What truly sets The Blacklist apart from other crime shows is its complex characters, particularly the antihero Raymond Reddington played by James Spader. The series is popular enough to have been renewed for a season 7, which will continue to explore the complex nature of Reddington and the majority of leading characters who are still around.
In order to celebrate and analyze their favorite characters, fans often like to sort them into the Hogwarts House they belong to from Harry Potter. While The Blacklist is an entirely different universe, its characters can be sorted by the defining traits of each Hogwarts House. Gryffindor values bravery, daring, nerve, and chivalry; Slytherin values ambition, cunning, and resourcefulness; Hufflepuff values hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, and fairness; Ravenclaw values intelligence, knowledge, creativity, and wit.
Let’s replace Reddington’s trademark fedora with the Sorting Hat as we explore 10 The Blacklist Characters Sorted Into Their Hogwarts Houses.
Raymond Reddington: Slytherin
Only a Slytherin as ambitious and clever as Raymond Reddington could hold so much of both the criminal underworld and the United States government in his pocket. Turning himself into the FBI, making a deal that secures his freedom, and forcing them to rely on him could be mistaken for Gryffindor nerve. However, this is outweighed by the often morally questionable lengths he’ll go for self-preservation and power.
With the exception of Elizabeth Keen, Reddington has proven that almost anyone is disposable, even those closest to him like Mr. Kaplan. While he cares deeply for Elizabeth, he has no problem deceiving her when he feels it’s justified. Whether at his most powerful with infinite resources or at his lowest points like when he was in prison or about to receive a lethal injection, Reddington is always resourceful and cunning enough to triumph.
Harold Cooper: Hufflepuff
Like a true Hufflepuff, Harold Cooper is defined by his loyalty. In countless instances, Cooper has risked his own powerful position in order to protect or save those in the task force, to which he is fully committed. Despite the fact that Raymond Reddington is rarely straightforward and often conceals information or his true agenda, Cooper is remarkably patient with him.
Cooper believes in fairness and goes above and beyond honoring the deal the FBI made with Reddington in the beginning of the series, even sticking out his neck to defend Reddington against members of the White House. All members of the task force know they can implicitly trust Cooper and can count on him.
Elizabeth Keen: Gryffindor
Like many Gryffindors, Elizabeth definitely has some Slytherin in her. She’s ambitious enough to become one of the FBI’s youngest criminal profilers, and also cunning and resourceful enough to initiate plans like placing Reddington in prison so she could sideline him and learn his true identity. Ultimately she’s more of a Gryffindor than Slytherin, though, as she’s cunning and resourceful enough to hatch a brilliant plan, but doesn’t think through all the details, which makes her more so brave and reckless, often causing her plans to implode.
This happened when she put Reddington into prison, which spiraled out of control and nearly led to lethal injection for him. The same thing happened when she kept Tom captive in season 2, which worked out for a while but eventually led to the death of a harbormaster and put Liz on trial for his murder. She does deserve positive recognition for her Gryffindor traits that helps her save other members of the task force and catch many formidable Blacklisters, not to mention the satisfaction of her brutally taking out the men who tried to take advantage of her while she was living in a cabin in the woods after Tom’s death.
Mr. Kaplan: Ravenclaw
Mr. Kaplan’s loyalty to Katarina Rostova and those close to her makes it seem like she’d be a Hufflepuff at heart, but she’s really more of a Ravenclaw. From nannying to disposing corpses and cleaning up murder scenes, Mr. Kaplan can learn any skill and become a master at it. She can pick up on how to become brilliant at a skill even without direct teaching or practice, as evidenced by how she exposed Reddington and practically destroyed his empire after he tried to kill her and left her for dead.
In order to do this, she was creative and smart enough to dig up countless corpses of Reddington’s unknown victims and hand them over to the FBI, which not only threatened Reddington but also made it nearly impossible for the task force to protect him. She also stole his bank accounts, which made him particularly impotent in the criminal underworld. Ravenclaws also place a great deal of value on pursuing truth, and so did Mr. Kaplan, as she ensured before her death that Elizabeth Keen would receive the bones and learn the truth about Reddington.
