On April 14, HBO released a four-part documentary series titled The Dark Wizard. Although the title is not strictly speaking eponymous, it might as well be—for the latter part of his life, Dean Potter was the Dark Wizard.
Potter was known for many things: Big, bold risk-taking certainly comes to the fore when considering the full person. As with most interesting humans commanding our attention, there was something more to Potter. To those who knew him best, or were a few degrees separated from Potter’s inner circle, the buzz, when referring to Potter, often pivoted to his mercurial disposition.
I’d heard from a few friends over the years about run-ins with Potter that were heated and potentially volatile. My sense was that had these interactions occurred in a less public place, they may have come to blows. On the other hand, Potter’s persona, at least the publicly facing one, often projected a more singular human embracing soulfulness.
In short, Potter was a complex human. And these people often make the best subjects.
