The reviews for the latest installment in the Wizarding World franchise, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, have started pouring in, and despite the reviews so far being decidedly mixed, there seems to be one thing that many have agreed on: Mads Mikkelsen makes a much better Gellert Grindelwald than Johnny Depp. Beginning with Insider’s Kirsten Acuna, it sounds like the Hannibal star is so good in the villainous role that it’s easy to forget that Depp was ever involved in the first place.

The praise for Mikkelsen’s performance continues courtesy of The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw, who describes the actor’s depiction of Grindelwald as “subtler” and more “restrained” than that of the Johnny Depp iteration.

“Mikkelsen slips into the role of Grindelwald so naturally that it’s easy to forget Depp had ever played the role. With Depp, I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to follow a wizard who comically looked like another bizarre invention out of the actor’s menagerie of eccentric characters he’s played over the years. In contrast, Mikkelsen plays Grindelwald with a suave, charming charisma that convinces you of why anyone would be seduced by this alluring, handsome wizard and be suckered into fighting a war for him.”

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Fans of the Fantastic Beasts franchise were shocked when Johnny Depp was asked by Warner Bros. to step down from the role of the central villain. The intention had always been for Depp to play the role throughout the rest of the series, but this changed amid various allegations leveled at the actor, with Depp being replaced by Casino Royale star Mads Mikkelsen.

“Mads Mikkelsen has been brought into the series to replace the now problematic Johnny Depp in the role of Gellert Grindelwald, the evil wizard who once had a close relationship with Albus Dumbledore himself (played by Jude Law with a twinklingly donnish manner and beard). Mikkelsen gives a subtler and more insidious performance than Depp’s, and the “pale eye” effect is more restrained.”

Despite the backstage drama, it sounds like this swap has worked out rather well. Robbie Cullen of The Telegraph (who found a lot to dislike about Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, rating the movie just 2/5) believed that Mads Mikkelsen “should have been cast from the start,” while Time Out’s Caroline McGinn felt that Mikkelsen “makes a fantastically sinister replacement for Johnny Depp.”

Mads Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald is Satisfyingly Sinister & Suggests a Romantic History with Jude Law’s Dumbledore

     Warner Bros. Pictures

USA Today’s Brian Truitt equally found Mikkelsen’s portrayal to be more subtle and more satisfying, with the actor making a much more believable leader than Depp’s typically quirky take.

According to critics, Mikkelsen’s Grindelwald is even a much better romantic link opposite Jude Law’s Albus Dumbledore. Something that fans have been waiting to see more of for some time. The Times of London’s Kevin Maher describes Mikkelsen as “a boon for the series” whose “simmering intensity adds a new layer of menace to the character but also suggests a credibly torrid romantic history with Dumbledore.”

“While Depp’s take – essentially playing Grindelwald as a wild-haired freaky cult leader — was fine, Mikkelsen’s feels more dangerous, as he wields a public charm as crowd-pleasing, manipulative man of the people while hiding his inherent ruthless cruelty.”

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is due for release on 8 April 2022 in the United Kingdom and 15 April 2022 in the United States.