Universes Beyond is the massively successful Magic line themed around various licensed properties, like Final Fantasy and Lord of the Rings. With its popularity, densely packed fictional world, and focus on magic, Harry Potter seems like an obvious candidate for a Universes Beyond set, especially with Wizards of the Coast’s owner Hasbro landing that license. And it’s entirely possible that a Potter Magic set could eventually come out; nothing in the Reddit post says it’ll never happen, and it still would’ve been factually accurate when it was posted even if plans for a Potter set started rolling later this afternoon. (Also, companies lie.) But the fact that this Reddit post can be viewed as Wizards publicly distancing itself from Rowling speaks a Potter-sized volume about the shifting public perception of the author and her work.
The reason, if you somehow haven’t been paying attention, is Rowling’s vocal and financial transphobia. The sometime billionaire is a prominent figure in the anti-trans movement, donating to a group whose lawsuit resulted in the U.K. Supreme Court decision that trans women aren’t covered by the country’s legal definition of women. With her Potter fortune, she funds the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund, which bankrolls lawsuits “fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces” in hopes of “[making] legal precedents [and] [forcing] policy change”—like her support of that earlier lawsuit did. And since her fortune is directly (and pretty much exclusively) driven by Harry Potter and its various licensing deals, that means any money made by Potter products funds efforts to discriminate against trans people.
That hasn’t slowed down the Potter merchandise machine to any notable extent, as seen by Hasbro’s new deal. But it’s definitely hurt Rowling’s reputation and the perception of Potter among supporters of trans rights and anybody who thinks it’s shitty to legally discriminate against others (and to then post smug photos celebrating that fact). It’s possible that somebody at Wizards of the Coast realized the reputational hit that comes in certain quarters when aligning with Rowling today, and wanted it known that there aren’t currently any plans to bring Potter into Magic: The Gathering. It’s possible that the company just didn’t want rumors to spread about a product that’s not currently on the schedule. But Rowling’s own actions and statements have made her and her work toxic to an increasing number of people, and it wouldn’t be surprising if that makes some companies leery of working with her.
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