The Francetitle may be about someone else, but the full trailer shows that The Crimes of Grindelwaldis all about Albus Dumbledore. The younger version of Harry Potter's mentor (played by Jude Law) has a lot of power and baggage in the Fantastic Beastssequel, and he's the key to the events of this movie – and the future of the wizarding world.
SEE ALSO: The new 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' trailer is here and it's time to get hype
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable The Crimes of Grindelwaldcatches up with The Young Dumble as a Hogwarts professor, teaching not Transfiguration, his erstwhile subject in the books, but Defense Against the Dark Arts. Defense is the most well-known Hogwarts subject, especially for moviegoers less familiar with J.K. Rowling's books who Warner Bros. wants to rope in.
As a Defense teacher, Dumbledore most directly parallels Remus Lupin (played by David Thewlis), who teaches Harry and his friends the Riddikuluscharm to expel a boggart (a golem that takes the form of one's greatest fear).
Once again we see Dumbledore guiding a promising young wizard – Newt, before Harry – sending him on a dangerous mission with minimal training and information, but firm belief in the abilities of his chosen fighter.
According to the Harry Potter books, Dumbledore and Grindelwald became close friends as teens one summer when Grindelwald visited his Aunt Bathilda in Dumbledore's village. Per J.K. Rowling's post-series reveal that Dumbledore is gay, we came to understand that this was not only a romantic relationship but the great love of Dumbledore's life.
One of the most shocking moments in the Crimes of Grindelwald trailer is Dumbledore seeing Grindelwald in the Mirror of Erised – a device that reveals one's deepest desire. This is telling, especially because of the voiceover; we have to conclude that Dumbledore has some conflict of interest that prevents him from taking the necessary action against Grindelwald.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable That's compelling, but what it neglects to address (as did Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2) is that the Grindelwald relationship and Grindelwald himself played a crucial role in the death of Dumbledore's sister – something over which Dumbledore felt guilty for the rest of his life.
Ariana's death is supposed to be a turning point in the Dumbeldore/Grindelwald relationship – you probably don't want to date someone after they possibly murder your sister – which makes it extremely puzzling that Dumbledore sees Grindelwald in the mirror. Does he see a chance to defeat him? A link to the Deathly Hallows? Or does he still feel something, deep down, for the man who might have killed his sister?
After Ariana's death, Grindelwald fled England, and he and Dumbledore would not meet again until their fateful duel in 1945 which ends in Grindelwald's defeat.
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable Two elements of the Crimes of Grindelwaldtrailer speak volumes to Harry Potter fans familiar with Dumbledore's story. First there's the introduction of Nicholas Flamel, Dumbledore's friend and colleague and creator of the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone.
That ties directly with the other Easter egg: The Elder Wand, grasped ostensibly by Grindelwald's hand. Dumbledore and Grindelwald sought the Elder Wand as one of three elements that make the possessor Master of Death a.k.a. immortal.
Needless to say, we have a lot of questions as we await The Struggles of DumbledoreThe Crimes of Grindelwald, due in theaters Nov. 16.
Topics Harry Potter
Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 7, 2025
Best Garmin deal: Save $250 on the Garmin fēnix 7 Pro
Best speaker deal: Save $50 on the JBL Flip 6
Garmin Instinct 3 accidentally leaked: 3 things we know about it so far
What's Thermal Throttling and How to Prevent It
Black Friday shopping hack: Guide to creating an Amazon wishlist
Your Instagram Story Highlights might be moving to the grid
NYT Strands hints, answers for November 18
Shop the Google Pixel Pro 9 for $200 off at Amazon
ESPN testing AI avatar to provide analysis on 'SEC Nation' college football broadcast
Shop the Google Pixel Pro 9 for $200 off at Amazon
Best laptop deal: Save $200 on an M4 MacBook Pro at Amazon
Garmin Instinct 3 accidentally leaked: 3 things we know about it so far
Best Black Friday speaker deal: Save $30 on the JBL Clip 5
NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for April 17: Tips to solve Connections #206
Black Friday deal: Sennheiser Accentum headphones for $80
NYT Strands hints, answers for November 18
Best free ChatGPT courses
Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 1, 2025
Best Buy 2024 Black Friday sale: Dates, upcoming doorbusters, and more
NASA blows hole in world's largest rocket fuel tank (on purpose)Cops tell Uber driver to stop filming, but he's also a lawyerBloomberg accidentally created an Alexa Fleshlight and oh my gawdKind man dresses wild toad in wonderful, tiny hats to make a little boy happyWaze adds snow and ice alerts to keep you from skidding offThese are the 5 tech terms you won’t be able to ignore in 2020No. 1 bestTwitter's Election Labels return to help you make sense of 2020 electionsInstant karma comes for driver skipping line of cars on the freeway'The Office' stars revisit one of the cringiest episodes and talk Todd PackerTwitter now lets you make GIFs out of iOS Live PhotosFacebook is out, Apple is in at 2020 Democratic DebateHillary Clinton Snapchats an empowering video, but the internet only cares about her new haircutLyft already met its 2017 goal to expand to 100 new citiesTwitter's Election Labels return to help you make sense of 2020 electionsFather of twin daughters has come up with a hilarious way to freak out hotel guestsBloomberg accidentally created an Alexa Fleshlight and oh my gawdPlant recommendation: The world's hottest fernLos Angeles' LGBTQ pride will be replaced by a protest marchAll your favorite Disney stars have Star Wars questions for Daisy Ridley Nvidia's GPU Classes Through the Years: What to Expect from the RTX 5080 It's Unnecessary But, AMD is Basically Lying About CPU Performance Palm Pilot: The Tablet That Schooled Apple Best coffee machine deal: Save over $200 on Philips 4400 Espresso Machine Which iPad Model is Right for You? Mid 2024 Update Scientists spotted a giant comet spewing gas 2 billion miles from sun Testing Nvidia DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction Using Cyberpunk 2.0 Best headphones deal: Save $20 on Soundcore Anker Life Q20 Best Buy's 'Black Friday in July' sale to compete with Prime Day 2025 A Games List of Only Amazing Hidden Indie Gems and Snubs Superb PC Gaming with Next How to overcome the fear of being cringe while dating The Zero Click Internet The OLED Burn The Apple iPod: Pocket Music Before That Phone Best robot vacuum deal: Save $120 on the Ecovacs Deebot T50 Pro Omni Robot Vacuum and Mop Upgrade Your Monitor, Not Your GPU Manchester City vs. Wydad AC 2025 livestream: Watch Club World Cup for free NYT Strands hints, answers for June 18 When Are Next