Spoiler Warning: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of GrindelwaldIt’s time for some long-awaited answers now that Warner Bros. has released the official trailer for the Fantastic Beasts sequel Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Despite his friendly bearded appearance, Dumbledore has more than a boggart in his closet. There are some secrets he will divulge to Harry Potter fans and hopefully address some pressing questions that must be answered.

We hope to get to know and understand Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) a little better before the Fantastic Beasts spinoff franchise finishes. These films are a terrific way to get to know the powerful wizard who would eventually become the headmaster of Hogwarts and a significant character in Harry Potter’s life. The official synopsis reads:

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So, without further ado, here are the riddles we’re hoping to be solved by Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

Does Dumbledore Have a Long-Lost Brother?

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One question, in particular, stood out among the several big cliffhangers at the conclusion of 2018’s The Crimes of Grindelwald. Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp, confessed to Ezra Miller’s Credence Barebone that he is Dumbledore’s long-lost brother, Aurelius Dumbledore. It was a contentious reveal because no one had heard of this name before, and it conflicts with the Wizarding World history in certain ways. Whether Grindelwald was telling the truth and Dumbledore does have another sibling in Credence, or if the villain is manipulating Credence with the reveal and the original timeline remains intact, is a crucial distinction that we’ll need to find sooner rather than later.

There have already been several anomalies within the Fantastic Beasts timeline conflicting with the original, so it’s probable to be confirmed. Credence is an Obscurial, which makes him extremely dangerous, and he may have been expelled from the Dumbledore family. We’re very interested to see how this potential secret pans out.

What Leads to the Breaking of the Blood Pact?

As fans of the Harry Potter franchise are aware, this Fantastic Beasts film will focus on the iconic fight between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, which took place in 1945. However, in Crimes of Grindelwald, we learn that the two wizards knew one other as children and chose to form a magical blood pact, which was kept in a pendant, to protect them from harming each other. The pendant was seized from Grindelwald by one of Newt’s (Eddie Redmayne) nifflers at the end of Crimes of Grindelwald and handed to Dumbledore in 1927.

It’s unknown whether Dumbledore will be able to destroy the blood pact pendant at this time, but considering Grindelwald’s plans to form a wicked army, he will apparently attempt. On the other hand, Dumbledore has Newt and his friends, who may be able to fight for him before their duel in 1945. We expect something unique to occur that will actually pit them against one another, but we don’t know what it will be.

What is Dumbledore’s Interest in Newt Scamander?

As we learned in Crimes of Grindelwald, Dumbledore was Newt’s Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor while at Hogwarts. Newt was expelled from Hogwarts for unknown reasons as a student, despite Dumbledore’s protests. As the franchise progresses, Dumbledore seeks Newt’s assistance as a conflict erupts. One has to wonder how Eddie Redmayne’s role will progress and if there is more to their relationship and Dumbledore’s interest in him than we’ve seen so far.

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As we know from the Harry Potter series, Dumbledore is very responsive to his students and has a keen sense of people. Will this happen in the Fantastic Beasts series for a specific reason? Is there anything else they can learn about their past? We’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Who Was Responsible for Ariana’s Death?

We learned of a fabled three-way duel between Grindelwald and the two brothers, Albus and Aberforth, in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book. The fight at Godric’s Hollow was the battle that shattered his relationship with Grindelwald. While the two brothers battled Grindelwald, Ariana attempted to intervene in the conflict but, like Credence, could not regulate her abilities. Unfortunately, she was killed by one of the three wizards. No one knows who was directly responsible for Ariana’s death.

The Secrets of Dumbledore is the ideal film to lay this riddle to rest once and for all. Fans have debated for years as to who cast the fatal spell. Was it Grindelwald, enraged to the point of madness? Was it a stray bolt from Albus or Aberforth? Aberforth crushed Albus’ nose during their funeral and blamed him for their sister’s death. Albus has never forgiven himself for Ariana since that terrible duel. Grindelwald could easily turn Dumbledore’s humiliation and remorse against him, twisting it like a knife through his heart. It would be both thrilling and depressing to see one of the Wizarding World’s most famous duels brought to life on screen!

What Is Wizarding World’s Connection With WWII?

A global wizarding war occurred when humanity was engulfed in the deadliest conflict of the twentieth century, World War II. It was mentioned in the Deathly Hallows novel, but there are very few details. Then The Crimes of Grindelwald dropped a huge surprise on us. Grindelwald, in the 1920s, seemed to be well aware of the oncoming conflict. He showed visions of Nazis, the Holocaust, and an atomic bomb being dropped at the Lestrange Family Mausoleum. He utilized the impending horrors to inspire wizards and witches to stand united and save the Muggle world.

Grindelwald was vanquished near the end of World War II and banished to Azkaban to live out his days. A magical conflict existed long before the First Wizarding War and the Battle of Hogwarts, which may have influenced real-world events. We’d give anything to observe how Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and other wizards sow the seeds of humanity’s most deadly conflict. Is it true that Albus aided the Allies? Is it possible that Grindelwald worked with the Axis forces? There’s a hidden history of how the Wizarding World influenced World War II’s ending, and we can’t wait to learn more!

What Is Grindelwald’s True Face?

We’ll have seen three different actors play the iconic Dark Wizard when Secrets of Dumbledore is released. The transition from Colin Farrell to Johnny Depp was unsettling at first, but it made sense. In order to find Credence, he used human transfiguration to take on Percival Graves’ guise. However, with Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen taking over Johnny Depp’s part, Grindelwald’s new appearance would be tough to ignore. Though it seems that Mikkelsen is perfect for the role of Grindelwald, we’re merely interested as to how director David Yates will handle his transition.

Grindelwald’s face must have been the most well-known by every magical authority on the earth long before Voldemort arrived on the scene. The man was the number one public enemy. The question is whether Depp’s Grindelwald changed his look to that of Mikkelsen to avoid detection by the authorities. Will Depp’s incarnation be revealed as a hoax and that Mikkelsen’s rendition is the true representation of his character? We will soon find out!

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore will release on April 8, 2022, in the United Kingdom and on April 15, 2022, worldwide.