Among the Harry Potter community, the character of Ronald Weasley tends to be a somewhat divisive one, especially during the franchise’s original theatrical run. Of the signature trio, the redhead may have been the most altered character from book to film, as he takes on much more of the comedic relief role and some of his braver moments are given to other characters, like Hermione.
However, Movie Ron is still beloved by many to this day, and his never-ending supply of hilarious quips and whines along with the occasional surprise character-building moment are performed to a tee by Rupert Grint, who displays possibly the strongest acting chops among the younger actors, particularly in the earlier films.
That being said, here are Ron’s most iconic moments from the Harry Potter movies.
10 Mrs. Weasley's Howler
One of Ron's most defining aspects can be found right in his name—Weasley. Part of his character is defined by his position in his family. As the youngest boy of the family, Ron developed a pretty overt inferiority complex, which isn't helped by his best friend's ultra-celebrity status, aiding in his constant cycle of shenanigans and trouble-making. Enter Molly Weasley—Ron's mother is a kind and caring woman with plenty of brilliant nuggets of advice to dole out, but she is no stranger to publicly shaming her children when they've earned it.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, after stealing his father's car with Harry in order to get to school, the pair end up totaling the automobile after crashing into Hogwarts' local arboreal menace, the Whomping Willow. Safe to say, Molly's subsequent very loud and public lecture embarrassed Ron the way only a mothers' lecture can, leading to a hilarious reaction that fans wouldn't be forgetting any time soon.
9 Ron's Brave Roar
Book fans are quick to criticize the film adaptations for mishandling Ron's character, as he comes across as way more of a pure comedic character at times, and many of his strongest moments are given to other characters to let them shine, or are simply removed entirely. Book Ron is a bit more of a Samwise Gamgee, while Movie Ron is a bit more Pippin—and just like Pippin, many fans forget that shocking moments of bravery can be found buried underneath all the comedic relief.
Ron comes across mostly as a bit of wimp in the first half of the film series, and if you disregard his final heroic scene in Sorcerer's Stone, there's hardly any evidence he should even be a Gryffindor, seeing how the house's defining trait is courage. Meanwhile, Ron's defining trait seems to be arachnophobia.
However, as the series goes on and gets darker and more serious, Ron is able to step up to the plate and become the brave Gryffindor he is, and we get the smallest dollop of foreshadowing in a short scene towards the beginning of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Surrounded by friends, Ron and Harry eat candy that makes them act remarkably similar to strange beasts like monkeys and trains. Ron gets the lion flavor and immediately fully embraces it, leading to a signature and prophetic moment for the lovable redhead.
8 Reginald Cattermole Polyjuice Potion
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the Golden Trio's undercover journey into the Ministry of Magic provides the latest opportunity for the crew to take advantage of Polyjuice Potion, a shape-shifting concoction introduced earlier in the series. Ron assumes the role of Ministry worker Reginald "Reg" Cattermole and is immediately plunged into the world of raining offices and wives in distress.
On occasion there’s a flightiness to Ron in the movies, not too dissimilar to Luna, that is most evidently shown in this sequence as Ron keeps forgetting that he's not actually Reg. While this certainly feeds into his clumsy comedic chops, it also reminds the viewer of his empathy for others and desire to help and do good. A funny moment for sure, but also one that doesn't take away from his character.
7 Ron Saves Harry (Unintentionally)
Most of Ron's great moments follow a similar structure. The lovable ginger runs into a mishap (usually caused by his own carelessness) that typically results in some kind of comedic coda, but a closer look reveals a deep love and dedication for his friends and family, usually Harry or Hermione. In fact, Ron has saved Harry's butt more times than most fans can count, but what makes this little moment from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince so iconically Ron Weasley is that he saves Harry's life (and Professor Slughorn's for that matter) by complete accident.
The always hungry, always thirsty Ronald Weasley drinks from a celebratory glass in the middle of Slughorn's toast with Harry and winds up fighting for his life as the drink was laced with a deadly poison. Thinking quick on his feet, Harry finds the antidote and Ron survives, but had Potter's pal not discovered the poison, the professor and Boy Who Lived might have been no more.
6 The First Train to Hogwarts
While it isn't the first time Ron pops up on screen, his train ride with Harry in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is our first real introduction to the character. Ron's laid-back attitude combined with his extensive knowledge of the Wizarding World gives Harry a comforting and inviting friend to begin his very long journey with.
