As the beginning of a new chapter in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter draws near, fans of the series are learning plenty of new exciting things about the first movie in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trilogy.
Many fans are excited to learn that some familiar faces from the Harry Potter movies and books may make an appearance within the series – Dumbledore is specifically name-dropped in the latest trailer, and there’s a good chance that other characters will be either directly referenced or make an appearance at some point in the new trilogy.
The first Fantastic Beasts movie is about the adventures of bumbling wizard Newt Scamander, who travels to New York to research a textbook that he’s writing entitled “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” – hence, the name of the movie. The film is set in 1918, meaning that most familiar faces from the Potterverse, including Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, and even the villainous Lord Voldemort, haven’t yet been born. Even so, there are plenty of characters and monsters from the series that might show up during the adventures of Newt Scamander.
Here are 10 Harry Potter Characters That Might Show Up in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
11. Dumbledore
Of all the possible characters who might appear in the movie, Dumbledore is the most likely to make an appearance – especially considering he’s been mentioned by name in one of the trailers, so the character will definitely be impacting the story in some way. When asked whether Dumbledore himself will have screen time, actor Dan Fogle plead the fifth, suggesting that Dumbledore fans might well be in for a treat.
According to Potter lore, Dumbledore was born in 1881, making him 37 at the time of Fantastic Beasts – the trailer mentions that by this point he’s already a professor at Hogwarts, having saved Newt Scamander from expulsion. It’s unlikely that Dumbledore will have a large role in the movie, which is primarily focusing on expanding the Harry Potter world to include America rather than dwelling on British wizards, but Dumbledore could definitely make at least a small appearance, and that’s fantastic news for fans of the character.
10. Grindelwald
The details of the epic battle between Dumbledore and the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald has been mentioned and teased as far back as the very first Harry Potter novel. In the Deathly Hallows novel and movies, more is revealed about the two characters’ backstory, including a childhood friendship which may have even turned to romance – this story of the two characters, the development of their relationship and their ultimate duel together, is the kind of story which would be fantastic to delve further into, and there’s a good chance Fantastic Beasts might do just that.
The inclusion of Grindelwald may depend on how much Dumbledore is relevant to the plot of the upcoming movie – if Dumbledore casts a long shadow in this film, Grindelwald would be an excellent foil to his plans. Considering the visually impressive duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort in Order of the Phoenix, getting to see these two talented wizards in a fight would no doubt be an incredible cinematic experience.
9. Henry Potter
While Harry himself won’t be born for over half a century at the time in which Fantastic Beasts is set, his family legacy goes back a long way. Details on JK Rowling’s Pottermore website have fleshed out the Potter family tree a little, giving details of Harry’s grandfather, Henry, a wizard with a great fondness for Muggles (or No-Majs as they’re known in America).
According to Pottermore, Henry Potter lost respect from the wizard community by choosing to intervene in World War I, which could mean that he might choose to travel the world a little to get away from his less than stellar reputation in a time when British wizards were less accepting of Muggles. This could well lead him to New York, and Newt Scamander’s research.
8. Nicholas Flamel
One of the most influential characters in the first Harry Potter story has never actually made an appearance in any of the movies thus far – save only for a brief mention of his name. Depending on where you’re from, Nicholas Flamel is either the inventor of the Philosopher’s Stone (as it’s called in most countries) or the Sorcerer’s Stone (as it was renamed for the US audience), and as such is capable of producing the Elixir of Life, which grants him immortality.
Flamel, who is based on a real life historical figure, was born in 1327 according to Potter lore, meaning that he’s already fairly ancient by the events of Fantastic Beasts, but his longevity has likely led to his experience with a variety of magical creatures, meaning that there’s a good reason for Newt Scamander to seek out the alchemist in his mission to research his book.
7. Dobby
Aside from Hedwig the owl, Dobby the house-elf is probably the most popular non-human in the Potterverse. House-elves are common throughout the wizard world, and Newt Scamander might well find a reason to try to research the creatures for his book – if this is the case, it’s an excellent opportunity to bring back the adorable Dobby, as voiced by Toby Jones.
It’s not known how long house-elves live for, but their powerful magical abilities suggest that their lifespans could be quite long. That said, the fictional textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which JK Rowling wrote for charity many years ago, doesn’t have a section on house-elves, meaning that Newt Scamander might not end up performing any research on such a common household creature.
