After watching every “Harry Potter” movie, there really is no doubt that Ron Weasley plays a key role in taking down Voldemort and the Death Eaters — but he does it without using a character trait that is established in the first installment. First, Ron beats Harry in a casual game of wizard chess. Then, when that same game appears in life-size form as an obstacle the trio must defeat in order to reach the Sorcerer’s Stone, Ron wins against the enchanted pieces, allowing Harry to pass through to the final room.
However, this unique skill of being able to see several moves ahead is never used again. Instead, Ron uses physical strength and courage to help defeat Voldemort. On Reddit, u/lightblue_sky argued, “The first book gave the impression that Ron could be a great strategist. Rowling should have built up that character arch [sic] until the Battle of Hogwarts, where Ron’s talents could be tested as he helped defend the castle to buy Harry more time.”
Redditor u/ThisIsTheNewSleeve agreed, adding, “He’s not particularly booksmart of [sic] overly gifted in magic but he can use his eye for strategy and unconventionalness to help the team. Sadly he wasn’t really used like this after the first book.” More fans agreed with this analysis over on YouTube, with @samuraishinobi giving Ron his deserved props: “Ron was a true knight to the very end. A noble one if I might add.”
