Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The film takes place primarily in New York City in 1926, during the Roaring Twenties. This period is significant as it captures a time of great social change, mirroring the magical world's own tensions. The city serves as a bustling backdrop highlighting the contrast between the hidden magical community and the non-magical (Muggle) world.

• new york city
• setting
• 1926
• location

MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) is the governing body for the American wizarding world. Unlike the British Ministry of Magic, MACUSA operates in secret and maintains strict separation from the non-magical community, reflecting the unique historical anxieties of American wizards following the Salem Witch Trials.

• macusa
• wizarding america
• american wizards
• secret government

Newt Scamander is a Magizoologist, a specialist in magical creatures. He is portrayed as a passionate, somewhat reclusive figure whose empathy towards magical beasts drives his life's work. His suitcase contains numerous fantastical creatures he has collected while traveling the world, and his mission to protect these animals forms the emotional core of the film.

• newt scamander
• magizoologist
• magical creatures
• main character

Jacob Kowalski is a Muggle (No-Maj in American terminology) aspiring baker who becomes unexpectedly entangled in the magical world. Initially an ordinary everyman, Jacob provides the audience's perspective on the wizarding community. His journey from naivety to bravery showcases how ordinary people can rise to extraordinary challenges when faced with magic.

• jacob kowalski
• muggle
• no-maj
• baker
• everyman

Tina Goldstein is a former Auror (dark wizard catcher) working at MACUSA. She is determined and committed to justice, though she has fallen from grace due to past actions. Her complex position within the magical bureaucracy and her growing bond with Newt highlight themes of redemption and finding one's place in a restrictive society.

• tina goldstein
• auror
• macusa
• former auror

An Obscurus is a dark, parasitic force that develops when a child suppresses their magical abilities due to fear or trauma. Credence Barebone, a troubled young man, harbors an Obscurus within him, a manifestation of the abuse and repression he has suffered under his adoptive mother Mary Lou Barebone, who promotes anti-magic sentiments.

• obscurus
• credence barebone
• suppressed magic
• dark force

Magical creatures are central to the film's themes of compassion and coexistence. Newt's mission to protect and understand these beasts highlights the importance of respecting all beings, regardless of their nature. The creatures themselves, from the Niffler to the Thunderbird, represent the wonder and diversity of the magical world.

• magical creatures
• beasts
• newt suitcase
• coexistence
• compassion

While initially believed to be a young girl, Credence Barebone is actually a male obscurial with immense, unstable magical power. Throughout the film, he is manipulated by Percival Graves (revealed to be Gellert Grindelwald in disguise), who seeks to harness Credence's destructive abilities for his own dark purposes.

• credence
• grindelwald
• graves
• true identity
• obscurial

The film explores the tension between magical and non-magical (No-Maj) communities through MACUSA's strict secrecy laws and groups like the Second Salemers, who hunt witches. The accidental release of magical creatures into New York threatens to expose the hidden wizarding world, creating urgent stakes around whether these two worlds can coexist.

• coexistence
• secrecy
• no-maj
• second salemers
• exposure threat

Queenie Goldstein possesses Legilimency, the rare ability to read people's minds. Her warm, charming personality masks the burden of constantly hearing others' thoughts. This ability creates both romantic tension with Jacob (who she cannot hide her feelings from) and dramatic irony throughout the narrative.

• queenie goldstein
• legilimency
• mind reading
• telepathy

The film emphasizes that friendship transcends boundaries, whether between wizards and Muggles, or among unlikely allies. The bond between Newt, Tina, and Jacob demonstrates how trust and camaraderie are essential in facing dark challenges. Their relationship evolves from strangers to devoted friends willing to risk everything for one another.

• friendship
• trust
• newt tina jacob
• camaraderie
• alliance

Although Gellert Grindelwald appears in disguise as Auror Percival Graves, the film establishes him as a rising dark wizard threat to the global wizarding world. His interest in Credence and the Obscurus foreshadows the larger conflict that will unfold in the Fantastic Beasts series, connecting this film to the broader Wizarding World timeline.

• grindelwald
• dark wizard
• percival graves
• threat
• sequel setup