6. Abraxas Malfoy
If Dobby is to make an appearance in the Fantastic Beasts movies, it will not be without Draco’s grandfather Abraxas Malfoy, or another member of his family. The Malfoys are a powerful wizarding family with roots going back centuries, and Dobby is their family slave until Harry Potter manages to free him in Chamber of Secrets.
Draco and Lucius Malfoy are fairly tragic characters in the Harry Potter stories, following the Dark Lord Voldemort out of a thirst for power and a nearsightedly prejudiced view of the world, before suffering from Voldemort’s abuse first-hand. It would be interesting to see another member of the family to learn who taught Lucius his mistaken view on the importance of blood purity.
5. Salazar Slytherin
The founder of Slytherin House at Hogwarts is known for many eccentricities, including his secret plan to keep an enormous snake monster locked under a girl’s lavatory within the school. While by the time of Fantastic Beasts, Slytherin is long dead, the Harry Potter universe is full of ghosts, moving paintings, and other methods to keep a part of people’s souls alive long after their death.
The Fantastic Beasts textbook has a section on Basilisks, the giant serpents with which Slytherin has an affinity, so there’s every chance that, while researching his Book, Scamander might come across a reference to Salazar Slytherin, if not a ghost or a more tangible memento from his time researching basilisks.
4. The Peverell Brothers
Hugely important to the story of the final Potter book and films, and influencers over all the other events of the Harry Potter stories, are the three Peverell brothers, ancestors to Harry and Voldemort as well as the original owners of the Deathly Hallows – an invisibility cloak, a stone that brings loved ones back from death, and the most powerful wand in the world.
These three brothers are crucial elements of the history of the wizarding world, so it’s very likely that they’ll at least be name-dropped, even if none of their famous Hallows make an appearance. If Dumbledore and Grindelwald appear in any of the upcoming movies, though, there’s a good chance that Antioch Peverell, the original owner of a wand that the two wizards fight over at some point, will get mentioned.
3. Garrick Ollivander
The slightly creepy wand seller played by John Hurt in the Harry Potter movies has been around for a while. His age is not confirmed at any point, but fans speculate that he must have been born around or before the time of Fantastic Beasts in order to already be established and selling wands in time to sell one to the young Tom Riddle, who’d later be known as Voldemort.
Considering the longevity of other wizards in the Potterverse, it’s not unreasonable to assume that Ollivander could have already been a grown man by the time of Newt Scamander’s adventures, perhaps even selling Scamander his own wand. As a character who’s demeanor and actions hint at a shady past, it would be very interesting to learn more about Ollivander’s backstory.
2. Merlin
Perhaps the most famous wizard who’s ever lived, the Merlin of the Potterverse has a similar mythology built around him as the Merlin of Arthurian legend in the real world. While King Arthur’s trusty bearded friend is most commonly referenced when Harry Potter characters swear (‘Merlin’s beard!’ and ‘Merlin’s balls!’ are common exclamations, particularly in the later books), not much is known about the legacy that Merlin has left in this fictional world.
It would be interesting for Fantastic Beasts to fill in on some of the details of Merlin’s life and contribution to wizardkind, but even if the story doesn’t deliver any more details, it’s more than likely someone will, at some point, swear on Merlin’s name.
1. Bathilda Bagshot
While appearing only as a disgusting meat costume for a giant snake in Godric’s Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, the character of Bathilda Bagshot is a very influential person in the Wizarding World, and one who’s an experienced writer even before Newt Scamander’s adventures.
Bagshot is the great aunt of Grindelwald, and, alongside Newt Scamander, is the author of a wizard textbook used at Hogwarts. As such, it would make perfect sense for Scamander to come across Bagshot on his travels, as she could provide counsel and guidance for the young writer as he researches his own book.
Mischief Managed
While the upcoming Fantastic Beasts movie is to tell its own story, not connected to the events of the eight Harry Potter films that have already been released, it won’t be surprising at all if filmmakers go out of their way to connect this new trilogy to the events of the existing movies in whatever ways they can.
Dumbledore will possibly make an appearance, and while many of these other characters might only get a brief reference as opposed to any significant screen time, it’ll be interesting to see the ways this new movie will tie in with the world of existing stories that fans enjoy so much.
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Which characters did we miss off our list? Which Harry Potter characters would you like to see more of? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
