It seems like there is an unspoken rule throughout the Harry Potter series: each school year, you get a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and it always means more trouble (for both the students and the professors themselves). From Professor Quirell (Ian Hart) carrying Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) on his head to Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) torturing the students, it has not exactly been a smooth ride for the individuals in this teaching position throughout all the Harry Potter movies.
Updated April 8th, 2023: This article has been updated with even more information about each Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, including a new addition from the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
Each year, Harry Potter and his friends got to know a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Sometimes they were friendly allies, but more often than not, they are obstacles to overcome. The Harry Potter franchise has expanded with the addition of the Fantastic Beasts films and rumors of a new HBO Max series possibly arriving, which will retell the original seven books. With that in mind, take a look back and see how all the teachers of Defense Against the Dark Arts from Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts rank among each other.
7 Dolores Umbridge
There is no character more hated among fans of Harry Potter than Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton), even more so than Voldemort himself. She first appears in Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix as a Ministry of Magic participant at Harry's trial. She has been brainwashed by the government to such an extent that she doesn't believe there's any real danger lurking out there in the real world, despite concrete evidence clearly saying so. Minister Cornelius Fudge appoints her as a new teacher for the Defense Against the Dark Arts to act as an infiltrator of Hogwarts.
With the power of the Ministry backing her actions, she does not shy away from using torture on her students to teach them a lesson. As for the class itself, she doesn't teach them any practical magic and sticks to the books to prevent a rebellion the Ministry fears would happen. Umbridge is cruel and uses cute colors to hide her true monstrous personality. Even without her evil personality, she still would not rank higher as a teacher.
6 Professor Quirrell
Dumbledore should consider perfecting his background check skills on all the professors. It's truly baffling that Hogwarts is supposed to be the safest place for wizards, yet they have let so many infiltrators in. Professor Quirell (Ian Hart) is the perfect example. Not only did he not have any qualifications to become a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher since he taught Muggle studies before, but Voldemort was living on the back of his head.
While Quirell having the literal most evil wizard living on the back of his head should make him the worst Defense Againist the Dark Arts teacher, it goes to show how truly awful Umbridge is. Even with the most famous dark wizard of all time sitting in on classes, Quirell doesn't come out as bad as Umbridge. It did, however, begin to set a precedent for the rotating roster of Defense Against the Dark Darts teachers during Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts.
5 Gilderoy Lockhart
Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh) is one of the lighter and more fun characters in the franchise. Introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Lockheart gets the job due to his prestigious claim as one of the most accomplished wizards of his day. However, it is revealed that he is a fraud, having taken credit for other wizards' accomplishments and erased their memories.
One has to wonder if all the students who attended Hogwarts that year were sort of robbed of a year of education, since the few times Lockhearts class is shown it did not seem like anybody truly learned anything. It's once again very perplexing that the Hogwarts system is so incompetent that they would hire an author as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. It appeared that every time Lockhart boasted about his skills, the other professors seemed to be aware he was lying.
4 Severus Snape
Potterheads always tend to be split into two different parties: one that does not like Snape (the late great Alan Rickman) at all and the other who will do their best to defend him, citing a redemption arc in hindsight. Despite the side you stand on, one thing is for sure: Snape was an intelligent wizard. He wanted to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher ever since he became a professor at Hogwarts, but all he ever got assigned to was Potions.
It was not until the sixth movie, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince, that he finally got his dream position. This is also the same year that Snape makes an agreement with Dumbledore to kill him, to stop Draco Malfoy from committing the deed that Voldemort has assigned to him. Dumbledore trusts Snape's abilities as a Wizard and knowledge since he can diagnose the curse that has befallen Dumbledore from Voldemort's Horcrux ring. Despite the contradicting opinions on his character, we have to admit he's an extremely powerful wizard.
3 Mad-Eye Moody
Regardless of the fact that Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson) was actually a Death Eater called Barty Crouch Jr., we have to rank him high. Yes, his teaching tactics were a little harsh, but while he pretended to be Moody, he was a likable character who imparted more wisdom to his students than some other teachers on this list. This version did teach Harry Potter plenty of new magical tricks.
While these were all made in an attempt to eventually get Harry Potter to the graveyard, they also made Harry a better wizard and, ironically more prepared to take on Voldemort. There's no doubt that the real Alastor Moody would have made an excellent teacher as well, considering the fact he was an Auror. He had the real-life experience of defending himself and others against the Dark Arts.
2 Albus Dumbledore
Years before he was headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore was the professor of Defense Against The Dark Arts. His time as the teacher is shown in both Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
With how great a headmaster Dumbledore is, it's a safe assumption he was also a great teacher. The biggest shame is that audiences did not get to see Jude Law's version of Dumbledore due to the poor box office reaction to the Fantastic Beasts sequels.
1 Remus Lupin
Last but not least, one of the best professors that have stepped foot into Hogwarts is Remus Lupin (the great David Thewlis). Not only was he a talented wizard of the Order of the Phoenix, but he was also a down-to-earth human being. He passed on incredibly helpful knowledge to Harry, such as teaching him how to defend himself against Dementors, and more importantly, he served as a living connection to Harry's parents (with whom he was friends since their days at Hogwarts).
Lupin is the ideal professor. He is kind, knowledgeable, and there for his students. Lupin realistically could have kept his position at Hogwarts and would have been a great addition to the staff. Sadly when parents found out about his condition as a werewolf, they felt uncomfortable with Lupin teaching their children.
This is a true shame, as people's prejudice prevented a great man from being a wonderful teacher and likely would have altered the fate of the Wizarding World if Barty Croutch Jr. wasn't allowed to pose as Mad-Eye Moody or Dolores Umbridge would not have been able to torture students.