The most feared weapon in the Harry Potter franchise is the Elder Wand. Created either by Death himself or one of the Peverell brothers, depending on whether you believe in fairy tales, it’s the most powerful wand in existence. If you’re its master, you’re nearly invincible. But there’s a very obvious and silly way to beat it.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, our main Harry Potter characters are held captive in Malfoy Manor. When they make their escape, Harry picks up three wands that have been disarmed from their owners and aims a Stunning Spell at one of the most terrifying Harry Potter villains, Fenrir Greyback. According to the book: “The werewolf was lifted off his feet by the triple spell, flew up to the ceiling and then smashed into the ground”.
Yup, a triple spell. So it’s an established part of the wizarding canon that using multiple wands can enhance the power of even the most simple Harry Potter spells. In that case, surely you could construct a sort of mega-wand with the power to easily defeat the Elder Wand? There’s no way the “Deathstick” could resist the force of, say, 100 ordinary wands.
Reddit user Mesajarjar_binks noticed this possibility and shared it with other fans. They wrote: “The description certainly makes it sound like [the triple spell’s] effect is significantly stronger than normal. So what stops anyone from just making a wand cannon and duct taping a bunch of wands together after defeating other wizards?”
So let’s dig into it. What’s stopping the Death Eaters from usurping Voldemort‘s power by producing the magical equivalent of Peep Show’s “megatron” remote control?
Wandlore in the Harry Potter franchise has always been a complicated thing, with the tangled loyalty of the Elder Wand playing a crucial role in the way the franchise comes to an end. But broadly, it seems that wands will work for just about anybody, although they have more “allegiance” to those who “win” them by disarming their owner.
In this case, all you need are some willing friends who are happy to sacrifice a wand to you and then go buy another one. Soon enough, you’ve got the allegiance of multiple wands and you’re ready to take on the current master of the Elder Wand with your amped-up spell-caster.
Reddit user blobblet offered an intriguing theory as to why Harry’s particular “triple spell” worked. They wrote: “Wand allegiance is fickle. In that moment after Harry conquered the wands, they were all vying for Harry’s attention and, in an attempt to outdo the other wands, were willing to allow a ‘multicast’. However, if Harry doesn’t show enough commitment by going exclusive, they won’t properly work for him in the future.”
This is a very sensible and considered opinion. But as it scuppers our theory for new movies featuring a gargantuan uber-wand made up of the entire stock of Ollivander’s shop, we’re choosing to ignore it. Next stop, Elder Wand!
For more on the best movies in this franchise, check out our detailed guides to the Harry Potter cast and how to watch the Harry Potter movies in order. Alternatively, find out about the Horcrux hiding place that Voldemort never found.
We’ve also looked to the future with our guides to the Harry Potter TV series release date and the Cursed Child movie release date. Finally, check out our ideas for a Harry Potter Christmas special.
The creator of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years. If you’d like to learn more about transgender equality or lend your support, here are two charities we encourage you to visit: the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US and Mermaids in the UK.