Yes, there are going to four more installments, but we have so many questions in the meantime, and oh, so many theories.
1. How did Grindelwald become Graves?
Graves had evidently been at MACUSA (Magical Congress of United States of America) for quite awhile, after all, the aurors and President Piquery seemed to have a close relationship with him, as though they had known him for awhile. The question remains, was Graves a person that Grindelwald created to get into MACUSA, and used magic to convince everyone of it, or did Grindelwald know of Graves and his rank, and therefore used Polyjuice Potion to become him? Because if Polyjuice potion was used, then Graves’ body must be somewhere. (Remember what Barty Crouch Jr. did to Mad Eye Moody.) The Polyjuice potion seems much more likely to have happened, because it follows a similar plot line to something Rowling has done before, and would be easier. So then, if Graves is a real auror, will he be back in the next movies?
2. At the end of the movie, Grindelwald is taken into custody, but we know he doesn’t stay there forever. How does he escape?
Firstly, this movie takes place in 1926, one year before Newt’s book is published in 1927. But we also know, according to Dumbledore’s Chocolate Frog Collectible Card (mentioned in the Sorcerer’s Stone when Harry meets Ron) that Dumbledore is “particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945.” So if I’m doing my math correctly, Grindelwald reigns on for 19 more years before his defeat. It’s crucial to note that Dumbledore won the Elder wand from Grindelwald at some point hereafter, because in the movie Grindelwald did not appear to have it. However, we know that Grindelwald won the Elder Wand from Gregorvitch, the wand maker, who had bragged about owning the wand. Also crucial to note is that Grindelwald never wanted to seize control of Britain because of a fear of Dumbledore, who he knew could defeat him. But, Grindelwald did create Nurmengard, the prison for wizards who objected to his reign. After the duel with Dumbledore, Grindelwald rotted away in Nurmengard until Voldemort came to him, looking for the Elder Wand. Grindelwald didn’t tell Voldemort, and was therefore killed. Dumbledore thought of this as his source of repentance for all the cruel things he had done.
I’m really really hoping that the next four movies focus on this, as the connection to Harry and his friends would become even more profound and obvious.
3. What about Leta Lestrange?
We know from the Harry Potter series that the Lestrange family means a long line of dark magic, but was Leta evil? Before we go any further, let’s remember that Bellatrix Lestrange was originally a Black before she married Rodolphus Lestrange, a descendant of Radolphus Lestrange, who was Minister of Magic from 1835-1841. We also know that Newt was born in 1897, and therefore Leta was probably born around the same time. Therefore, it’s not illogical to believe that Leta may have been Radolphus’s granddaughter, who could then possibly be Bellatrix’s husband’s grandmother. Whoa.
Queenie’s Legilimens ability informed us that Newt and Leta were “real close” and that mentioning her name causes him great emotional pain. However, we know that Newt was expelled from Hogwarts for endangering another student with a Magical Creature, but no one except J.K. Rowling can be sure (at least for now) of a correlation, if any at all.
On the bright side, both J.K. Rowling and David Yates have confirmed that the next movie will bring much more about Leta to light. Yates said in an interview with MoviePilot “Leta Lestrange comes into the second movie. She’s quite complicated and damaged and confused and Newt is absolutely still in love with her, so she has a kind of power over him, and she, yeah, she’s a kind of tragic figure, so we will see a bit more of her in the second movie.” I’m just thrilled that Newt still loves her, and I can’t wait to find out more about Leta.
4. Why does Newt Scamander still have a wand if he was expelled?
As mentioned many times, beginning with Hagrid, when a student is expelled from Hogwarts, their wand is snapped in half. Why then, does Newt still have his, and can freely practice magic with the rest of the witches and wizards? Hagrid can’t, so why Newt? J.K. Rowling has revealed that we will find out in the next movie.
5. The Swooping Evil rain potion… What if you were indoors? A wizard?
In the beginning of the movie, Newt said that his Swooping Evil extract helps people to forget “bad things,” presumably meaning both wizards and muggles. However, at the end, Newt uses Frank, his Thunderbird, to put the Swooping Evil into the rain, so that everyone outside would forget all that occurred. The question remains though, what if, like Jacob, muggles had witnessed these “bad things” but weren’t touched by the rain? Ultimately, we see Muggles bathing and drinking water, but what if they subconciously avoided water until they shared something? How did it happen so fast? Also, what happened to wizards who went into the rain or bathed or drank water? Queenie, Tina and Newt never went into the rain, as far as we know. But if they did, or if they even drank water, would they forget that episode too? So many questions, so few answers.
