THUNDERDOME

Severus Snape is the Antihero the World Needs

Why Snape remains the best antihero in pop culture

Alan Rickman as Snape. Screenshot by author. Warner Bros.

Thunderdome is a Fanfare series where our writers good-naturedly debate some matter of pop culture and then leave it to the readers to decide. Read each post and vote at the bottom!

Greasy hair. Awkward, pale looks. A penchant for the Dark Arts. Morose and joy-sucking. Severus Snape does not draw others to himself.

From the moment Harry Potter meets Snape in his dingy basement Potions classroom, he knows he dislikes him. And we think he’s a bit of an evil asshole too.

In Harry’s mind, Snape’s less than ideal personality makes him an automatic enemy. Harry spends the majority of six and a half books and seven and a half films trying to convince everyone of Snape’s betrayal.

And, by the seventh book and eighth film, the Order of the Phoenix, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger agree — Harry has been right all along. Snape betrayed them. Snape killed Albus Dumbledore — Harry’s mentor and the Order’s leader. Dumbledore, the greatest wizard who ever lived and a bastion of good, championed Snape. Dumbledore’s implicit trust in the former Death Eater was obviously misplaced. Severus Snape sucks and oozes with evil.

Or does he?

We often hear antihero attribution given to protagonists who embody good but shine their heroism through questionable tactics. Dirty Harry and Peacemaker work outside of the law and kill people. But their cause is noble and public. They consider themselves heroes, even if their morals are questionable.

I’ve never seen The Witcher, so I can’t speak to Geralt of Rivia. But from what information I’ve gleaned, he’s no Severus Snape.

In the Marvel Universe, no one inhabits antihero status like Loki. Yet Snape exudes antiheroism even greater than Thor’s brother.

Severus Snape was willing to allow the wizarding world to hate him. He never betrayed Dumbledore’s trust, and clandestinely protected Harry at Hogwarts. He was forced to commune with Voldemort and the worst of the Death Eaters. He sacrificed his love, his reputation, and ultimately, his life knowing that his heroic truth might remain hidden.

I can’t think of a more bad-ass antihero than Severus Snape.

The definition of the antihero

Antihero: (noun) A protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities.

Throughout the history of literature and pop culture, the antihero has become a favorite trope. However, the more ubiquitous the trope, the looser the definition of antihero becomes. Bad-ass lawbreakers still shine with heroic qualities. For instance, throughout his life, Loki has his moments and as a God, his heroic qualities are obvious.

Snape has spent most of his life getting shunned, bullied, and generally disliked by everyone. He hides the love that drives him and allows others to think the worst of him. Even though he’s a trusted advisor to Dumbledore, Snape’s presence in the Order of the Phoenix is merely tolerated.

He covets the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position but stays stuck in the boring, basement-dwelling Potions Class. As head of Slytherin House, Snape still remains on the edges of Hogwarts’ activity. He suffers the disdain of any student not in Slytherin.

But even the nastiest of Slytherin kids don’t bond with Snape. Not every kid in Slytherin oozes evil, but the superlative for most Slytherins is “Most Likely to Become A Death Eater.” When Draco Malfoy is forced to rely on Snape in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, he’s afraid of him — no Dumbledore and Harry-esque relationship for these two.

Through each of Harry Potter’s years at Hogwarts, he faces a great challenge. Harry must fight evil — even as an eleven-year-old. And through each of his waged battles, Harry’s convinced Snape is trying to kill him. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But Severus Snape remains silent.

He could plead his case; he could let Harry — or at least members of the Order — in on his mandate from Dumbledore. He allows others to view him as a villain — and until the books and films reveal his heroism; those watching his journey think him villainous too.

Snape’s past and journey as an antihero

“Well, it may have escaped your notice, but life isn’t fair.”

-Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

What makes Snape the quintessential antihero? It’s entirely out of his inherent character to be heroic. The love his heart holds for Harry’s mom, Lily, causes him to strive to do good.

While he’s studying at Hogwarts, much like Voldemort, Snape holds disdain for those born of non-wizarding lineage. Lily (Evans) Potter is his only friend. After Lily discovers her powers, but before she attends Hogwarts, Snape befriends her. Severus Snape walks beside this Muggle-born wizard so that she won’t feel alone. And Lily never forgets his kindness.

