The third 'Fantastic Beasts' movie finally addresses Dumbledore's sexuality front and center — nearly 15 years after J.K. Rowling first revealed he's gay
In , "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling made a remark that would echo in the franchise's fandom for years to enter. Speaking at Carnegie Hall that year, she said that she had "always thought of Dumbledore as gay" — and that the relationship between him and his teenage friend Gellert Grindelwald had been romantic.
Since then, Dumbledore's sexuality has only explicitly existed outside of any of the franchise's main properties, and Rowling's words had never been confirmed on screen. She hinted in that the character's queerness would engage a role in the "Fantastic Beasts" films, telling reporters to "watch this space," Time Magazine reported at the time.
Almost fifteen years after Rowling first confirmed Dumbledore's sexuality, it's finally made it to the big screen.
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."
'The Secrets of Dumbledore' opens with Dumble
Is Dumbledore Gay? Albus' Connection With Grindelwald Explained
Summary
Albus Dumbledore's sexuality was confirmed by J.K. Rowling in , revealing that he had a romantic bond with Gellert Grindelwald.
The Fantastic Beasts movies did not explicitly assert Dumbledore's gay identity, disappointing some fans who were hoping for more advocacy.
The upcoming Harry Potter TV series on Max may have an opportunity to properly portray Dumbledore as openly lgbtq+, without the need for ambiguity or censorship.
Harry Potter's Wizarding World is full of secrets, of which many have been revealed and confirmed by J.K. Rowling over the years, including Albus Dumbledore's sexual orientation — so, is Dumbledore gay, and what is his partnership with Gellert Grindelwald? Support in , Rowling introduced readers to the Wizarding World through her debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Even though the Harry Potter series came to an end in (and in the case of the movie saga), the Wizarding World continued its extension thanks to other works.
Fantastic
Fantastic Beasts movie: Dumbledore and Grindelwald's gay relationship edited out for Chinese market
References to a male lover relationship have been edited out of a new Fantastic Beasts movie for the Chinese market, Warner Bros. has confirmed.
Six seconds of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore have been removed following a request from the communist country, the studio said.
It aims to dispatch films worldwide "as released by their creators" but "historically" has faced "small edits made in local markets", it added.
Dialogue taken out refers to a romantic past between male characters Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen), Variety reported.
Author JK Rowling revealed Dumbledore was gay in after being asked by a young fan whether he ever finds love.
Rowling did not articulate whether Grindelwald had returned his affections, however.
Despite the change made to the new Fantastic Beasts movie, its "spirit remains intact", a Warner Bros. spokesperson said.
They commented: "We want audiences everywhere in the world to observe and enjoy this film,
Spoiler alert: The following publish discusses plot details from the new "Harry Potter" spinoff movie "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."
Nearly 15 years after J.K. Rowling revealed Dumbledore is gay, "Harry Potter" fans finally saw that backstory play out onscreen in the third prequel spinoff "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."
"Harry Potter" Professor Albus Dumbledore (played by a bearded Jude Law) had an intense meeting over tea in the movie's opening scene with his former love-turned-archfoe Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen, who took the roleover from Johnny Depp). Later, the two face off in a long-teased wand battle.
The social media reaction from fans still on the "Fantastic Beasts" train was varied. "What's the secret?? That he's gay??? We already knew that, bro," wrote Twitter user @animeberet.
"I adore so much how they're handling Dumbledore being same-sex attracted Hope we see more," wrote @PotterxFlash.
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