Seven Characters the “Fantastic Beasts” Films Need to Develop
SPOILERS AHEAD: PROCEED WITH CAUTION
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the latest installment in the wizarding world, was released last week. There have been mixed reactions to this film, one of which is the rather large number of characters in it. Here are seven characters I hope the filmmakers develop in the future.
1. Credence
The reveal at the end of the film that Credence is actually Dumbledore’s secret brother shocked me. There was no hint of this in any of the Harry Potter books. Of course, just because Grindelwald said they’re related, it doesn’t actually mean that they are. Still, this ending left a lot of questions unanswered about Credence: Is he really a Dumbledore? If he is, then why didn’t Rita Skeeter find this out when she examined his life more thoroughly? If Grindelwald is lying, who is he really? We know that he doesn’t kill Dumbledore, but what does he do for Grindelwald?
2. Dumbledore
We knew from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s history was complicated, and Crimes of Grindelwald added more to their backstory with the blood pact. This is new information that adds another layer to their complicated relationship. When did they do this? Was it before or after Ariana’s death? How does it work it? How different is it from the Unbreakable Vow? Also, the Deathly Hallows haven’t been mentioned so far, but they played a large part in the formation of their friendship. Will the later movies come back to this and go more in depth than what we know from the Potter series?
3. Theseus
Theseus is one of my favorite new characters, and there’s so much room for him to develop and grow in the upcoming films. Now that Leta is dead, will he go back to work at the Ministry or work with Newt in bringing Grindelwald down? Will his role in the Fantastic Beasts films expand now that he has a personal reason to go after Grindelwald? How will his history as a war hero and valued Ministry employee influence his decisions?
4. Queenie
Proving the suspicions of many correct, Queenie was persuaded by Grindelwald’s rhetoric and joined his cause. Now that she has joined him and left Newt, Tina, and Jacob behind, will she continue down this dark path or go back to her friends? If she does stay with Grindelwald, will her influence and abilities change anything for him?
5. Grindelwald
Not much is known of Grindelwald. We know that he will continue his reign of terror for many years before being defeated by Dumbledore in 1945, but what exactly does he do between 1927 (when Crimes of Grindelwald takes place) and 1945? What happened to him in the past to make him believe that wizards are that much better than Muggles? Fortunately, there are three more movies to go, so hopefully, a lot more of his backstory will be revealed.
6. Nagini
The reveal that Nagini is actually a woman who has a Maledictus curse was a huge spoiler in the trailer, but she wasn’t as prominent in the movies as I thought. Hopefully, the next movie reveals more about the curse, her relationship with Credence, and how she goes from fighting against Grindelwald to fighting at Voldemort’s side.
7. McGonagall
Having McGonagall as an adult in Crimes of Grindelwald has led to a lot of debate within the fandom because, in Harry Potter canon, McGonagall wouldn’t have been born yet. Although she didn’t have a particularly large role in the film, there’s potential to include her going forward. If she is in the upcoming movies, I wonder how much of her history will change and what role she plays in taking down Grindelwald.
Have you seen the movie yet? What did you think? Are there any other questions you have about it?
