One Secrets Of Dumbledore Line Proves Credence Is The New Snape

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore confirmed that Credence Barebone/Aurelius Dumbledore (Ezra Miller) is the new Snape (Alan Rickman) through a very familiar line delivered by Aberforth Dumbledore (Richard Coyle). Fantastic Beasts 3 finally shed light on the plot twist of Credence being Aurelius Dumbledore. Indeed, Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) didn't lie, but he was wrong about Aurelius being Albus' brother (and about the Dumbledores abandoning him). In fact, he is Aberforth's long-lost son, and when the two finally reconnect, Aberforth makes Credence's connection to Snape all too clear.

It is revealed in Fantastic Beasts 3 that Aberforth fathered a child with a woman from Godric's Hollow. However, she was sent away, and the baby was swapped by Leta Lestrange (who was trying to temporarily get rid of her noisy brother Corvus). This is how Aurelius Dumbledore was named Credence and put under the care of tyrannic Mary Lou Barebone. While there is a tragedy in seeing Aurelius teamed with Grindlewald, just as with Snape, there is a moment of redemption that recontextualizes the character.

Credence/Aurelius's Connection To Snape Is Made Clear Through His Interaction With Aberforth

The Physical Resemblance Between The Characters Also Seems Purposeful

Credence's Fantastic Beasts identity crisis tortured him throughout his life, and Grindelwald manipulated him into thinking he was abandoned by his family, using his pain as motivation to kill Albus. At the end of Fantastic Beasts 3, Credence/Aurelius finally learns that Aberforth never meant to abandon him. When he asks his father, "Did you ever think of me? " Aberforth simply replies, "Always."

Aberforth's line mirrors Snape's heartbreaking "Always" in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and this is not a coincidence. Snape's line stands as a symbol of his love for Lily Potter and of his undying loyalty to the good side. Snape is thus portrayed as the antihero with a tragic past (his unrequited love for Lily) and a noble heart.

In Fantastic Beasts 3, Credence resembles Snape physically, too, sporting long, dark robes and shoulder-length hair. Tortured by the Obscurus, his adoptive mother, and his feelings of abandonment, Credence is only manipulated into joining the dark side, abandoning Grindelwald as soon as he learns he has a family. But he reunites with Aberforth as he is dying — Aberforth's line comes at a time as tragic as Snape's, showing Credence's good side at a moment too late.

Credence Joins Grindelwald For The Same Reason Snape Joined Voldemort

Both Characters Are Outsiders Looking For Purpose

When Credence joins Grindelwald, he does so because Grindelwald is the only one who offers him a sense of belonging. This once again is similar to Snape, who once joined the Death Eaters as he felt betrayed by his friend Lily and unwelcome everywhere else. Voldemort's manipulative discourse appealed to Snape, even though he was a half-blood wizard (ironically, so was Voldemort). However, his allegiance soon changes.

When Voldemort kills Snape, he doesn't know that Snape has been working as a double agent for Dumbledore. Grindelwald, whose manipulative skills had earned Credence's allegiance similarly, does feel Credence's heart is not with him, so he tries to kill him. However, Albus and Aberforth's spells meet Grindelwald's and save his life.

Snape Was A Better Character Than Credence

There Was More Depth To Snape

It seems like J.K. Rowling and the rest of the Fantastic Beasts writers are trying to mold Credence into the new Severus Snape — but Snape was a far better character overall. Snape was driven by his love for Lily, whereas Credence's direction is solely shaped by his volatility. Love was one of the main themes throughout the Harry Potter series, which colored the plot, drove character actions, and moved the narrative forward.

Fantastic Beasts, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have the same theme connecting each installment, which could be an underlying reason why the movies underperformed and ultimately failed. While Snape faltered in the beginning by joining Voldemort's cause, he was brought back to the light after Lily died and remained unwaveringly loyal to Dumbledore until the bitter end. Credence's loyalties are based on seemingly momentary whims, flitting back and forth between Grindelwald and his family throughout Fantastic Beasts 3.

Snape also was able to maintain his status as a double agent to the highest degree in Harry Potter, never faltering. Credence would never be capable of such a thing and was saved by Queenie, who only reported some of his thoughts back to Grindelwald. Had Grindelwald been an accomplished Legilimens like Voldemort, Credence wouldn't have lasted long under his stewardship. Even Aberforth's "Always" line is based on Snape's famous quote, further proving that the original can't be beaten and that he's clearly the superior character.

Tragically, even though Credence was saved from Grindelwald's Avada Kedavra, he is dying because of his Obscurus (having survived so long only because of the powerful magic within him). His last scene in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore shows him leaving with Aberforth, finally at peace with himself and his family.

Credence As The New Snape Likely Won't Mean Anything

The Harry Potter Series Is Going In A New Direction

The connection between Snape and Credence did set the latter up to potentially be a more interesting character in the Fantastic Beasts series. While the similarities between the two characters would have been interesting to explore more deeply, it is unlikely that there will ever be a chance given that the Fantastic Beasts movie franchise appears to be over.

Following the disappointing reception of Fantastic Beasts 3, there was some question as to whether the series would continue. There were certainly plans for more stories to be told and the stage was set for the franchise to continue, but the fate of it was left in question. Now there seems to be stronger confirmation that the series will not advance beyond the third movie as Eddie Redmayne suggested that audiences have seen the last of Newt Scamander:

“I think they probably have [seen the last of Newt]. That was a very frank answer, but yeah. And that’s as far as I know. I mean, you’d have to speak to the people at Warner Bros. and J.K Rowling, but as far as I know, that’s it. I think he may come back in a glimpse in the Universal world in Florida that they’re opening up, in which you may catch a glimpse of what he was up to in Paris.”

While Redmayne's comments are disappointing to some fans, it is not surprising that the unfinished movie franchise is being abandoned. Audiences simply did not take an interest in these movies the way that they did with the Harry Potter movies. The studio seems to have recognized that and the Wizarding World is shifting back to the original stories with the new Harry Potter TV series on the way. While there is more to explore with the Snape/Credence connection, it will be one of many lingering aspects of the Fantastic Beasts movies left undone.

In the third and final installment of the Fantastic Beasts trilogy, the threat of Grindelwald grows ever larger. To defeat him, Albus Dumbledore recruits Newt Scamander, along with other talented witches and wizards, to fight Grindelwald and his acolytes before their plans to destroy the non-magic world come to pass.

Director David Yates

Release Date April 8, 2022

Runtime 142 minutes