Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore shows off Credence’s phoenix, but is the creature meant to be the famous Fawkes? The Secrets of Dumbledore, the third installment in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, brought back Credence, who was revealed to be a member of the Dumbledore family at the end of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The phoenix that follows Credence around in Fantastic Beasts 3 doesn’t have a name, but it could be Fawkes, Albus’ phoenix from the Harry Potter movies.
Gellert Grindelwald believed that the Dumbledores could call upon a phoenix whenever they were in desperate need of its help. After the phoenix chick exploded into an adult in The Crimes of Grindelwald, the magical creature stuck with Credence, following him where he went. The phoenix’s presence is how Dumbledore realized Credence was, in fact, a member of his family. Crucially, Credence was the son of Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus’ brother. Considering phoenixes can die and be reborn from its ashes several times over, many have theorized that Credence’s phoenix is none other than Fawkes, the loyal phoenix that stood by Albus Dumbledore’s side throughout the eight Harry Potter films; Fawkes also came to Harry when he was in need of help in the Chamber of Secrets.
To be sure, the phoenix has a strong connection to Credence and the fact the magical creature is not given an official name in The Secrets of Dumbledore suggests it could actually be Fawkes. It’s possible Dumbledore took the phoenix in following Credence’s eventual death (at some point following the events of the third film). It also makes sense the bird would remain in the Dumbledore family considering how loyal a creature it is. However, based on the story and Harry’s own trips through the Pensieve, it seems that Fawkes didn’t belong to anyone before Dumbledore throughout its long life. It’s likely Fawkes didn’t enter Dumbledore’s life until after the events of Fantastic Beasts 3. What’s more, the book Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: Movie Magic confirms Fawkes is not Credence’s phoenix at all.
The phoenix not being Fawkes is not explicitly made clear in the films, however, and it could be the potential Fantastic Beasts 4 will retcon the story. After all, The Secrets of Dumbledore has retconned several things from the previous two films in the franchise — including the Dumbledores’ backstory — and the Harry Potter timeline. That said, Credence’s phoenix does look different. Fawkes had stunning red and orange feathers, while the phoenix in The Secrets of Dumbledore is a bit darker in color. Credence’s phoenix gives off a yellow glow, however, when it takes flight at night. The reason some theorized about the phoenix being Fawkes is likely because the poster for Fantastic Beasts 3 included an image of the phoenix flying, its body awash in a red and golden flame.
Credence’s phoenix played a pivotal role in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. The magical creature alerted Dumbledore to the fact that young Aurelius was dying, with the phoenix spreading ashes over him on occasion. The phoenix has an innate sense of danger and always vows to protect the Dumbledores. If nothing else, the phoenix in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore confirmed that Credence was a member of the family and signaled to the elder Dumbledore that he needed help and a home.