In this scene, we also get glimpses of Ron's more naive nature, as he bumbles his way through a fake spell in an attempt to impress both Harry and Hermione, resulting in nothing more than a splash of light and Hermione telling him about the dirt on his face. All in all, it's a fantastic and very representative introduction for the beloved character.
5 Ron Faces His Fears in the Forest
Most of Ron's best moments highlight an underlying bravery or his unending loyalty to his friends, but sometimes all a great Ron bit needs is pure comedy. Ron's franchise-long fear of spiders is best put to use during the forbidden forest scenes in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Shortly after Hagrid tells Harry and Ron to follow the spiders in order to prove his innocence, our favorite redhead fires off perhaps his most iconic line of the series—"why couldn't it be follow the butterflies?"—before proceeding to progressively squeak and whine harder and harder as they dive deep into the arachnid-filled forest.
Grint gives a great performance, smartly leaning into his midst-of-puberty voice crack, and providing the perfect tension reliever for a scene that may have been too scary for younger audiences otherwise.
4 The Quidditch Prospect Emerges
In Ron's lowest moments, he's found struggling with his life-long inferiority complex: everything from jealously mouthing off at Harry in the middle act of Goblet of Fire to quitting the hunt for horcruxes in Deathly Hallows Part 1. All of these issues always stem from this single dilemma. However, we're given a small look into who Ron could have been if he didn't have these problems and was a much more confident guy who believed in himself and his abilities.
When Harry pretends to drip his liquid luck into Ron's cup before a big Quidditch match, Ron gains the confidence he needs to play to his full potential, believing luck to be on his side. He knocks it out of the park, playing a perfect match as keeper, and easily being the MVP of the game as Gryffindors chant his name nonstop after the match ends.
Ron doesn't exactly receive a lot of wins throughout the series and rarely impresses, so this moment stands out as one of the singular times the audience gets to appreciate and feel happy for him.
3 Ron Saves Harry From Drowning
Ron's strained decision to abandon Harry and Hermione in the middle of Deathly Hallows Part 1 came from a mix of complicated insecure emotions, made all the worse by the locket horcrux's taunting and heavy weight. But it is once he's away from the locket for some time that he finally comes to his senses and returns to his best friends- and the timing couldn't have been better.
Harry finds himself almost drowning under a frozen lake near his birthplace of Godric's Hollow, when none other than Ron Weasley heroically arrives to save his life. Not only does he do that, but he brings along a key plot element: the sword of Gryffindor. This allows him to successfully destroy the locket once and for all, fulfilling Harry's main goal of the past movie and a half.
Movie Ron gets a bad rap from many fans for not being brave enough and not accomplishing a lot, but in this scene he does more than enough. In fact, he's the only one who destroys any horcruxes in all of Deathly Hallows Part 1. That must count for something, no?
2 Ron Eats Slugs
After Ron breaks his wand following the Whomping Willow snafu in Chamber of Secrets, he becomes subject to several spells backfiring—the worst of which is easily the mishandled casting of "Eat Slugs" on Draco Malfoy. It's yet another great example of Ron's heroics and allegiance to his friends being disguised by wildly comedic circumstances.
Ron angrily casts the slug-eating spell on Malfoy after he calls Hermione a mudblood, a slur in the Wizarding World. Sadly, Ron's broken wand backfires yet again, causing him to puke out slugs for the next few hours. This scene and the one immediately after are funny, but they're also seeped in unsavory realities as the disturbingly bigoted world of magic looms over Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Ron seems to be punished over and over throughout the entire franchise for coming to his friends' defense, and yet he never takes that as a learning opportunity. That is because one of Ron's most delineating traits is his devotion to his friends, and that is something he would never give up, no matter how much pain it puts him in.
1 Wizard Chess Sacrifice
At number one is perhaps the definitive iconic Ron Weasley moment. It's what sold us all on the character—the hilarious best friend you still want by your side when the going gets tough. At the end of the day, that's the perfect way to describe Ron Weasley.
Ron's love of chess is on full display throughout the first film in the franchise and prior to the final act of the film, it appears as if this is nothing more than a simple character quirk, but his surprisingly logical brain is put to full use as he plays what Dumbledore himself refers to as "the best played game of chess Hogwarts has seen these many years." This results in the ultimate sacrifice, as Ron allows himself to be attacked by a giant magical stone statue in order to let Harry go on and save the day.
Despite being in the first movie, it's easily Ron's defining moment- a microcosm of his strongest qualities, the ones that lie just under his clumsy and clownish surface.