In the realm of witches and wizards, pretty much anything is possible, right? Well, one thing that doesn’t appear to be happening in Harry Potter is the return of Sirius Black, at least not with Gary Oldman in the role.
Of all the magical beings in Harry Potter, there are few more popular than Sirius Black. Personally, I’d put him right up there as one of the very best Harry Potter characters, and nothing’s going to change that.
Fans of the franchise generally agree, too, and a lot of that is down to the fine work of Harry Potter cast member Gary Oldman. But, if you were hoping we might see Oldman in the role again in the future, we have bad news for you.
Oldman has been speaking to Esquire about a number of his roles in the film industry, and it was posited that a return for Sirius Black could be on the cards in any potential new movies from the Wizarding World.
Here’s why that can’t happen, and it’s straight from the horse’s mouth: “I can’t come back. I went through the Veil. I’m dead. Sirius Black is dead.”
It really is as simple as that, sometimes. You see, the Veil is kind of a one-way ticket situation. To look at, the Veil appears to be a rather strange but harmless black curtain mounted under a stone arch. But the Veil is actually far more sinister than that – it’s a gateway to the land of the dead and is not somewhere you want to be visiting.
During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius was struck by Bellatrix Lestrange and fell through the Veil. Despite Harry’s desperate refusal to accept his godfather is gone and our own disappointment that our favorite wizard was no more, Sirius cannot and will not return from behind the Veil.
The ancient structure has stood in the Death Chamber for as long as the Ministry of Magic has existed and acts as a barrier between the living and the dead. Sirius is firmly on the wrong side of that barrier, and as we learn, even the most powerful of wizards can’t bring people back to life.
Indeed, the closest thing to ‘bringing back the dead’ we see in any of the Harry Potter films is the Ressurection Stone, one of the legendary Deathly Hallows that can call back the spirits of the deceased. This powerful artifact was given by Death himself to Cadmus Peverell (if you believe the legends), but those called by the stone are not truly revived; they’re unwilling shades who resent being called back from the afterlife.
Anyway, Harry Potter lore aside, there is one way we may see Sirius again – the Harry Potter TV series is set to explore all the best heroes and Harry Potter villains from the movies in more detail. Just don’t expect Oldman to be the man behind the animagus next time. Of course, if you do want to see Oldman’s Sirius again, you could just watch the Harry Potter movies in order (go on, it’s worth it).
For more magic, check out our guide to the Cursed Child release date, or take a look at these Harry Potter plot holes that have us feeling like we’re under the Confundus Charm. Oh, and did you know you’ve been saying Voldemort’s name wrong all these years? If you’re done with Potter but want more gothic teen stories, here’s what we know about Wednesday season 2.