6. We know that some of the Fantastic Beasts exist in the wizarding world, but what about the rest of them?
Take for example, Nifflers. In Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures class, he warns the students about Nifflers and their need to have shiny objects, right as one latches onto Pansy Parkinson’s watch. Therefore, we know that those Nifflers are still out in the wizarding world, even sixty years later, but what about the other animals that Newt was trying to protect and let live in the Wizarding World? Were the Nifflers just an accident or purposeful? What other of Newt’s animals are out in the world?
7. Is Jacob coming back to the Wizarding World?
When Queenie went to visit Jacob, he touched his neck and smiled, evident of recognition. Also, all of his bakery goods looked like Newt’s creature, so all was not forgotten as was believed. But the question remains- how much does Jacob remember? Does he actually remember it all, or is it a faint dream, or subconscious remembrance? Personally, I can hardly imagine four more movies without Jacob, so here’s to hoping that Queenie brings him back!
8. What happened to Credence? And Modesty?
At first glance, it seemed as though Credence had surely died. But with a suspicious line in the published screenplay and a hint from a producer of the movie, many fans are skeptical that Credence is actually gone. Even Newt seemed to notice a sliver of the Obscurus floating away. And if he’s not gone, does he ultimately work with Grindelwald? What does he do? Is he good? Is he bad? But David Yates revealed to The Leaky Cauldron that “Going forward, in the next script, Modesty is not in the next story. Credence, we follow Credence further. He becomes quite pivotal actually, Credence is quite crucial.” The more information we get, the more questions we have!! WHAT does Credence do that makes him so crucial if he doesn’t die? Or is his death crucial?
And Modesty, someone that seemed to undoubtedly have magic powers and was attempting to suppress them, won’t be returning. Modesty was exposed to so much magic and saw countless horrid acts, both magical and non-magical. What becomes of her??
9. And Credence’s Deathly Hallow necklace that Graves/Grindelwald gave him?
When Graves gave him the necklace, he told him that whenever he touched it, Grindelwald would be notified. So then, did it survive the big fight? And if the necklace and Credence did, what does that mean for his relationship with Grindelwald?
10. Who are Credence’s parents?
All we know for complete sure is that Mary Lou is not Credence’s biological mother, but that Mary Lou must have known who his true mother is. After all, she was hell bent on knowingly suppressing the children’s magical powers, and became especially angry and abusive when Credence was a minute late. Her anti-witch campaign was more of an anti-one-witch-in-particular-campaign.. Credence’s mother perhaps?
11. Why didn’t Harry develop an Obscurus?
Harry didn’t develop an Obscurus because he didn’t even know of the Wizarding World until Hagrid introduced it to him, and therefore had nothing to suppress. However, Credence’s adoptive mother was very well aware of the power that his biological mother had, and forced him to repress it, resulting in creating an Obscurus. We most likely haven’t come across them often, because as Newt tells us, they are very rare.
12. So then, was Ariana Dumbledore an Obscurus?
This one is a crazy ride, so hold on here. We learn that an Obscurus is formed when a child knowingly suppresses their magical powers, resulting in uncontrollable dark magic when the child feels angry. We know that Ariana was harassed by muggles and her father was imprisoned for retaliating, and that her childhood was very tragic. As Dumbledore said, “It destroyed her, what they did: She was never right again. She wouldn’t use magic, but she couldn’t get rid of it; it turned inward and drove her mad, it exploded out of her when she couldn’t control it, and at times she was strange and dangerous. But mostly she was sweet and scared and harmless.” If this doesn’t sound like Credence then I don’t know what does. As a powerful Dumbledore, it’s not surprising that as an Obscurus she lived past 10.
We also know that when Ariana was 14 she became so enraged and lost complete control with her brother, Aberforth, to calm her down. The details of the day are unspecific, but ultimately there was an explosion in Godric’s Hollow that left her mother dead. (Let’s not forget that Credence exploded and killed his “mother” Mary Lou.) Ariana died shortly after in a three way duel with Albus, Aberforth and Grindelwald, showing that if Ariana was the Obscurus we think she was, this was where Grindelwald first learned of their great powers.
13. Why was the story of the Shaw family included?
It’s seemingly unnecessary when you think about it- without them, the plot of the story wouldn’t have changed hardly at all. In the end, we know that Henry Shaw Sr. had his memory obliviated with the rain, but like Jacob, he may not be as unknowing as MACUSA would like him to be. Henry Shaw and his newspaper dynasty will likely want to avenge Senator Shaw’s death, and Landon Shaw, who has always wanted his father’s approval, would likely be a prime suspect for doing so.
14. When is the next one being released?
So far, the next movie is scheduled to be released in November 2018, with the following three installments scheduled for November of 2020, 2022 and 2024. We’re in for a long broomstick ride!