What To Know About The Marauders In Honor Of Harry Potter’s Birthday
This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s summer editorial intern Maggie Lardie. Find her on Instagram at @maggielardie. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Millennials and Gen Z don’t always share similar interests, but it’s safe to say the two generations are more than willing to put their differences aside when it comes to their mutual love of Harry Potter. Both generations were able to experience a different aspect of the fandom, beginning when millennials were around to witness the publication of the books from 1997 to 2007. In turn, Gen Z grew up as the films came out, leaving both generations to share the experience of seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 after its release. The idea that one franchise is capable of combining multiple generations is a rather inspiring one, but if you believe that millennials and Gen Z haven’t found their differences within Harry Potter, you might want to think again. The Marauders era has amassed the attention of the younger generation over the last couple years, due largely in part to popular fanfictions like All The Young Dudes by MsKingBean89 and Choices by MesserMoon. With a classic found family trope, a 1970s aesthetic and the inclusion of a more diverse range of characters, it’s easy to see why the Marauders are the preferred era for Gen Z. Countless tiktoks, fanfics, artworks and even music have been inspired by the Marauders era – enough to allow Gen Z to work out the specific personalities and interests of even the most minor characters.
Recently, an HBO Harry Potter TV series was announced as being in the works, leaving plenty of conflicting opinions in its wake. Many support the idea because of HBO’s promise to remain strictly accurate to the books, but most see the upcoming series as unnecessary. After all, it’s only been twelve years since the final film came out. Additionally, much of Gen Z thinks the remake is futile and that if a television show is going to be made, it should be about the Marauders. Gen Z has already done the work for a potential Marauders show as well; having selected the actors and actresses they believe should play their favorite Marauders era characters.
Now that we’ve discussed the basics, you might still be wondering: who are the Marauders in Harry Potter? Scroll on to learn the essentials (and fancasts) of each.
James Potter
Arguably the most recognizable member of the Marauders, James is the father of Harry Potter. Although Harry never gets to know him, he hears that James was a troublemaker, avid quidditch player and loyal friend. He (like the other Marauders) is an animagus, meaning he can turn into an animal at will. His animagus is a stag, similar to Harry’s patronus. Popular fancasts for James include Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Reiky De Valk.
Remus Lupin
Introduced as Harry’s defense against the dark arts professor in the third book, Remus Lupin is eventually revealed to not only be a friend of Harry’s parents, but a werewolf as well. He acts as a mentor to Harry for much of the series and is portrayed as being the most reasonable member of the friend group. Fancasts for Remus include Andrew Garfield and Matt Hitt.
Peter Pettigrew
Known for blindly following the other three during their school days, Peter Pettigrew grew up to betray his friends, selling out James and Lily to Voldemort and framing Sirius for it. Fittingly, his animagus is a rat – an ability he used to pose as Ron’s pet during Sirius’s time in prison. Fancasts for Peter consist of Dane Dehaan and Lewis Capaldi.
Lily Evans
The mother of Harry Potter, Lily is described as being very bright and compassionate. She is bold and unafraid to stand up for what’s right, no matter who it might be against. Fancasts for Lily include Sophie Skelton and Annalise Basso.
These five characters merely scratch the surface of the large cast the Marauders fandom provides, so here are a few honorable mentions:
- Natalie Scatorccio as Marlene McKinnon
- Sofia Bryant as Mary MacDonald
- Timothée Chalamet as Regulus Black
- Louis Garrel as Severus Snape
Who is your favorite Marauders era character? Do you have a favorite fancast? Let us know in the comments below!