10 Movie Characters Who Aren't What You Think

9. Dumbledore Is Death - Harry Potter

Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) is one of Harry Potter's most beloved and ultimately tragic figures, but fans who decided to dig deep into The Tale of the Three Brothers, a fairytale which appears in animated form in Deathly Hallows - Part 1, found evidence that Dumbledore is the personification of Death itself.

And by evidence, we mean circumstantial links which amount to a fan theory, albeit one which was later confirmed by author J.K. Rowling herself.

In the story, the three brothers outfox Death and he offers them each a reward. The first receives the Elder Wand but is killed in his sleep, the second seeks the ability to resurrect the dead, but kills himself after learning that the Resurrection Stone can't fully restore life, and the third receives the Cloak of Invisibility in order to evade Death, living to a ripe old age and greeting Death warmly when his time finally comes.

It's widely accepted that the first brother is Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) given his fondness for the Elder Wand, the second is Snape (Alan Rickman) due to his love for Harry's (Daniel Radcliffe) dead mother, and the third is Harry himself, who was given the cloak by Dumbledore in the first movie.

As for Dumbledore? In addition to giving Harry the cloak, he owns the Elder Wand and Resurrection Stone, played a vital part in Voldemort and Snape's deaths, and greets Harry at King's Cross after he is struck with the Killing Curse in Deathly Hallows - Part 2.

This would be nothing more than imaginative conjecture were it not for Rowling's active endorsement of the theory, which she deemed her all-time favourite and effectively canonised it.