Gellert Grindelwald looms large in Harry Potter mythology, despite living in ignominious exile until his death at the hands of Voldemort. We know Albus Dumbledore loved him, despite Grindelwald’s plans for a violent wizard revolution. We know that Albus and his younger brother Aberforth defeated him in a magical duel that killed their sister, Ariana Dumbledore. And we know that Grindelwald sought the Deathly Hallows, in some small way redeeming himself by keeping the secrets of the Elder Wand from Voldemort. But — some flashbacks aside — we’d never seen Grindelwald’s magnetism and tyranny. In the Harry Potter books he was a distant historical figure, more footnote than active agent in the fate of nations.
That all changes with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a movie set during the height of Gellert Grindelwald’s power. You can read our review of Fantastic Beasts here. But, to summarize, I hated it. Which is why it would give me great pleasure to spoil everything the movie reveals about Gellert Grindelwald, the first appearance of Johnny Depp in the role and what he means for the first and future entries in the Fantastic Beasts series. You’ve been warned.
Holy Grindelwald! #FantasticBeasts
— Chad B. Freeman (@cbfree) November 18, 2016
At the beginning of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Grindelwald easily defeats a team of aurors, blowing them away with a single spell and escaping to continue his revolutionary rampage across Europe. We see some newspaper headlines and Newt Scamander insists, during a very disturbing interrogation, that he’s not one of Grindelwald’s “fanatics.” Yet, Fantastic Beasts never explains much about the specifics of his plan. It seems Grindelwald wants to heighten tensions between the humans and the wizards, eventually outing the existence of magic users to the muggles and forcing a war between them (a war that would presumably end with the wizards in power). It’s never really clear why he doesn’t just do some magic wizbiz on the White House lawn or something. I’d imagine exposing magic to muggles would be just about the easiest thing to accomplish in J.K. Rowling’s world, but whatever.
Grindelwald’s magical guerrilla war raging across Europe turns out to be a bit of a red herring. You see, Gellert Grindelwald is already in America. He’s disguised himself as powerful auror investigator Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), who’s eager to track down a mysterious destructive force known as an Obscurus. Obscuruses are dark, magical entities created by young children who society has forced to repress their magic. Their anger turns them into Obscurials who lash out at the people around them, until the Obscurus grows too strong and kills them. Why Harry Potter (and Voldemort, for that matter) were in no danger of becoming Obscurials is one of the many mysteries that still remain after watching Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Anyway, Percival Graves / Gellert Grindelwald want the Obscurus to use as a weapon. Grindelwald believed he could isolate and control this dark force. But it doesn’t work out, and the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA) kills the young boy host before Grindelwald (or Newt Scamander and Porpentina Goldstein, who try to help the Obscurials for more benevolent reasons) can contain the dark magic inside of him.
In this final confrontation, Graves is exposed as a power-mad villain instead of a steadfast investigator. Newt Scamander manages to subdue Graves, who reveals his true form: Johnny Depp. At the end of Fantastic Beasts Gellert Grindelwald has been captured by MACUSA, though he’s confident they won’t be able to hold him. While this version of Grindelwald is certainly dapper, with a shock of white, combed-back hair, it’s hard to see what Dumbledore saw in this dude, who speaks in a villainous, Slytherin drawl.
While the first movie in the five-part Fantastic Beasts series ends with the capture of Grindelwald, his pursuit of one dark weapon defeated, we know from history that he will escape. His fateful duel with Albus and Aberforth is still ahead of him.
Oh, and there’s no after credits sequence on Fantastic Beasts, in case you were wondering.
