It’s been a long time away from the Wizarding World, but in less than a year, we’ll finally have more to talk about regarding the franchise when the next Fantastic Beasts movie comes to theaters next April. As revealed last week, we have an official title for Fantastic Beasts 3, and it will be called Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Perhaps mirroring the previous Crimes of Grindelwald, which introduced audiences to the dark wizard, this time around, we might learn more about Jude Law’s Albus Dumbledore. Going into the film, there’s a few secrets about him we’re curious to learn about.
Now there’s more than a few secrets about Dumbledore we’d like to know, and with that in mind, it may not be in the best interest of the third Fantastic Beasts movie to outright spill them all in the 2022 release. Though before the spinoff franchise ends, we do hope to know them and understand Albus a bit better, because these movies are a great opportunity to get to know the man who would later be the headmaster of Hogwarts and an important figure in Harry Potter’s life. Here’s what news to be answered:
Does Dumbledore Really Have A Long Lost Brother?
Of many major cliffhangers at the end of Crimes of Grindelwald, one particularly stuck out. Johnny Depp’s Grindelwald revealed to Ezra Miller’s Credence Barebone that he is the long-lost brother of Dumbledore, Aurelius Dumbledore. It was a controversial reveal because no fan had ever heard of this name, and it messes with some aspects of the Wizarding World timeline. An important distinction that we’d need to learn sooner rather than later is whether Grindelwald was speaking the truth and Dumbledore does in fact have another brother in Credence, or if the villain is manipulating Credence with the reveal and the original timeline remains intact.
There’s already been some other inconsistencies in terms of the Fantastic Beasts timeline conflicting with the original one, so it’s possible it could very well turn out to be true. Credence is an Obscurial, making him incredibly dangerous, and perhaps a child that could have been cast out of the Dumbledore family. We’re really curious how this potential secret plays out.
Was There A Romantic Relationship Between Dumbledore And Grindelwald?
Back in 2007, J.K. Rowling proclaimed that Dumbledore is gay, and during this Fantastic Beasts era, she has shared that he and Grindelwald had a “passionate” “love relationship.” It may have been somewhat hinted at in Crimes of Grindelwald when Dumbledore sees Grindelwald in the Mirror of Erised. However, so far the true nature of their relationship has not been revealed on screen, and it’s unclear how the franchise will actually handle this information.
Seeing a same sex couple in a movie as big as Fantastic Beasts could be huge, but following J.K. Rowling’s viral comments specifically about the transgender community, there’s not exactly confidence from the larger LGBTQ+ community that it will be told with care. Secrets of Dumbledore will need to forward the story of the two characters now at the core of the Fantastic Beasts movies, and how it unfolds will be a large part of the ongoing conversation.
What Will Be The Breaking Point In Dumbledore’s Bloodpact?
As fans of Harry Potter lore know, the Fantastic Beasts movie is heading toward Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s infamous duel, which took place in 1945. However, in Crimes of Grindelwald,we learned that the pair of wizards knew each other as kids and decided to make a magical bloodpact in order to prevent them from being able to harm the other, which was contained in a pendant. At the end of Crimes of Grindelwald, the pendant was stolen from Grindelwald by one of Newt’s nifflers and brought to Dumbledore in the year 1927.
At this time, it’s unclear whether Dumbledore can destroy the bloodpact pendant, but given Grindelwald is creating an evil army, he will allegedly try. Though Dumbledore also has Newt and his friends, who may be able to fight for him before they end up having their duel in 1945. We’d imagine something specific will happen that will truly put them in direct odds, but we don’t know what that will be.
Is There More To Dumbledore’s Interest In Newt Scamander?
As we learned in Crimes of Grindelwald, Dumbledore was Newt’s Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor when he was attending Hogwarts. As a student, Newt was expelled for mysterious reasons, though Dumbledore apparently protested the decision. In the present day of the franchise, Dumbledore is seeking Newt’s help as a war grows. One has to wonder how Eddie Redmayne’s character will develop as the story continues, and if perhaps there’s more to their relationship and Dumbledore’s interest in him than we’ve seen thus far.
As we know from the Harry Potter franchise, Dumbledore is very receptive to his students and has an intuition about people. Will this happen for a specific reason in the Fantastic Beasts series? Are there more secrets about their past to be revealed? We’ll have to wait and see.
Will Dumbledore Finding Tom Riddle Be Connected To Fantastic Beasts?
Lastly, we’re curious about a secret of Dumbledore that he won’t deal with until much further in the future. Dumbledore comes to visit Tom Riddle in his orphanage when he is a young boy, likely not far away from the timeline Fantastic Beasts is in now, considering Tom was born in 1926 and The Secrets of Dumbledore will take place a few years after the events of Crimes of Grindelwald, which was in 1927.
Will this in turn connect to the upcoming film? Could a young Voldemort have a greater purpose in the Fantastic Beasts storyline. That could be an interesting way to tie back into the Harry Potter movies and build upon the Dark Lord’s backstory if so! There’s definitely a lot of questions here that we’d like answered ahead of the next movie hitting theaters on April 15, 2022. Until then, check out what movies are coming out in the final act of 2021 here on CinemaBlend.
