Comparing and Contrasting Lucifer Morningstar’s and Neville Longbottom’s Transformations
The final season of Lucifer recently dropped on Netflix, ending a six-year run. The show follows the Devil, who abandons Hell for Los Angeles, where he runs a nightclub and becomes a consultant to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Throughout the course of the series, he developed from a playboy with a few human ties to a selfless character. The character that underwent the largest transformation in the Harry Potter series was Neville Longbottom, who went from a clumsy child to a confident hero. In today’s post, I compare and contrast both these characters’ stories.
Lucifer is a fallen archangel who, after leading an unsuccessful, was banished by God to serve as Lord of Hell. In 2011, Lucifer became bored with his life, so he abdicated his throne and moved to Los Angeles to run his own high-end nightclub. During his time on Earth, he also became a civilian consultant for the Los Angeles Police Department. He partnered with human Chloe Decker, and together they solved murders, bringing the criminals to justice. During their partnership, they developed a romantic relationship, and Lucifer also befriended the other members of his team and therapist. Neville, on the other hand, had a plethora of family and friends at the beginning of his time at Hogwarts. He had a range of family members who may not have been the most supportive, cared for him. His circle of loved ones only grew when he went to Hogwarts, and he befriended other students.
Although they had their differences, they both grew to become brave and noble. Lucifer went from being a selfish and hedonistic character who only cared about his own interests. However, during his time on Earth and the relationships he developed, he grew to care for them and other humans. He sacrificed his own happiness at the end of season 4 when he went back to Hell to keep the demons in line, flew to season 5 to resurrect Chloe even though he thought he would burn, and again in the series finale when he sacrificed time with his daughter to become Hell’s therapist. The Lucifer in season 1 would never have done this. Neville also grew over the course of the series. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, he was often a victim of Draco’s bullying. At that point, he wasn’t able to stand up to his friends or tell his friends off. Over seven years at Hogwarts, he went from the shy, meek boy to the young man who stood up to Lord Voldemort.
‘Ah, yes, I remember,’ said Voldemort, looking down at Neville, who was struggling back to his feet, unarmed and unprotected, standing in the no-man’s-land between the survivors and the Death Eaters” (DH 731).
Looking at the two, their backgrounds, and their actions, it’s hard to compare them. They might have similar similarities in their character growth, but they both have completely different circumstances. Plus, Neville was only 11 years old at the beginning of the Harry Potter series, whereas Lucifer was billions of years old. Although they both became admirable characters, I would say that a lot of Neville’s transformation just came from time and maturity, whereas Lucifer actively worked on improving, choosing to go to therapy. He went from torturing Hell’s occupants to helping them get to Heaven, so I think he had the biggest transformation arc.
What do you think of my assessment? Let us know in the comments!