Harry Potter’s popular dad, James, along with his future mentors Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, make Snape the butt of cruel pranks. The “Marauders,” as they call themselves, torture Snape’s school years.

A young Severus Snape joins up with Voldemort’s Death Eaters — the driving force behind the group is to drink off of Voldemort’s power. They hope to achieve immortality, and they kill any good wizards or “Muggles” (humans without magical abilities) who get in their way. It’s only when Voldemort kills Lily and James Potter, and attempts to end Harry, that Severus Snape realizes he must leave the forces of evil.

Snape repents and turns to Dumbledore, who asks this outcast to protect Harry once his time at Hogwarts begins. Lily Potter, Severus’s one true friend, is long dead. Her son bears a heavy resemblance to his dad, James — Snape’s archnemesis. And yet, Snape agrees.

A reluctant hero displaying the best antihero qualities.

Other than Dumbledore, no one knows of Snape’s courage and loyalty. The Order begrudgingly accepts him into their fight against evil. Harry and his friends — along with readers and viewers — hate Snape. When Severus Snape’s true character is revealed, he’s died — it’s too late for them to thank him. When I first read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, this revelation had me ugly snot crying for hours. With every viewing of the final Harry Potter film, my heart aches for Snape’s sacrifice.

A complete character arc in the best antihero

“Dumbledore watched her (the doe patronous) fly away,

And as the silvery glow faded, he turned back to Snape,

And his eyes were full of tears.

‘After all this time?’

‘Always,’ said Snape.”

-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

“You’ve kept him alive so he can die at the proper moment. You’ve been raising him like a pig for slaughter!”

-Alan Rickman as Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Professor Dumbledore commands Snape to surfacely betray the forces of good in order to protect both Harry and Draco Malfoy from the Dark Lord. Snape no longer believes in anything Voldemort stands for, but he agrees. Surely, this path will only lead to death for him, but he knows it may save the lives of many.

I don’t imagine Dirty Harry or Peacemaker ever agreeing to such an end. Their ways may be dubious, but they are okay with the subsequent glory.

It is Snape who protected Harry from those seeking to kill him. It’s Snape who saves Harry with the doe patronous — in homage to Lily Potter. It’s Snape who kills Dumbledore on Dumbledore’s command — thus saving Draco Malfoy from irrevocable murder and dark side allegiance. Snape agrees to become the Dark headmaster of Hogwarts to protect the students as much as he can.

“You were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts.

One was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew.”

-Harry Potter, soothing the Slytherin house placement fears of his son, Albus Severus, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Snape pays the ultimate sacrifice when Voldemort kills him. As he lies dying, he decides to share his tears with Harry — so the latter may finally understand that Snape remained loyal to his love for Lily Potter. Harry can’t believe the bravery Snape displayed throughout his years at Hogwarts. Only then does Harry recognize the true heroism of Severus Snape.

In the epilogue to the Harry Potter series, Harry tells his son Albus Severus that he’s named for one of the bravest wizards Harry has ever known. Thus, the legacy of Severus Snape lives on through the Potter lineage. The arc of this phenomenal antihero is complete.

Snape’s character development shows us that our choices reflect our true character. Snape proves nice and charming don’t always equal bravery and heroism. Sometimes, our heroes are unlikable.

Antiheroes remind us of the good dwelling in all of us. They’re offered the gift of redemption, and in their flawed and broken ways, they each grab hold of it. However, for many of these flawed good guys, we’re let in on the secret. We know they’ll triumph, and good breaks through their immoral ways.

Severus Snape doesn’t get to let us in on the secret. His fellow characters seethe with disdain for him. His audiences rage against his perceived treacherous actions. All the while, Snape lives a true, sacrificial, heroic life.

Severus Snape proves his worthiness at the title of “greatest antihero.” He’s the antihero the world needs. Always.

What say you?

Based only on the arguments presented (you have read all of them, haven’t you?) and not on personal preference: who wins this bout? Voting closes on February 17 at 6:59 AM.

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