Alex Honnold says HBO’s “The Dark Wizard” casts him as the villain, while calling the series “amazing” and honoring Dean Potter’s legacy.
A world-famous free soloist is pushing back. not with silence but with a candid take that is turning heads ahead of HBO’s “The Dark Wizard.” In a recent episode of his podcast. Alex Honnold said he was “cast as the villain” in the four-part docuseries. an angle he found both surprising and slightly annoying.
Misryoum notes that “The Dark Wizard” centers on Dean Potter. an extreme climber and BASE jumper whose reputation was built in places like Yosemite National Park.. The series traces Potter’s rise, his risky signature moves, and the reputation he left behind after his death in 2015.. In the third episode. directors Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen examine the rivalry between Potter and Honnold. which grew as both men chased major climbing goals in Yosemite Valley.
Insight: Rivalry makes for gripping storytelling, but when it involves real-life athletes who shared the same risk-filled space, the “villain” framing can reshape how audiences remember their motivations.
According to Honnold, his relationship with Potter was never a simple script.. He described mixed feelings about Potter’s reaction when Honnold began pushing into projects Potter had long eyed. highlighting how competition can look personal even when both athletes are simply pursuing what they love most.. He also addressed the heightened tension that followed. including a period when Honnold tackled major accomplishments that Potter had been associated with.
By 2012. Honnold said his climbing output overlapped heavily with the achievements Potter wanted. describing it as a year that effectively covered much of Potter’s ambition.. Yet Honnold positioned his efforts less as an attempt to “one-up” a hero and more as a focused push to complete as many Yosemite projects as possible during that stretch.
Insight: When legends meet, timing can turn into mythology. Viewers may see a feud, while the athletes may describe a sequence driven by momentum, opportunity, and the relentless calendar of big climbs.
In his podcast remarks, Honnold also softened the tone in places that matter to fans.. He called Potter a “childhood hero” and pointed to an alleged “kumbaya moment” at a film festival before Potter’s death. suggesting that admiration and rivalry could coexist.. Even so, Honnold’s comments still carry a trace of the competitive edge the series leans on.
Still, Honnold’s response wasn’t only about the label. Misryoum reported that he praised “The Dark Wizard” as “amazing,” saying it helps preserve Potter’s legacy and ensures new climbers are not left only with modern headlines and forgotten names.
Insight: In a sport where stories are often passed through word of mouth and footage, docuseries like this can decide which figures stay in the cultural memory, and how younger audiences interpret the past.