Massive spoilers ahead for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Turn away if you haven't seen it!
David Yates' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise recently returned to theaters with The Crimes of Grindelwald, telling a story decidedly more dark and connected to the world of Hogwarts. Johnny Depp's Grindelwald was a terrifying force in the movie, and gained a ton of power during the film's third act. He was able to get a ton of followers for his campaign against muggles, including one of the main characters.
Alison Sudol's Queenie was a quirky supporting character in the first movie, but had a rough go in The Crimes of Grindelwald. After being shamed for her psychic abilities and a breakup with Jacob, Queenie walks through Grindelwald's fire and joins his army. Sudol recently spoke to her original confusion for this choice, saying:
It took a long time in my imagination to even begin to understand. And throughout the course of the film, to just begin to reconcile who she was in the beginning with the choices that she makes and realize she isn't a different person she's just abandoned in a really untenable circumstance.
Per her conversation with EW, it looks like Alison Sudol was just as confused as the fans when Queenie left her no-maj lover and joined Grindelwald's forces. While seemingly ignorant of the insidious nature of the dark wizard, it's clear that Queenie and her sister Tina are going to be on different sides when a threequel eventually arrives in theaters.
While Queenie was originally introduced as a quirky and sultry witch, her psychic abilities plagued her more than audiences were originally privy to. It seems reading minds has always made her an outcast, and can overwhelm Queenie in moments of emotional distress. We saw this in Crimes of Grindelwald, where she was incapacitated by the thoughts of others after she and Jacob have an argument.
It's this outsider identity that Grindelwald was able to tap into, and convince Queenie to leave the Ministry and her family for another cause. Johnny Depp's villain also used terrifying images of World War II to scare the Wizarding Community, convincing others to join his cause. It's currently unclear how much Grindelwald was targeting Queenie specifically, but her psychic abilities will no doubt be of interest in Fantastic Beasts 3.
In many ways, The Crimes of Grindelwald provided a ton of exposition and set up for the next three movies. The film's heroes barely had any contact with the titular villain, and Jude Law's Dumbledore remained largely on the sidelines. And given the shocking news about Credence's parentage, it's clear that J.K. Rowling has big plans for the next set of films.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is in theaters now. Be sure to check our 2019 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
