For over a year, Warner Bros. has been teasing at least one major betrayal in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Hints have come in the form of a press release reporting, “Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world,” and Eddie Redmayne telling Entertainment Weekly, “I got to the end and my jaw dropped. There was one thing I didn’t see coming.”The likeliest candidates have always been Newt Scamander’s brother Theseus and his fiancée (and Newt’s former romantic interest) Leta Lestrange. But recently, the studio—in a genuinely shocking move—confirmed a major fan theory that Claudia Kim plays Nagini, which will makes her and Credence possible allies to Grindelwald; the Dark Wizard might hold the key to saving Nagini, and could also be Credence and Leta’s father to boot.However, a brief moment from a new commercial has us worried that everything we’ve seen and been told has been nothing more than a distraction from the most shocking betrayal of all. Despite being treated as an afterthought in the film’s promotion so far, Queenie Goldstein could be the one who ends up joining Grindelwald’s army.
In a new ad, we briefly see a forlorn, unarmed Grindelwald in the same room as Queenie, who has her wand drawn and pointed at the Dark Wizard. Both his posture and demeanor indicate he means her no harm, and she’ll know if that’s true because she’s a Legilimens who can read his feelings and his thoughts.
So why then would Queenie—a sweet, decent, good witch—side with Grindelwald? Why wouldn’t she strike an unarmed and dangerous wizard down immediately? The answer might be found in a character description Collider released this summer, which now seems far more nefarious than it initially did.
“Queenie has fallen in love with No-Maj baker Jacob Kowalski, despite the wizarding world laws forbidding the relationship and the painful rift it has caused between her and her sister, Tina. Intent on finding a way for her and Jacob to be together, she has used magic to whisk Jacob, unwittingly, to England, where magical laws are more permissive. However, the ruse backfires, threatening their budding romance and leaving Queenie desperate…and vulnerable.”
As an American witch, Queenie is forbidden from fraternizing with No-Majs like Jacob, let alone loving and being with one. In her desperation it sounds like she essentially kidnaps him and brings him to England where magical beings can marry Muggles, except her plan will apparently blow up in her face causing even more problems that might keep them apart forever. That is, unless the restrictions placed on her are lifted.
In the infamous letter a teenage Dumbledore sent to his friend Grindelwald, Dumbledore wrote (bold ours):
“Your point about Wizard dominance being FOR THE MUGGLES’ OWN GOOD – this, I think, is the crucial point. Yes, we have been given power and yes, that power gives us the right to rule, but it also gives us responsibilities over the ruled. We must stress this point, it will be the foundation stone upon which we build. Where we are opposed, as we surely will be, this must be the basis of all our counterarguments. We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD.“
At some point Grindelwald presented magical rule over Muggles as benevolent, and he ultimately adopted “For the Greater Good” as his own motto. He doesn’t want to destroy Muggles, just make them subservient to magical beings. So what would be “good” for Queenie? To be with Jacob, which is all she wants. That’s something a Legilimens will know Grindelwald is offering honestly. He will let her have anything or anyone she wants in a world magical beings rule.
In the movie, lines will be “drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.” It’s a world that will lead Queenie to Grindelwald’s side, opposite her sister Tina. No wonder Eddie Redmayne’s jaw dropped.What do you think? Will Queenie join Grindelwald to be with Jacob? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Images: Warner Bros.
