Why Cedric's Death in Harry Potter Left Fans Feeling... Meh
Fans believe that Cedric has been underutilised as a character.
Do you recall when you first saw Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? The entire world was captivated by this handsome young man who excelled at Quidditch. So when Peter Pettigrew brutally murdered him at the command of Lord Voldemort, people were genuinely shocked.
However, some feel that while fans appreciated his death's impact on Harry, they were somewhat disappointed with the portrayal of Cedric's death, arguing that it simply felt underwhelming because of how little screen time the character actually had.
Don't get us wrong, witnessing Cedric's unexpected demise after a movie filled with remarkable sportsmanship dealt a heavy emotional blow to fans. However, some believe that J. K. Rowling should have introduced the character much earlier, allowing people to form a connection with him and making his eventual death even more impactful. After all, Cedric was at Hogwarts at the same time as Harry, so it was surprising to many that he did not appear until the fourth book.
A fan commented, 'Cedric's death didn't really feel as emotional as it could have been and should have been. I think it would have done the story good if we had Cedric from the first book so that when his death came, we really felt it from growing a bond with the character.'
Nevertheless, other fans quickly defended Rowling's decision, arguing that Cedric's late introduction and early death served a different purpose. He was a minor character created to influence Harry, not to become his friend.
Another fan pointed out, 'The emotional part wasn't supposed to be his death, it was supposed to be Harry's trauma and the whole 'completely innocent incredibly decent kid murdered for being in the way' angle. I don't think you were supposed to get very attached to his character, that wasn't the point.'
In any case, some fans simply wished for Cedric to have been featured earlier in the movies for just one reason: they wanted to see Robert Pattinson portray Hufflepuff in more than just one film. As it were, many felt cheated that a big-ticket star was introduced into the franchise only for his character to be killed off a mere two hours later.
Source: Reddit.