6) Dumbledore/Grindelwald Relationship Explored
The other thing to know about Grindelwald is that he was the teenage best friend of Dumbledore – except Albus harboured secret romantic feelings for him that went unrequited. This was a throwaway detail in the books, just a footnote in the backstory of the character. In Fantastic Beasts, however, we have the prime opportunity to see this interesting relationship explored head-on.
For one, the subtle reveal that Dumbledore was actually gay offended some fans who thought such a character trait should have been more central, as there are still relatively few homosexual heroic characters in children’s fiction and in mainstream cinema. Now, Rowling and her team have the chance to depict Dumbledore’s sexuality in an open way. This is something that has already been teased by the writer herself, in fact.
It would also be fascinating to find out how Grindelwald really felt about Dumbledore. The books do not make it clear whether he rejected Dumbledore’s advances or was simply not aware of his friend’s true feelings – this would have taken place in Victorian England after all, at a time when homosexuality was a criminal offence.