Damon Lindelof: Harry Potter Must Die

Posted on July 12, 2007

Damon Lindelof, co-creator and head writer for Lost, wrote a very interesting (and revealing) an op ed piece for The New York Times explaining why -- although he doesn't actually think it will happen -- Harry Potter really needs to die at the end of the last book.

Because if there's one thing we like more than explosions, it's surprises. And even though 8 out of 10 of us want him to die, we know in our hearts that he won't.
And that's because Ms. Rowling wouldn't dare.
She can’t whack Harry because there are rules that must be followed when it comes to how one ends a grand mythology. Good triumphs over evil. Hope overcomes despair. Paper covers rock. Harry wins. Voldemort loses. The Ewoks sing.
And this is precisely why Harry has to die.
Because it will be tragic. And emotional. And surprising. But most of all ... it will be fair.
*****
So yes. Sorry, kiddies. I hope Harry buys the farm. Even though I know he won't. However... Maybe if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named tossed one final spell at Harry? Like a mega-Avada Kedavra curse that nobody had ever survived? And if Harry, like, did some kinda Matrix-slow-motion move and used his wand to deflect? And then his opponent like totally exploded everywhere into a thousand pieces of reptilian flesh? If, like, Harry blew on the end of his wand and said, "I told you not to curse, Voldemort." That'd be fine, too.

Aha! So that's why you killed off Charlie?? Because it was fair? Well, we beg to differ, Mr. Lindelof. We beg to differ. And if you kill off Sawyer and Sayid, well, all bets are off.