Depp’s Replacement Can Fix Fantastic Beasts 3’s Dumbledore Twist Problem

Fantastic Beasts 3 has significant problems to overcome, but recasting Grindelwald could actually fix some of the franchise’s issues — such as the major plot hole that the Aurelius Dumbledore twist in introduced in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Johnny Depp was asked to resign from Fantastic Beasts 3 after he lost a libel lawsuit against The Sun, and Warner Brothers has announced that they are recasting his role of Gellert Grindelwald. Fantastic Beasts 3 is already trying to rectify the mistakes of its predecessors, and the decision to recast Depp might ultimately fix one of the biggest plot holes in the series.

At the end of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Grindelwald reveals that Credence Barebone is Albus Dumbledore’s long-lost brother, Aurelius Dumbledore. Aurelius’ existence alone introduces a major plot hole into the series. Despite the fact that Dumbledore has a detailed canonical history of his family lineage and two other confirmed siblings, it’s the first mention of Aurelius. In addition, his age doesn’t match up at all with any other part the Dumbledore family history — both of his parents would have been dead by the time he was born. However, recasting Gellert Grindelwald might offer Fantastic Beasts 3 the perfect opportunity to fix the problems introduced with the twist.

Recasting Johnny Depp means that Fantastic Beasts 3 can introduce the idea that Grindelwald is an unreliable narrator — a trickster who can change his skin and can’t be trusted. This idea was already introduced in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, when Grindelwald first appeared in disguise as Percival Graves, played by Colin Farrell. Fantastic Beasts 3 has the opportunity to lean on Grindelwald’s ability to change his appearance and emphasize that he is an unreliable source of information — which would solve the Aurelius Dumbledore problem.

At the end of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Grindelwald is the person who reveals Credence’s true identity. If Fantastic Beasts 3 establishes that he is an unreliable narrator, then it can explain the plot hole as Grindelwald fabricating Credence’s identity as Aurelius as an attempt to weaken his greatest enemy: Albus Dumbledore. It’s the best way for Fantastic Beasts 3 to try and fix a massive plot hole, and also offers the film an in-universe explanation as to why Grindelwald, once again, looks different.

Fantastic Beasts 3 has to address more than just Johnny Depp’s departure from the series. The franchise is plagued with plot holes that have massive ramifications for the entire Wizarding World, such as the inclusion of characters who should not yet be born or details about Dumbledore’s life that contradict established Harry Potter canon. However, retconning some of these contradictions as the product of Grindelwald’s interference, and continuing to develop Grindelwald’s characterization by building off of something that was already introduced in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, would be a clever way to explain the franchise’s inconsistencies without further disrupting the canon. Without completely rewriting Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, using Gellert Grindelwald’s recasting to solve the problem with Aurelius Dumbledore’s twist would be the best way forward for Fantastic Beasts 3.