see everyone's reaction to even the hint of Dumbledore being a baddie, even JKR's!

[BlackSerpent7]

Nope, I can't even imagine that. Evil then Reformed? Maybe. Because just like no one is born evil, no one is born inherently good. There has to be a reason he became the epitome of goodness.

[EBJ23]

I don't believe that Dumbledore is evil. He is just human and has made mistakes. But that dosen't make him evil.

[tuer_lisse]

I doubt that Dumbledore was evil... that would be a plot twist to sickening for us HP fans to handle. It would be like taking the epitome of good and saying that it was evil...

[MrVirtuous]

Depends on your perspective, from one very perculiar and twisted view he might be but from the general perspective he isn't. He might consider himself evil.

[HiMyNameIzz]

As far as balance goes, he could be evil if and only if Voldemort were good. DD and LV are by far the most powerful wizards in their time and arguably the most powerful in all time. It only makes sense for one of them to be good and one of them to be bad. If it were othewrise, the Harry Potter story would be unappealing and simply terrible. So the answer to this question is another question... do you think Voldemort is good?