Could Harry Potter be the next victim of Mark Mylod after Pedro Pascal, Ralph Fiennes, and Ian McShane?

It has only been a week since HBO revealed the initial cast for their upcoming Harry Potter show and I’m already feeling drained. As someone who, along with many millennials, grew up immersing myself in JK Rowling’s magical universe only to be let down by her controversial actions later on, I can’t help but wish that this new show wasn’t happening. The original Harry Potter films with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint are still adored by fans worldwide. The books continue to be bestsellers, and Butterbeer is still a popular drink at Universal Studios. It seems like there’s no real need for a reboot other than pure greed from the corporate side.

Then again, could there possibly be a fresh, innovative approach to the Harry Potter TV series that we haven’t considered yet? What if HBO has enlisted Mark Mylod to direct the show because of his unique vision?

What if Mark Mylod is going to kill Harry Potter?

Let’s pause for a moment so I can elaborate on my point here. When I hear the name Mark Mylod, the first show that pops into my mind is HBO’s “Succession.” This series catapulted Mylod’s career to new heights, earning him an Emmy for the episode titled “Connor’s Wedding.” This particular episode is not only considered one of the finest from “Succession” but also in television history. The shocking demise of Logan Roy (played by Brian Cox) in the middle of the season left viewers stunned, depicting the stages of grief from initial shock to eventual sorrow.

Last night, Mark Mylod did again. He directed The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 2. Besides featuring an incredibly well-directed siege battle, full of pyrotechnics, prosthetics, and onscreen magic, the episode also featured the shockingly early, out-of-nowhere death of series star Pedro Pascal. Joel is tortured to death by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), transforming the season’s focus in one fell swoop.

Mark Mylod is a director who is just really good at killing characters. In his recent feature film The Menu, he showed us what people look like dying as human s’mores. During his run on Game of Thrones, he introduced and slaughtered Ian McShane in the space of a single episode, gave Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) her twisted revenge on Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), and spawned memes with Olenna Tyrell’s (Diana Rigg) bitching farewell. The man can kill.

All of which is to say is Mark Mylod is HBO’s go-to guy when the network wants to kill a major character off in a way that will throw the audience into absolute tumult. Like, total meltdown mode.

So if Mark Mylod has been attached already to Harry Potter, who is he going to off? My money is on Harry Potter himself.

As someone who likes to think of all book adaptations as narratives that take place in alternate universes to what’s on the page, I intellectually dig the idea of exploring a Wizarding World where the “Boy Who Lived” actually died. What would the repercussions be? Would we see Voldemort triumphant? Or would it be Neville Longbottom who would slide into the role of hero? What if Harry doesn’t die as an infant, but during his first day at Hogwarts? Could Hermione Granger take over as series protagonist? She’s definitely always been smart enough to save the world. Suddenly there is opportunity for this show to say something new about the series that simply wasn’t there before!

Okay, of course, I know there is no way this is going to happen. Harry Potter is not going to die. This show is going forward. I will most likely watch and cover it, because watching and covering television is my job. (Also I’m morbidly curious about how this is all going to play out.)

However, for a split second last night, realizing that once again Mark Mylod had devastated an entire fan base by killing a lead character just when you’d least expect it…I wondered, “What’s he going to do to Harry Potter?”