Which Maggie Smith Character Has More Spunk? Minerva McGonagall or Violet Crawley?

Dame Maggie Smith has had several iconic roles throughout the years, but two roles stand out more in terms of spunk. Minerva McGonagall of Harry Potter and Violet Crawley of Downton Abbey are the two characters that have become the best-known roles of Maggie Smith. When comparing the two characters in spunk, we will relate that to their sass and overall nerve. Where Minerva teaches and guides in helping her students grow, Violet plays more of an authority figure in making sure the family legacy remains intact and that members of the family don’t stray from the path. Maggie Smith has played these characters with great skill and admiration, but which one has more spunk?

Let’s break down these character traits by starting off with Minerva McGonagall. In contrast to Violet, she is a professor and is not an extremely heavy main character. She also has an action fantasy role, and we don’t see anything about her family. Let’s now take a look at Violet Crawley’s character, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. This character oozes high class and fanciness. Unlike Minerva, Violet plays a major role in the Downton Abbey series, which is a drama – not action. While Harry Potter takes place closer to the present-day, Downton Abbey is a period piece in which balls are thrown, and women have suitors.

Now that we have evaluated the basic information on the Maggie Smith characters in question, we can now evaluate what makes them spunky. First, let’s take a look at the sass of Minerva McGonagall. Minerva did once say in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, “Potter, take Weasley with you; he looks far too happy over there.” When it comes to sass, Minerva has plenty to spare. She is constantly handy with witty remarks when it comes to the trio and their antics. This is a motherly character whose main goal is to protect her students but never forgets to remind them of their dumb luck. We can also remember the moment in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 when she fusses at Filch for yelling about the students being out of bed. Minerva McGonagall has plenty of sass, and it truly shows.

Now, let’s see how sassy Violet Crawley can be. Violet Crawley definitely has the one-liners such as, “don’t be defeatist dear, it’s very middle class.” This character is truly known for her sass. She is the authority figure of the family and definitely knows it. This character never fails to deliver a witty remark and remind those around her that she knows best. Even without words, she oozes sass with her facial expressions and the wiggle of her cane. Once, upon being told she must hate to be wrong, she said, “I wouldn’t know; I’m not familiar with the sensation.” Her sass is well known and never goes undetected.

We have evaluated their sassiest moments, so let us now take a look at their nerve – starting with Minerva. This character reigns supreme in terms of nerve. She is more than willing to throw herself into battle to do what is right and fight against team evil. A good example of Minerva’s nerve is in Deathly Hallows – Part 2 when she throws herself between Severus Snape and Harry Potter. She is also the one to fight the hardest against Harry competing in the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter Goblet of Fire. When it comes to courage and nerve, this character has it tenfold.

Violet Crawley is not to be underestimated in nerve. She may not have a nerve in terms of putting herself in harm’s way, but she definitely has the nerve to say what she feels. She is never afraid of what others will think of her remarks and will do what is necessary to protect her family’s dynasty and reputation. A good example of this is her breaking social conduct to tell Matthew that Mary is still in love with him. She does this in order to protect Mary’s heart and secure her future. This is a woman that will do what is necessary to protect her family.

Now comes the final decision of which character, Minerva McGonagall or Violet Crawley, has more spunk. In the evaluation of the facts before us, the winner is difficult to choose. If we regard spunk in terms of pure sass, then Violet would be a clear winner with her multiple one-liners and domineering stature. If we regard spunk in terms of courage and nerve, then Minerva would come closer to a clear win with her willingness to stand up for what she believes in. This is a decision that relies on how you determine “spunk.” No matter who comes out as the winner, we can say with absolute certainty that these characters would not be half as memorable without Dame Maggie Smith portraying these roles. Now that we have given supporting factors for Minerva and Violet and you have seen what we have to say, which character do you think has more spunk?