Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is officially out and the new film is confusing Harry Potter fans around the world. However, it has little to do with the shocking plot twist involving Credence Barebone. Most people are simply dumbfounded by Minerva McGonagall's surprise cameo in the movie.
In Fantastic Beasts 2, the Aurors decided to visit Albus Dumbledore at Hogwarts to ask for his help in finding Gellert Grindelwald. They come across Dumbledore in class and are almost prevented by a distinctly red-haired professor. Dumbledore later addresses the teacher as "Professor McGonagall," confirming that we are seeing the younger version of Maggie Smith's character.
It's great to see a young McGonagall yet it's also confusing. After all, the future head of the Gryffindor house isn't supposed to be born until 1935, a full eight years after the year Fantastic Beasts 2 takes place in 1927. (This information about McGonagall's birth year has since been edited on Pottermore).
Some fans also pointed out that the Harry Potter book The Order of the Phoenix clearly confirmed that McGonagall only started working at Hogwarts in 1956, this time a full 29 years after Fantastic Beasts 2.
So what exactly is happening? Has J.K. Rowling simply missed out on the major canon blunder? Some believe that the "Professor McGonagall" who appeared in Fantastic Beasts 2 may have been an older relative of the McGonagall we love. In the meantime, the Harry Potter author has yet to comment on the continuity error. We'll have to wait until Rowling addresses the issue.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is currently screening in theaters worldwide.
Related: Fantastic Beasts 2 Credence Plot Twist May Have Confirmed Grindelwald Is Still Lying
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