Colin Creevey’s absence from the later Harry Potter movies is disappointing, but it’s still better than the fate that befalls the character in the novels. Though they were incredibly successful, the Warner Bros. Harry Potter films made several notable changes from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. Among the alterations is the fate of first-year student Colin Creevey. Despite appearing in six out of the seven novels, when it came to the movies, Colin Creevey disappeared after The Chamber of Secrets. Nevertheless, the character’s original ending was far bleaker.

Portrayed in the second film by Hugh Mitchell, Colin Creevey is introduced as an overly keen and slightly annoying Gryffindor student and amateur photographer. Colin has an obsession with fame and finds himself star-struck by Harry, with whom he has a mild obsession. The character plays a key role in the movie and has a handful of scene-stealing moments. Even so, Colin is never seen beyond his first appearance. While this may seem like a harsh outcome for a likable character, it’s nothing compared to the fate Colin experiences in the novels.

Colin Creevey’s Disappearance In The Harry Potter Movies Isn’t Surprising After The Books

He Has One Of The Bleakest Endings Of Any Harry Potter Character

Colin’s absence from the movies beyond The Chamber of Secrets was likely a result of Mitchell experiencing a growth spurt rather than for any storytelling reason. Dennis Creevey, Colin’s older brother, is also a character in the books, but he doesn’t appear at any point in the films. Instead, the characters of Colin and Dennis were eventually merged to create a movie-only character called Nigel Wolpert, who first appeared in 2005’s The Goblet of Fire. While it’s frustrating that Colin didn’t have a bigger role in the films, his disappearance is hardly surprising considering the character’s fate in the books.

In the novel version of The Deathly Hallows, Colin joins Harry as part of Dumbledore’s Army to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts, the final battle in the Wizarding War. Unfortunately, Colin, like many others, dies during the battle at the hands of a Death Eater. It’s a sad ending for the character, especially because his death is spoken about after the event rather than depicted. Of course, Colin’s death wasn’t entirely in vain; his contribution to the fight helped Harry and the rest of Dumbledore’s Army to defeat Voldemort and his followers once and for all.

Colin Creevey’s Movie Fate Is Better Than His Character’s Book Ending

It’s A Kinder Outcome For The Hogwarts Student

Colin Creevey’s fate in the Harry Potter movies is far from ideal. At best, he’s replaced, and, at worst, he’s forgotten about. However, it’s a far kinder and far less bleak outcome than the one that befalls his literary counterpart. While he can certainly be accused of being overly excitable and eager to a fault, Colin is never anything less than authentic. He’s polite, optimistic, and sweet-natured, and one of a handful of Hogwarts students who are genuinely good people. It, therefore, feels unfair that such a beloved character should be murdered in such a gruesome way.

By not depicting Colin’s death or making reference to it at all, the movies almost do the character a favor. Beyond The Chamber of Secrets, his fate is unknown, meaning that, theoretically, Colin could be alive and well by the end of the series. It’s certainly something that fans of the character could head-canon. Even without considering Colin’s movie fate past The Chamber of Secrets, Colin’s stint in the film series may be brief, but at least the character is able to shine and isn’t tainted by a questionable demise.

Why Colin’s Death In Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Doesn’t Land

The Book Didn’t Do The Character Justice

It’s not just the fact that Colin is killed that’s unjust – lots of characters die throughout both the books and the movies – it’s the way his death is handled. Following the battle, Colin’s dead body is recovered by Neville Longbottom and placed in the Great Hall along with the corpses of others who died in the fight. The events of Colin’s death and his final confrontation aren’t described, meaning he doesn’t get a hero’s goodbye. Instead, it’s a cold and rather emotionless end to Colin’s story that doesn’t have the impact it should.

The Harry Potter movies were, therefore, wise not to portray Colin’s fate in this way. Arguably, there is a compromise where the film adaptations could have included Colin’s death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 but actually depicted it with the respect and emotional weight it deserved. Then again, it’s unlikely that the movie would have had time to do Colin’s death justice. Overall, both the books and the films failed the character of Colin Creevey. It falls to the upcoming Harry Potter TV series to finally get it right.