What is up with that shocking Fantastic Beasts 2 ending?

Fans have a lot of questions about the twist ending of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and how the reveal changes the canon of Harry Potter.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is finally out in theaters, and it’s safe to say fans have had some reactions to it.

Warning: Watch out, as this article does have a few spoilers ahead. If you haven’t seen the movie, you’ve been warned.

While many fans have noted a few inconsistencies already as far as how Fantastic Beasts 2 connects to the Harry Potter universe, there is one big moment that occurs at the end of the film that especially impacts the canon of the world of Harry Potter.

During the film, Credence Barebone, played by Ezra Miller, spends most of his arc looking for his identity. Many characters in the film, and fans watching, speculated that Credence would turn out to be the brother of Leta LeStrange. As it turns out, her baby brother (who she swapped out for another brother while he was an infant, messed up right?) died in a shipwreck.

Instead, we learn that Credence is actually Aurelius Dumbledore, a fact that is told to Credence by Gellert Grindelwald at the end of the movie. This was a surprising moment that most fans did not expect, especially because it isn’t very consistent with Harry Potter canon about the Dumbledore family.

In the books, the canon establishes that Albus Dumbledore had just one brother, Aberforth, as well as one sister, Ariana. Ariana was killed accidentally as collateral damage during a wizard’s duel between Grindelwald and Albus. If Credence truly is a Dumbledore (as we note below, some fans still have doubts), it could explain his incredible magical ability. But as we’ll share, many are pondering how in the wizarding world does Albus Dumbledore have a mystery brother? And how will this impact the future of the Potterverse?

As the twist occurs at the end of the film, fans were left with very little details other than the fact that Credence is a Dumbledore. Many online have vented how this reveal seems like a strange choice, even a nonsensical one. It raises more questions than answers, and overall feels like a desperate attempt to have a shock ending more than anything else.

Fans have pointed out that the character ages and timelines don’t even add up here as Percival Dumbledore (Albus’ father) would have been in prison during the time that Credence would have needed to have been conceived.

Perhaps this twist isn’t even a twist at all though. Some fans theorize Grindelwald could simply be lying.

And if all of this isn’t enough to blow the top off of Potter fans, the film doesn’t explain how much Albus knows about Credence, leaving everyone wondering why Albus wouldn’t want to help his brother. He cared for his sister Ariana deeply, and if Credence is indeed his brother, we’d imagine Albus would want to protect him as best he can.

Of course, fans will have theories, and at this point, fan explanations are all we have to go off of. If you have theories about this reveal and what it means for the canon universe of Harry Potter, please share with us in the comments.