All 4 Marauders from Harry Potter, ranked from worst to best

2. Prongs (James Potter)

• Animagus form: Stag
• Played by Adrian Rawlins
• Groups: Marauders and Order of the Phoenix
• Wife: Lily Potter 
• Children: Harry Potter 

James Potter comes in second on the ranking of the best Marauders. It’s literally so close between James and Sirius for me. Yes, Sirius is a more integral part of Harry’s story in the books, but it’s all made possible by James’ sacrifice. I don’t think we can really hold James’s death against him for this ranking.

To me, James and Sirius are in the same tier. It’s Pettigrew at the bottom, and James and Sirius are in the middle. They are two sides of the same coin. Each cocky and confident in their own right, James and Sirius formed an instant connection at Hogwarts, and that bonded lasted longer than their lifetimes.

James is basically the ringleader of the group. He was the star of the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a first year. He was Head Boy at Hogwarts during his seventh year when he and Lily started dating. They go on to marry and have Harry.

During their second year at Hogwarts, James, Sirius, and Peter started to learn how to become animagi to support their friend, Remus Lupin. From what we learn, it’s basically James’s idea, and it’s such a nice thing to do for a friend. It sets the tone for his actions later in the story, including saving Snape’s life from Remus in his werewolf form, fighting against Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, trying to protect his family from the most powerful dark wizard the world had ever seen. Sirius would have done the same; I’m sure of it. He put his life on the line more than enough times, so it’s not the bravery that sets them apart.

For me, James deserves a higher spot because he’s a force of nature that attracts others to him. On the first day of school, Sirius asks the Sorting Hat to place him in Gryffindor after meeting James. He unites the group and helps form the Marauders to help Remus. They use his invisibility cloak to get up to mischief in the castle.

Overall, there’s nothing wrong with James Potter, but because his tragic murder is a catalyst for this whole story, we never get to see him in action, other than in flashbacks and the memories of others. James had a pretty mean streak at school, as evidenced by how he treated Severus Snape and potentially others. Those two things keep him out of the top spot on this list.