Severus Snape

***NOTE: This page is only about his film version as his novel incarnation was not voted as a Magnificent Baddie, and thus only the film version of Severus Snape's info and crimes should be put here.***

## Magnificent Baddie

### Alias

The Half-Blood Prince
Sev (by Lily Evans)
Snivellus (by the Marauders)
The Potions Master
Professor Snape
The Bravest Man I've Ever Known (by Harry Potter)

### Origin

*Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*

### Allies

Lily Evans
 Albus Dumbledore
Harry Potter
Lord Voldmeort (formerly)
Draco Malfoy

### Powers/Skills

Vast magic abilities
Genius-level intelligence
Charisma
Occlumency and Legilimency skills on par with Lord Voldemort's
Exceptional talent with potion-making
Alchemy
Dark Arts
Defence Against the Dark Arts
Dueling
Spell creation
Charms
Jinxes and curses
Healing
Unsupported flight
Non-verbal and wandless magic
Love
Leadership
Teaching
Eloquence
Intimidation
Acting
Deception

### Goals

Get Lily Evans to reciprocate his love (failed).
Protect Harry Potter from Lord Voldemort.
Kill Albus Dumbledore (Dumbledore's orders, both succeeded).
Protect Hogwarts' students from the Death Eaters (succeeded during his time as headmaster, although some died during the Battle of Hogwarts).
Prove his ultimately fake allegiance to the Death Eaters.
Become the Defence Against the Dark Arts (DADA) teacher of Hogwarts (both succeeded).
Take revenge on Remus Lupin and Sirius Black by giving them to the Dementors (abandoned).

### Crimes

Psychological abuse
Assault
Stalking
Consensual homicide (unwillingly)
Aiding and abetting
Forgery

### Type of MB

Tragic Disciplinarian

**Severus Snape**, also known as the **Half-Blood Prince**, is one of the overarching protagonists in the *Harry Potter* films. His loyalty was debatable during the series, but he was finally revealed to be on the side of good near the end of *The Deathly Hallows*, being unconditionally loyal to Albus Dumbledore and the woman he loved, Lily.

He was portrayed by the late Alan Rickman, who also played Hans Gruber in *Die Hard*.

## What Makes Him Magnificent?

* Unlike the book version, the film version of Snape isn't even slightly sadistic, and only shows a little bias towards Slytherin students (and is much less tolerable of Draco Malfoy's actions). He also never insulted Lily when they were kids and was always kind to her, despite her rejecting his love to be with James Potter (Harry's father).
* His hatred of James is more justifiable, as James is more jerkish than he was in the books.
* He is *extremely* tragic, due to being bullied a lot when he was a kid and he lost the love of his life (which happens to be Harry's mother Lily).
* He used to be a Death Eater who served under Lord Voldemort, but he later confesses this to Dumbledore and he offers Snape a second chance, which he agrees to, becoming a double-agent for Dumbledore.
* Despite his treatment of Harry, he does care for him a lot, in a way seeing him as a son, and being downright horrified and worried when he learns from Dumbledore that Harry has to die in order for Voldemort to lose. His harsh treatment of him also seems to be an extent of his hatred for James, seeming to think that Harry will turn out to be just like his father. He subverts this though by the end of the series.
	+ He's kind of harsh towards Harry's best friend Ron Weasley as well, but this is more justifiable, as Ron is a bit more jerkish in the films than in the books.
* Alan Rickman's performance and Snape's design make him really cool and downright chilling at times.
* He is a professor of potions, knowing pretty much everything there is to know about the subject, making him extremely resourceful. He even wrote a book about it!
* While at first in the first movie it seems that Snape is trying to kill Harry and get the Philosopher's Stone for himself, he was actually trying to save Harry, and trying to stop the real culprit.
* He's not a coward in any way, as in *Prisoner of Azkaban*, when he notices that Remus Lupin has turned into a werewolf, his first instinct is to shield and protect Harry, Ron and Hermione.
* While he is the one that killed Dumbledore, this was part of Dumbledore's plan to make sure Voldemort wouldn't be the master of the Elder Wand, and Dumbledore was already dying slowly and horribly from the curse of Marvolo's ring. In hindsight, Snape saved Draco's life at the cost of his own by doing so.
* He is still a double-agent for Dumbledore by the time of *Deathly Hallows*, and never double-crosses him even after he killed him. He was able to do this for a really long time, showing he is pretty manipulative.
* He summons a Patronus charm in order to protect Harry during the time he was being hunted by Death Eaters.
* He gives a copy of the Sword of Gryffindor to Bellatrix and hides the real sword. Later, he guides Harry to get the real sword using his Patronus charm.
* His death is extremely sympathetic, as he is brutally attacked by Voldemort's pet snake Nagini. Harry and friends find him as he is dying, and Snape asks Harry to collect his tear in a bottle so that he can use it to view Snape's memories. In his final moments, Snape tells Harry to look at him, and says "You have your mothers eyes", dying just a few seconds later from his injuries.
* Snape's legacy would live on even after his death, as Harry would name his son after both him and Dumbledore, and he would be remembered by the Chosen One (and the audience) as one of the saviors of wizard and Muggles alike.

## What Makes Him a Baddie?

* He used to be a Death Eater, and they were responsible for many crimes such as mass murder and attempted genocide of Muggles, but he later redeems himself and wasn't even that bad for a Death Eater, so he's not too much of a baddie.
* For a brief period of time after he killed Dumbledore, Snape became Headmaster at Hogwarts, where he was pretty harsh towards students, and even appointed Death Eaters to work as guards. While this was a way to gain Voldemort's trust and to help Dumbledore's plan succeed, this is still harsh reasoning to do so.

## External Links

* Severus Snape at the Hero wiki
* Severus Snape at the Villains wiki
* Severus Snape at the Inconsistently Admirable wiki
* Severus Snape at the *Harry Potter* wiki