HBO’s new Harry Potter trailer is getting plenty of attention for confirming the series will premiere this Christmas on HBO Max, but it’s the first look at Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape that has really sent social media into overdrive.
Fans on X have been lighting up the platform with backlash, memes, and AI videos, turning Snape into one of the biggest talking points from the teaser.
First look at Snape sets off reaction online
The trailer offers the first look at Essiedu as Snape, and that reveal immediately became a viral flashpoint on X.
One reaction post has already pulled in more than 4 million views, showing just how fast the conversation has spread. From there, quote posts, memes, and replies took over, with fans debating the casting of HBO’s version of the character.
A lot of the higher-engagement reactions focused on the same point: fans saying the look does not match how Snape is described in the books or how the character became known through Alan Rickman’s iconic portrayal in the films.
Fans question HBO’s “faithful adaptation” promise
A big part of the backlash centers on HBO and Warner Bros. promoting the new series as a more faithful adaptation of the books.
That’s why many fans are zeroing in on Snape. Critics on X argue the casting choice clashes with the character’s original description and undercuts the idea that this reboot is sticking closer to the source material.
Others pointed to old illustrations and book descriptions while saying the new version of Snape feels like a major departure.
Alan Rickman comparisons are also everywhere, with fans saying HBO had no chance of avoiding them given how closely Rickman is tied to the character.
‘Black Snape’ memes and AI videos go viral
The backlash has not stayed limited to casting complaints.
Fans are now flooding X with “Black Snape” memes, joke edits, and AI videos, many of them riffing on how certain Harry Potter storylines and character dynamics now land differently.
Some of the viral jokes focus on James Potter’s bullying “the only black kid,” reframing as racism, or “Harry Potter and the Court Order.”
There are also meme posts comparing the new Snape to other actors fans think would have been a better fit, with Adam Driver coming up repeatedly in viral replies.
That has helped push the discourse beyond standard fan criticism and into full-blown internet meme territory.
HBO’s Snape casting is already dividing the fandom
The Harry Potter reboot was always going to face intense scrutiny, but the Snape reveal has now made that impossible to ignore.
For some fans, Essiedu’s casting is the latest sign HBO is not delivering the faithful adaptation it promised. For others, the outrage is overblown and the online reaction says more about fandom than the show itself.
Either way, HBO’s first Harry Potter trailer has done more than reveal a release date. It has sparked one of the first major culture war-style flashpoints around the reboot, and the “Black Snape” memes are only making it bigger.
