Headmaster Phineas Black brings his family's bigotry to Hogwarts Legacy. Will players fight back?

While Black's views are not surprising given his family history, they do shed new light on the character and his motivations

A new clip from the game Hogwarts Legacy has revealed that the school's headmaster, Phineas Black, shares his family's hateful views of non-pure blood wizards and witches. The Black family is infamous for their bigotry toward anyone who isn't a pure-blood, and it seems that Headmaster Black is no exception.

Headmaster, Phineas Black in Hogwarts Legacy(Avalanche Games)

In the clip, posted to the HarryPotterGame subreddit by user Phalaenopsis83, Black is shown walking up on a pair of Slytherin students bullying a Hufflepuff. His reaction is less than sympathetic, and he appears to share his family's belief that the wizarding community's bloodlines should be kept as pure as possible.

The clip reveals a troubling interaction between Hogwarts' Headmaster, Phineas Black, and a pair of Slytherin students bullying a Hufflepuff. The clip exposes Black's family's longstanding belief in pure-blood superiority, a view shared by many notorious wizards and witches, including Lord Voldemort.

Interesting scene involving Headmaster Black and a half-blood student
by u/Phalaenopsis83 in HarryPotterGame

Black's neglect of the academic side of his job and his contempt for the needs of Hogwarts' students are well-documented over the course of the game. Players will likely encounter his arrogance and selfishness in various interactions, such as his announcement of a Quidditch ban at the beginning of the player's first year. However, the clip posted by Reddit user Phalaenopsis83 reveals a darker side to Black's character, showing him inject the bullying interaction with enough arrogance and bigotry to make his beliefs clear.

Comment
by u/Phalaenopsis83 from discussion Interesting scene involving Headmaster Black and a half-blood student
in HarryPotterGame

Unfortunately, Headmaster Black's views are not limited to his family, as the various books and films set in the wizarding world have shown. Harry Potter and his friends encounter similar bigotry among their peers, most notably in the form of Draco Malfoy's overt hatred toward Harry's close friend, Hermione Granger. Nevertheless, Sirius Black, Phineas' cousin, bucks this trend and ultimately becomes Harry's godfather by escaping from the hateful views of his family.

Despite the controversy surrounding Black's character, players can still enjoy the game's immersive experience. Hogwarts Legacy is currently available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and is set to release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 5, 2023. The game is also scheduled to release on July 25, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch.