You know, the existence of magic in any movie is great when it comes to fixing little discrepancies and plot holes. Most things can be explained away with the “it’s magic” rule, or brushed under the carpet because “we don’t know the rules of the world anyway”.
There are some things though that even the most fantastical spells can’t offer a solution to, and Harry Potter fans have been left incredibly confused by a blatant plot hole in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, that just doesn’t make sense any way you look at it.
Take a look at the trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore right here.
In short, it’s the existence of Professor McGonagall. The Fantastic Beasts movies are all set before the time of the main Harry Potter series (which was set in the 1990s), with the latest one taking place in the 1930s. The result of this, of course, is a mostly new cast - although Dumbledore still exists, he’s much younger. This makes sense, though, as stated on the official website, everyone’s favourite long-bearded headteacher was born in 1881, so he was well and truly on the scene by the time the events of these spinoffs took place.
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McGonagall on the other hand is another matter. As reported by Cosmopolitan, it’s previously been confirmed that she was born in 1935. So, okay, sure, she might be alive during The Secrets of Dumbledore, but she certainly shouldn’t be an adult woman, which is exactly how she’s portrayed. Irish actor Fiona Glascott has taken on the role, and being in her late thirties, you can only assume that McGonagall is meant to be around the same, creating a massive discrepancy.
This isn’t the first we've seen of this problem, either - the hole gets dug even deeper when you look at the previous Fantastic Beasts films. The Crimes of Grindelwald was the worst offender (ironically), as it featured flashbacks to the 1910s in which McGonagall was seen teaching at Hogwarts, which makes even less sense, given she shouldn’t have even been born for about another 25 years. Either someone’s going wild with a Time-Turner, or there might have been a bit of a mixup over how old she’s meant to be. I’d say it’s probably the latter.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros. PicturesTopics: Harry Potter, TV And Film