Vladimir Propp's Character theory

1. The Hero – a character that seeks something
2. The Villain – who opposes or actively blocks the hero’s quest
3. The Donor – who provides an object with magical properties
4. The Dispatcher – who sends the hero on his/her quest via a message
5.  The False Hero – who disrupts the hero’s success by making false claims
6.  The Helper – who aids the hero
7.  The Princess – acts as the reward for the hero and the object of the villain’s plots
8.  Her Father – who acts to reward the hero for his effort

Vladimir Propp came up with his character theory when he was a Russian critic in the 1920's. He mainly looked at the narrative of folk tales, and noticed that the same characters came up again and again.

This can be applied to modern films even if not all of the characters are easily distinguishable.

Such as the Harry Potter franchise.

The Hero - Harry Potter

The Villain - Voldemort

The Donor - Albus Dumbledore

The Dispatcher - Albus Dumbledore

The False hero - Severus Snape

The Helper - Ron Weasley / Hermione Granger

The Princess - Ginny Weasley