Warning: This restricted section contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald! Steer clear if you haven't yet experienced that film's particular magic.
The Fantastic Beasts series was initially wrapped in the guise of a spinoff story set in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World and for most of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them it was just that. Yet after Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald apparated into theaters this weekend, it is clear that this series is firmly in prequel territory, setting up a lot of the characters, relationships and mythology that will influence the Wizarding World decades later when the Dark Lord marks a child named Harry Potter as his equal.
With Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, J.K. Rowling wove an intricate web of intersecting histories and dense mythologies that kept even the most die hard of Potterheads on their toes. Not to mention that absolute doozy of an ending that challenged everything we thought we knew and had everyone saying, 'Wait, what?' right as the credits began to roll.
Needless to say, The Crimes of Grindelwald gave us a lot to puzzle over and unfortunately, the owl carrying my Hogwarts letter got lost and thus I cannot cast 'Revelio' to get answers now. So, with Fantastic Beasts 3 still two years away, let's take a look at the seven biggest questions we have after Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Was Grindelwald Lying?
The most shocking moment in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald came at the very end when Johnny Depp's Gellert Grindelwald told Credence (Ezra Miller) that he is really Aurelius Dumbledore. More than that, the phoenix seemed to confirm that Grindelwald was being truthful. However, Grindelwald is a bad guy and it seems possible that he was lying to manipulate Credence into using his powers as an Obscurial to fight for him and his cause, especially against Dumbledore, whom he cannot fight directly.
Some are suggesting that Credence is not a Dumbledore, but that the Obscurus attached to him is actually that of Ariana Dumbledore, which would track with what we know about her, and that is the kind of thing Grindelwald might use. But as was the case with Kylo Ren telling Rey her parent's were nobodies, we have a while to wait to see if Grindelwald was lying.
Why Was Credence On That Ship?
If Grindelwald was being truthful and Credence is in fact the fourth, and previously unheard of, Dumbledore sibling, then why he was on that ship (the Titanic?) along with Leta and Corvus Lestrange Jr.? Escape, concealment and opportunity all seem like possible reasons. According to the script, Credence was with his "Aunt," but that is far from definitive. An aunt could be: an actual relative; a liar; someone using Polyjuice Potion, or; someone controlled under the Imperius Curse.
So who was with Credence, and why was he taken to America? Was this method of travel used as opposed to magical means to avoid detection? Could this have been a situation where he was being hidden a la Harry Potter for some unknown reason? Either way, in this world, it seems likely that Aurelius was on that ship for a very specific reason and perhaps part of a much larger game.
Does Dumbledore Know About Credence?
If there's one thing we know about Dumbledore, it is that he always plays his cards close to the vest, withholding vital information until he deems fit to share it. That said, Dumbledore gave no indication that he knew Credence's true lineage and you've got to think that if he had known, he would have gotten involved more directly to bring Aurelius in, as such a move shouldn't have been prevented by the Blood Pact.
The previously established timelines (if they are followed) regarding Dumbledore parents, Percival and Kendra, make it unlikely that those two conceived Aurelius together. Percival Dumbledore could have conceived Aurelius with someone else while he was locked up in Azkaban, which would partly explain how Albus wouldn't know about him. After what happened to Ariana, if Dumbledore doesn't know about Aurelius, this knowledge will be a powerful weapon Grindelwald can use against him.
How Will Jacob React To The Loss Of Queenie?
Although the fallout between Jacob Kowalski and Queenie Goldstein is one of the more rushed and underdeveloped threads in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, I expect it to have a major impact on Dan Fogler's character in the next film. Jacob was helpless to stop Queenie from going over to Grindelwald's side and the heartbroken muggle will likely be highly motivated to get her back.
I imagine love will conquer all by the end of the series, but things could get awfully dicey before then. With Queenie firmly aligned with Grindelwald, Jacob might do something reckless like going after Grindelwald himself and/or pursuing means to defeat the dark wizard and rescue his wayward love. The lovable baker may even become a liability for the good guys as his love for Queenie will make him wary of any direct assault on Grindelwald and his followers, for fear that she will be harmed.
How Will The Blood Pact Be Broken?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince introduced the Unbreakable Vow into the Wizarding World mythos; a magically binding promise that, if broken, kills the wizard who broke it. The Crimes of Grindelwald introduced a new type of magical covenant, the Blood Pact. Dumbledore and Grindelwald made a Blood Pact not to fight each other and that pact is preserved in a magical object.
We know that Dumbledore and Grindelwald engage in an epic duel in 1945 so obviously this Blood Pact is nullified or circumvented, and now the question is how. Thanks to some opportune greed on the part of Newt's Niffler, Dumbledore now has the Blood Pact pendant and can work to destroy it. I expect this to be one of the main story threads of the next film, as the threat posed by Grindelwald will increase to the point that the only one who can stop him is Dumbledore.
What's Next For Nagini?
We didn't get to learn a lot about Nagini in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, other than the fact that she has had a rough life and being a Maledictus is a terrible fate. It was quite interesting though that, despite spending the majority of the movie by Credence's side, Nagini did not walk through the fire with him to stand with Grindelwald. Instead, at the end of the film we saw her at Hogwarts, aligned with the forces of good.
We know that Nagini will eventually permanently transform into a snake and be one of Voldemort's most faithful servants, but she is a long way off from that at this point. It will be interesting to see what role Nagini plays in the rest of this series and how she goes from rebuffing a Dark Lord to being a soul-holster for one.
What Happened Between Newt And Leta?
The first Fantastic Beasts teased that Newt Scamander had a close relationship with Leta Lestrange and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald gave us some of the backstory of these two outcasts, but not all of it. Namely, we never learned exactly what happened between Newt and Leta and how she went from carving his and her initials into a desk to getting engaged to his brother, Theseus.
We saw how close Newt and Leta were at Hogwarts, so we need to know how they were driven apart. Before Leta died, she said "I love you," and the framing was such that she could have been talking to either of the Scamander brothers, or perhaps both. Zoe Kravitz once seemed to indicate that she would be in multiple Fantastic Beasts films, so if her character isn't still alive somehow, perhaps we'll get more flashbacks that answer some of these questions.
