This essay explores the ways in which portals in fantasy literature are able to transform characters. Portals are popular tropes in fantasy literature, and their role in transporting characters between the “real” world and the fantasy world in the text suggests a transformative aspect for the characters who use them. The essay focuses on three texts and their respective portals: the Harry Potter Series and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the rabbit hole, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the wardrobe. A common element in the portals of these three texts is that they do not just have a function of transporting the protagonists into the fantasy world. The rabbit hole, the wardrobe and Platform Nine and Three-Quarters all present an initial challenge to the protagonists. This essay will argue that this function of the three portals as an initial barrier to the protagonists facilitates these protagonists’ personal transformation. Overcoming the challenge presented by the portals in these three texts imbue the protagonists with important changes in their character that are essential for engaging with the fantasy world. Portals that function as initial barriers essentially prepare the protagonists for their engagement with the fantastic. In Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice transforms to a character who values rationality, which is important in engaging with the absurd world of Wonderland. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the wardrobe demands courage from the Pevensie siblings, which is a necessary attribute for fulfilling their roles as saviours of Narnia. In the Harry Potter Series, Platform Nine and Three Quarters challenges Harry to pursue knowledge and develop curiosity, which is a perspective essential for all the learning he will engage in Hogwarts and necessary towards solving the various mysteries surrounding his identity, family and destiny