Rowling clearly wanted Grindelwald to feel like some sort of strongman world leader, but she has reduced the threat he possesses. Voldemort, on the other hand, was evil personified more a force of chaos than flesh-and-blood, even when he did acquire a vaguely corporeal form.

He is too much like a… well, a man, despite the grand ambitions to unite wizards and witches and rule the world. Grindelwald also does not have that innate aura of evil that Voldemort possessed. So while Newt is a person you would love to befriend in real life, in this story, it was probably not a good idea to make him the primary focus when everybody wants to see that titanic duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald that the series is building towards. Newt does not much care for Grindelwald and his machinations, though we are told later that he was sent by Dumbledore himself. He knows the specific peculiarities and habits of probably each and every single magical creature known to wizard-kind.Īnd yet, as interesting a character as Newt is, he is no Harry Potter, whose very destiny was tied to the story’s primary antagonist, someone with whom he shared a yin and yang relationship with him. Are you a cat person or a dog person? Newt is a Niffler person. His sole purpose of existence, it appears, is to care for and raise awareness about the magical creatures that reside in a pocket dimension inside his normal-looking suitcase. Newt is a refreshing change from the usual genre protagonists with their inflated abs and egos. Newt can, however, hold his own in a confrontation, and he avoids violence wherever possible. But he is not as super-talented wizard like Harry Potter or Hermione Granger, although it can be argued that Rowling never intended for Harry to come across as super-talented in the first place. A Hogwarts alumnus, the first film begins with him arriving in New York in the 1920s. Played by Redmayne in his trademark dorky, shy way, Newt instantly charms, and is a refreshing change from the usual sci-fi/fantasy protagonists with their inflated abs and egos. The first Fantastic Beasts movie and the book share the name, and on paper at least Newt is the primary protagonist. Written by Magizoologist (a wizard or witch who studies magical creatures) Newt Scamander, it was also released as an actual book by Rowling. The Fantastic Beasts franchise is named after Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a book that exists both in-universe and in reality. Why is Fantastic Beasts not as exciting as Harry Potter if it is set in the same world?įirst, context.

The secrets of dumbledore book