There’s a new theory on how Professor Minerva McGonagall is in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. However, while it’s interesting, it could be a bit of a stretch.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald seems to have created a plothole in its parent movie/book franchise. It’s obvious that J.K. Rowling has a plan, but now we’re all on edge trying to figure it out. SuperCarlin Brothers on YouTube certainly has a theory, but it could be a little bit of a stretch.
The issue for many, is that fans for a long time have worked out that Professor Minerva McGonagall was likely born in 1935. So having her (and it’s definitely her) appear in a movie set in 1927 leads to questions. Mainly, how can it be?
One theory is that it’s all to do with time travel. That’s not something out of the ordinary since Hermione had access to a time turner in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, allowing her to do all the classes she wanted. But while it’s possible, would anyone really want to mess up the timeline so much?
Why would McGonagall even want to time travel?
Before getting into the theory, it’s important to figure out what could be in it for McGonagall. This is linked to the fact that she fell in love with a mortal. On the eve of her wedding, she decided she couldn’t live as a witch in hiding, so she gave up her love and left her fiance before their wedding.
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It would have been heartbreaking for both of them, but it was a decision McGonagall made for, what I believe was, the greater good. Without McGonagall, we wouldn’t have had the badass witch who could knock you down a peg or 10 with just one stare.
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However, because of the loss of her love, she decided to change the narrative. She decided to turn back time and help Dumbledore take down Grindelwald so she could enjoy a life both as a witch and as the wife of a muggle.
The flaw in the theory
While Dumbledore suggested Hermione and Harry go back in time to save Sirius and Buckbeak, going back to change such a major player in the First Wizarding War seems off. This could have a major knock-on effect in the future, and definitely not for the good.
Of course, this could be the whole plot point to help keep the prequel series fresh. Is it possible that we’ll see a couple of movies with McGonagall helping to change the timeline only to realize that actually, the first timeline was the better one? The last movie could then be how it all really happened, fixing the breaks in the timeline?
Again, it’s a bit of a stretch. Chances are that Rowling has a bigger plan in mind. And again, the 1935 date isn’t on Pottermore so going back to work out when she was born could have missed a few things.
What do you think Rowling has in mind? Is this Minerva McGonagall from the future? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is now out in theaters.