Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Credence is valuable to both wizards because they believe he possesses immense magical power as an Obscurial. Dumbledore suspects Credence is actually Corvus Lestrange V, the lost half-brother of Leta Lestrange, while Grindelwald ultimately reveals to Credence that he may be Aurelius Dumbledore, making him a powerful ally or threat depending on who controls him.

Foreshadowing: Early in the film, Dumbledore specifically asks Newt to find Credence, suggesting he knows something important about the young man's identity.

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The blood pact is a magical contract Dumbledore and Grindelwald made in their youth, binding them so they cannot fight or harm each other. Dumbledore gives Newt a vial containing a piece of the pact, speculating it might be destroyable, which would allow Dumbledore to confront Grindelwald directly.

Foreshadowing: The niffler steals the vial from Grindelwald during the chaos at the rally, giving Dumbledore a potential weapon against his former friend.

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Yusuf believes Credence is responsible for his mother's death. His mother Laurena was cursed by Corvus Lestrange IV using the Imperius Curse, causing her to die in childbirth while giving birth to what Yusuf believes was Credence. However, the truth is more complex, as Credence is actually Corvus V, not the child who caused Laurena's death.

Foreshadowing: Yusuf reveals his Unbreakable Vow to kill Credence in the Lestrange tomb, explaining the family vendetta that has driven his actions throughout the film.

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Leta's baby brother Corvus V drowned on the ship to America. When the ship was sinking, Leta desperately switched her baby with another infant to give him a better chance of survival. However, the other infant (who was actually Credence) survived while Corvus V drowned, something Leta carried as devastating guilt.

Foreshadowing: The Lestrange family tomb scene reveals the tragic truth, showing how Leta's childhood action haunts her throughout the film.

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Queenie was manipulated by Grindelwald after her relationship with Jacob fell apart. When Jacob refused to marry her due to the prohibition against wizard-no-maj relationships, Queenie was heartbroken. Grindelwald exploited her desire to marry Jacob by promising a world where such laws don't exist, convincing her that his vision aligns with her dreams.

Foreshadowing: Queenie's appearance at Grindelwald's rally shows she has chosen to align with him, using the ring of blue fire to pass through safely.

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Grindelwald escaped during the transfer from MACUSA to European authorities. While being transported, he managed to break free from his magical restraints and flee, though the exact method is not shown in detail. This escape sets the main plot in motion, as Dumbledore then enlists Newt to stop him.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Grindelwald's escape, establishing him as a dangerous threat already loose in the wizarding world.

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Nagini is a performer at the Circus Arcanus who is afflicted with a curse that causes her to permanently transform into a snake. This is a reference to Voldemort's eventual Horcrux Nagini in the Harry Potter series, making her fate particularly tragic as she will eventually lose her human form completely.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes Nagini's curse early, showing her in snake form during Credence's escape from the circus.

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Leta sacrificed herself to allow Newt, Tina, Jacob, and others to escape Grindelwald's rally. When Grindelwald's blue fire trap surrounded the group, Leta used herself as a distraction, enabling the others to escape while she was caught in the flames. Her death represents her redemption for past mistakes and her loyalty to those she cared about.

Foreshadowing: Earlier in the film, Leta expresses guilt over her brother's death and her complicated feelings for Newt, setting up her heroic final choice.

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Throughout the film, Credence's identity is revealed to be Corvus Lestrange V, the lost half-brother of Leta Lestrange. However, Grindelwald later reveals a more shocking possibility: that Credence may actually be Aurelius Dumbledore, long-lost brother of Albus Dumbledore, giving him immense magical potential and a connection to Dumbledore's family.

Foreshadowing: Dumbledore's suspicion that Credence is Leta's brother drives much of the early plot, while the revelation at Nurmengard Castle completely reframes his significance.

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Leta revealed that when she was a child aboard the ship bound for America, she switched her crying baby brother with another infant in an attempt to save him during the sinking. The other baby survived and was adopted as Credence, while her brother Corvus V drowned. This secret had haunted her for years and explains her guilt-ridden personality.

Foreshadowing: The Lestrange tomb scene forces Leta to confront her past, as Yusuf Kama demands answers about what really happened on that ship.

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Dumbledore manipulates Newt into the mission because he cannot directly confront Grindelwald due to the blood pact binding them. He suspects Credence is the lost Lestrange heir and wants to reach Credence before Grindelwald can recruit him. By using Newt, who has experience with Obscurials from his previous work, Dumbledore stays removed from the conflict while still advancing his plan.

Foreshadowing: Dumbledore admits to intentionally guiding Newt to New York in the first film, showing his long-term manipulation of Newt's actions.

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Jacob is a No-Maj (non-magical person) while Queenie is a witch. Magical law strictly prohibits marriage between wizards and non-magical people to prevent the exposure of the magical world. This law is enforced by organizations like MACUSA, making Queenie's desire to marry Jacob legally impossible without changing the entire magical world's structure.

Foreshadowing: Queenie's desperation to find a way to legally marry Jacob makes her vulnerable to Grindelwald's promises of a world without such restrictions.

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