The theatrical release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a week away and true Harry Potter fans have pretty mixed feelings. Some are thrilled about the opportunity to watch another addition to the Harry Potter universe. Others can’t ignore the glaring error to the original timeline in regards to recent Fantastic Beast 2 casting news.
As Inquisitr previously reported, a younger version of Professor Minerva McGonagall – played by Irish actress Fiona Glascott – is set to appear in Fantastic Beasts 2. While it is unclear how large of a role the young McGonagall will have in the sequel, Harry Potter fans are having a hard time wrapping their minds around how it is even possible for the character to exist in the timeline at all.
Why Are Harry Potter Fans So Upset?
The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them plot took place during the year 1926. The plot of the sequel is set to take place a handful of months later in 1927. According to Harry Potter lore, the idea that a young Professor McGonagall could exist in the Fantastic Beasts timeline doesn’t make any sense because she hadn’t been born yet.
While neither the books nor the movies pinpointed exactly when McGonagall was born, true fans of the series have been able to work out her birth year to be 1935 based on the information available surrounding her character.
A younger version of Professor McGonagall will reportedly show up in #FantasticBeasts2. https://t.co/TiQ9bPUREd pic.twitter.com/SK2zUMyNNH
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) November 3, 2018
During the fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix, fans learned McGonagall started her career at Hogwarts back in December of 1956. Prior to that, she worked at the Ministry of Magic for two years after she graduated.
Doing the math backward, fans deduced she graduated in 1954, was a first-year student in 1947, and would have been born in 1935.
Professor McGonagall is set to appear in Fantastic Beasts. The only problem is, she's not even supposed to be born yet. https://t.co/xZJWs0Vk9A pic.twitter.com/9d09THvQuU
— Screen Rant (@screenrant) November 3, 2018
For Harry Potter fans, this piece of history makes it impossible for McGonagall to exist in the Fantastic Beasts timeline.
Known for having a huge and outspoken fan base, Harry Potter fans have taken to social media to let their concerns and frustrations for the glaring error in the timeline known.
Many Harry Potter fans have tagged J.K. Rowling begging her to explain how Minerva’s existence in the Fantastic Beasts timeline is even possible.
@jk_rowling PLEASE EXPLAIN ???????????????? I mean I love mcgonagall but whaaaaaat? pic.twitter.com/GPLf6sCClN
— Leni ⚡️????????????????#DA (@leni_diggory) November 2, 2018
Apparently Minevra McGonagall will be featured in the new movie "Crimes of Grindelwald", which is set in 1927. But according to the book "Order of the Phoenix" and the @pottermore website, she should have been born in 1935. What are you playing at @jk_rowling ??
— K (@Kaumadi_J) November 4, 2018
Others argued the Fantastic Beasts movies and Harry Potter movies could no longer be tied together because of the error.
if the cog mcgonagall rumour is true, that means it's basically confirmed that fb has nothing to do with the hp books
— zoé | was @sunnyvids (@oswinss) November 2, 2018
Many took issue with the fact that Harry Potter lore confirmed McGonagall’s birthday to be 1935.
i just read that mcgonagall is in crimes of grindelwald but she wasnt even born back then??? pic.twitter.com/Zaj0l09Hte
— sascha (@herrmiones) November 9, 2018
J.K. Rowling and the entire Harry Potter universe did have some fans come to their defense. These fans claimed that many were overreacting before they even had a chance to see the movie.
Ugh, the idiots among the Potterheads are at it again...
— Weihnachtsmannarch ????????️???????? (@DerMonarch) November 3, 2018
So apparently some actress was revealed to play a "Professor McGonagall" in Crimes of Grindelwald and of course they are immediately assuming Rowling is retconning her own timeline or McG's backstory.
There were some fans who tried to make sense of the error. One fan pointed out maybe it was another member of the McGonagall family, given just how old Dumbledore is.
Surely there being a "Professor McGonagall" in #FantasticBeasts2 is implying that it is one of Minerva's parents @jk_rowling?
— Will Owyong (@stuv1k) November 8, 2018
With Dumbledore's long lifespan (~150 years) surely he's had multi-generational interactions with wizarding families.
A second reminded everyone that time traveling was a real thing in Harry Potter. In fact, it was none other than McGonagall herself who gave the time turner to Hermione Granger.
Everyone are confuse how McGonagall can possibly appear #crimesofgrindewald when she’s the same women who gave her 3rd year student a time turner
— you know who (@toughparker) November 7, 2018
Only time will tell if McGonagall’s appearance in Fantastic Beasts 2 is truly an error in the timeline or if the movie will explain how or why she is there.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald theatrical release date is November 16.