Tom Keen: Slytherin
Tom’s whole introduction as a character was built on cunning deception, convincing everyone he was one person while he was actually another person entirely. He could entrench himself into another identity entirely, fooling even an incredibly intuitive FBI criminal profiler like Elizabeth Keen. No matter the situation, Tom’s resourcefulness enabled him to always found a way to adapt, whether it was taking on a completely new identity or convincing others of his authenticity.
A true master of self-preservation, only a true Slytherin could pull off such feats. Even when Tom’s motivations shifted to protecting Liz and their child more than himself, he continued to cunningly deceive others, even fooling Raymond Reddington into thinking Liz had died in season 3.
Dembe Zuma: Hufflepuff
No one is as true a friend and ally to Raymond Reddington as Dembe Zuma. While countless other associates betrayed Reddington over the years, Dembe has stayed loyal and constantly stood by Reddington’s side through thick and thin. No matter the shenanigans Reddington gets up to, Dembe is always calm and patient with him.
He’s not just a mindless partner, though, as he’s not afraid to question Reddington and push him away from doing the wrong thing. Dembe is committed to moral fairness, working hard to help Reddington, while also keeping him in check. His driving force is his deep bond with Reddington, through which he embodies all his Hufflepuff traits.
Donald Ressler: Gryffindor
Never shy to run into a dangerous situation in order to catch a Blacklister, Donald Ressler certainly has the heart of a Gryffindor. Where others urge caution, Ressler bursts on the scene and into action without hesitation. He certainly doesn’t lack nerve and does whatever he thinks is right in order to bring criminals to justice. He views himself as an honorable man who stands by his values and those close to him, particularly those in the task force.
Doing what he believes is right and tackling it in a daring way supersedes his loyalty, though, as shown when he led the task force to hunt down Reddington and Liz when they were publicly labeled as criminals in season 3. He has lied to his superiors in order to protect those in the task force, which he feels is justified, but it also demonstrates another level of bravery and nerve.
Samar Navabi: Ravenclaw
Samar is loyal like the other members of the task force, yet she’s particularly driven by her search for justice and truth. Her time in the Mossad and FBI has made her a fount of knowledge with a vast skill-set. Her ability to think outside the box allows her to problem solve in a unique way.
The task force heavily relies on Samar for her Ravenclaw traits and her strength in these areas is definitely a significant part of why Aram falls so deeply in love with her. These traits also greatly contribute to why she falls in love with Aram, as she loves his own brand of creativity and savviness that complements her personality and forges a bond between them. Her impact as a Ravenclaw ran deep, making her departure all the more devastating for Aram and the rest of the task force.
Aram Mojtabai: Hufflepuff
It’s easy to assume that Aram is a Ravenclaw considering his immense knowledge as a strategic and tactical technician for the task force. From technological surveillance to an odd bit of trivia, Aram always seems to have a unique skill-set or fact up his sleeve that makes him an invaluable asset. Despite the knowledge needed for his many skills and factoids, such learning is not Aram’s primary drive.
He is primarily driven by his deep compassion and loyalty to others, which makes him more of a Hufflepuff. His entire relationship with the task force–Samar in particular–is evidence of that. For example, in the episode “Nicholas T. Moore” he knew the smart thing was to wait for the hostage rescue team, but he confronted the villagers before the team arrived anyway because he was desperate to find the captive Samar. Knowing he could be manipulated because of his compassionate and loyal nature, the hacker Elise/Janet managed to successfully take advantage of Aram’s Hufflepuff traits for a short time.
Cynthia Panabaker: Gryffindor
Cynthia Panabaker may not be one of The Blacklist’s most popular or well-known characters, but she is an important one and certainly a true Gryffindor. A U.S. Marshal and member of White House counsel, Panabaker was assigned to oversee the task force. With her predecessors Diane Fowler and Reven Wright both dying while occupying the position, Panabaker made it clear from the start she would not tolerate any deception.
She would watch Harold Cooper’s back and he would watch her’s, and that’s the way it was going to be. She has no qualms about demanding the truth from Cooper, no matter how sensitive the situation may be. At the end of season 6 her Gryffindor qualities shined again as she quickly ousted Anna McMahon and reasserted herself as overseeing the task force after learning of McMahon’s true nature.
