Sure, we all knew Dumbledore was gay while watching the Harry Potter movies, but aside from author JK Rowling explicitly telling us (post-book publication, by the way) that the eccentric wizard was, indeed, a 'mo, we really wouldn't have had any idea.
But now that we have this Friday's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them kicking off a brand new Wizarding World prequel series, the Potterverse can bring LGBTQ characters and themes out of the shadows.
Here are five queer things we hope to see in the new five-movie saga:
1. Young (and obviously hot) Dumbledore
While he may not show up in this first film, it's been confirmed that a young Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore will appear in the series — and that his sexuality will be addressed. We seriously can't wait to see who they cast in this role. We recommend someone nerdy-hot, right? Dumbledore was definitely an HGN, we just know it.
2. The Dumbledore/Grindelwald romance
The relationship between these two wizards was hinted at in the Harry Potter series and Rowling herself has said that Dumbledore's "great tragedy" was falling in love with the dark wizard. And since Grindelwald appears in Fantastic Beasts (played by Johnny Depp, no less), this tumultuous romance is primed and ready for the silver screen treatment.
3. Trans representation
It's still considered relatively groundbreaking to have a major gay or lesbian character in a movie — how about we get some other letters of the "LGBTQ" in there, too? Considering Rowling's new North American Wizarding World prominently features Native American cultures, we see some opportunity for the introduction of a two-spirit character, one that could represent transsexual, transgendered or intersexed fans.
4. Moving beyond the discrimination storyline
We've seen it in X-Men. We've seen it in The Avengers. We've seen it in even the Harry Potter movies. People don't like people who are different than them. It leads to hate, anger, discrimination. And yes, the LGBTQ community resonates with this message, because we see ourselves, often, as "the other." But what other queer stories are waiting to be told? How else can we represent a long-persecuted community in fiction that shows us life beyond "the other"? We have five movies to explore — so let's do some exploring.
5. Just a damn good story
Sure, it's not queer specific, but for a film franchise with this much anticipation and money-making power, let's hope, at the end of the day, it's good. Especially if queer characters and themes are introduced throughout the movies, it's always better to be associated with a blockbuster hit than a flop, right?
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them hits theatres Friday, November 18. What are you hoping to see?
