What does 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore' reveal about the world-famous wizard?
The third installment of the Harry Potter prequel series certainly had a lot of questions to answer. Its predecessor, 2018's Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, ended with the shocking revelation that Obscurus, Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), was a member of the Dumbledore family. Credentials is recruited into the Dark Arts by the evil wizard Grindelwald; Johnny Depp originally took the role, but in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, he was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen.
The recasting was only part of the reason why The Secrets of Dumbledore had such a troubled production. JK Rowling's transphobic comments shadowed the project, and many felt that The Crimes of Grindelwald's romantic relationship between Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) could have been a great moment for LGBT representation in a blockbuster film. . The darker tone of the sequel also shocked many fans, and it seemed that the series was diverting attention from the initial "creature feature" as it ushered in Wizarding War. Thankfully, The Secrets of Dumbledore is a stronger film that provided some much-needed clarity after the confusing second film. Here's everything you need to know about the ending of Dumbledore's mystery; For those who haven't seen it yet, it contains full spoilers.
The big "mystery" about the Dumbledore family that the title promises is actually an explanation of the last film's cliffhanger. Albus confirms to Creedence early in the film that he is in fact a Dumbledore, debunking any rumors that Grindelwald lied to the young boy in order to involve him in his movement. It is explained that Credence is the illegitimate son of Albus' younger brother, Aberforth (Richard Coyle). His real name is Aurelius Dumbledore.
Aberforth's wife was murdered, and Aurelius was raised as an orphan under the name Credens. Albus encourages his brother to reach out to his son; Shrey sends a message to his father through the Mirror of Erised. Aberforth is reluctant to trust his brother, as he has always blamed Albus for his sister Ariana's death. Ariana is killed in a three-way duel between Grindelwald, Albus and Aberforth after Aberforth suspected her brother of her involvement in the dark arts.
However, Albus and Aberforth grow closer, and Aberforth eventually gets a chance to be reunited with Credence. Credence betrays Grindelwald to the assembly of the world's magicians in Bhutan, exposing his plot to rig the election of a new leader in his favor. Grindelwald had used his power and influence to avoid prison time, and he gathered even more followers who supported his campaign. Grindelwald was close to a position of power, but Credence revealed that he used necromancy to rig the Walk of the Killin ceremony that decided the new leader.
Albus and Aberforth are joined by Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) and their allies to rescue Credence in Bhutan and fight Grindelwald's army. Although Credence was mortally wounded at the end of the battle, Aberforth accepted her, and they departed together. Albus and Aberforth show mutual respect for each other, paving the way for Aberforth's role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. An old Aberforth (Ciarin Hinds) serves as the bartender at Hog's head, and secretly helps Harry and his friends at Hogwarts.
It's not just the credentials that deceive Grindelwald. One of the most controversial plot developments in The Crimes of Grindelwald was Queen Goldstein's (Alison Sudol) pledge to the Fascist movement of Grindelwald. Queenie secretly spies on Grindelwald and gives him false information. The film ends with Queenie being reunited with her boyfriend, Jacob. They married during the last scene; This gives Newt a chance to be reunited with Queenie's sister, Tina.
Queenie and Jacobs' wedding is a happy moment for the characters after their victory, but Albus is forced to watch from afar. He is dealing with his own heartbreak. During the fighting in Bhutan, Albus was freed from his blood pact with Grindelwald. When the two magicians were young, they swore to each other a romantic vow that would prevent them from ever harming each other. This put a barrier between them, which prevented Albus from going directly against Grindelwald.
However, Grindelwald attempts to kill Albus, which breaks the mutual spell, allowing Albus to defend himself. They duel briefly, but Grindelwald learns that his forces are outnumbered. He fled to Bhutan, swearing that his fascist movement was not over. Dumbledore takes care of his duties; He even denies the leadership role that was briefly presented to him during the Walk of the Killing ceremony. Although he becomes close with Jacob during the adventure, Albus stays outside his friend's bakery during the wedding. He walks down a cold road, paralleling the opening moments of the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
The Fantastic Beasts series still has a way to go before it even reaches the Harry Potter timeline. We know from the Harry Potter films that Grindelwald is eventually captured, but the characters Newt, Tina, Queen and Jacob do not appear in that series. The fate of Credence has also been left unclear; When he was dying after the war, he didn't perish on screen. The saga is set to continue with two more installments currently in development. David Yates has already been signed on to direct the next two sequels.