Will Voldemort Appear in Fantastic Beasts 3? Here Is How He Could!

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore brings us the next chapter of the fight against Gellert Grindelwald. It will also be the first film that slightly overlaps with the timeline depicted in the Harry Potter movies, notably Tom Riddle’s Hogwarts attendance. That opens the question, will Voldemort appear in Fantastic Beasts 3?

The third Fantastic Beasts film makes a 10-year jump from the previous movie to 1939. Tom riddle got into Hogwarts in 1938, meaning he could possibly appear in the new movie. However, he’d still be quite young, so it’s more likely he’ll appear in Fantastic Beasts 4 or 5.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of ways, and alleys that The Secrets of Dumbledore might take to incorporate young Voldemort into the storyline – at least superficially, in a cameo role, if nothing else. Here’s how Voldemort could appear in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Timeline

So, to understand if Voldemort’s appearance in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is even a possibility, let’s break up the timeline of when certain key events took place.

Tom Marvolo Riddle, later to become Lord Voldemort, was born on December 31st, 1926, and lived his first eleven years in Wool’s Orphanage in London. That means he was already alive during the last Fantastic Beasts movie, The Crimes of Grindelwald, which ended around 1929. That’d mean he was still just a child.

In 1938, Dumbledore visited the Orphanage after Tom displayed powerful magical abilities, like hurting those who annoyed or bullied him, etc. The boy starts attending Hogwarts in 1938, sorted into Slytherin.

Now, The Secrets of Dumbledore, as it seems, will make a jump from 1929 in the last film to 1939. The final scene of the Crimes of Grindelwald revealed that Credence Barebone, a young Obscurial, was Albus Dumbledore’s long-lost brother.

Throughout the decade between the movies, it is believed that Grindelwald was summoning an army of witches and wizards that support his cause. In contrast, Dumbledore, Newt Scamander, and the others developed a plan to defeat the dark wizard when the time came.

1939 would be Tom Riddle’s second year in Hogwarts, meaning he could potentially encounter Grindelwald, directly or indirectly. Let’s see how that could happen.

Will Voldemort Appear In Fantastic Beasts 3?

I’d like to make something clear. I don’t believe Voldemort should appear in any of the Fantastic Beasts films, especially not Ralph Fiennes. Tom Riddle is still a teenager at this particular time, so if any version of the Dark Lord ought to appear, it could only be Tom Riddle, who still wasn’t Lord Voldemort at the time.

That being said, there are a few possibilities to how Tom Riddle could appear in Fantastic Beasts 3.

Firstly, the option I believe to be the most plausible is for a young Tom to have a cameo role in one of the scenes at Hogwarts, just to appease the nostalgic fans craving for a connection to the original film and book series. Bear in mind, Riddle would be a boy, around 11 or 12 years old, so I doubt his role as a villain with Grindelwald would be reasonable.

Perhaps he’d simply see what Grindelwald was doing, hear his cause about purifying the wizard bloodlines, and ruling over both the wizarding and the Muggle world. I can see that be a slight nudge for young Tom in the direction of dark magic.

The other possibility is Grindelwald somehow getting through to Tom, getting him to help his cause. We’ve seen a scene from the trailer happening in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, meaning Grindelwald and his followers will probably find a way to enter Hogwarts. Perhaps Tom Riddle was their way in? It’s a stretch, but a possibility nevertheless.

However, if that’s the case, then Dumbledore must’ve seen it coming and still allowed it. You see, ever since their first conversation in the orphanage, Albus sensed something odd, or peculiar, at least, with Tom Riddle. That’s why he kept a close eye out on the boy during his time at Hogwarts. Had Tom spoken to Grindelwald, I think Dumbledore would know.

On the other hand, Riddle already began producing Horcruxes when he was sixteen – he made the first Horcrux at 16 and two more shortly after. Dumbledore had no idea that was happening, meaning Tom’s potential interaction with Grindelwald might’ve slipped his sight, too.

But then we get to my final point – Tom Riddle was already older then and more experienced. There’s a big difference between a 17-18-year-old wizard with around six years of training and an 11-12-year-old kid with no magic training. Grindelwald’s final defeat, according to the books, came in 1945, which would be around the time when Riddle was 17-18.

That’s why I believe that if Voldemort were to appear in the Fantastic Beasts 3, it would only be a cameo role, as a kid in Hogwarts, infatuated with Grindelwald and his mission. If he were to appear in a more significant role, it’d probably come later, in Fantastic Beasts 4 or 5 – the two movies that have already been announced.

Grindelwald’s And Voldemort’s Connection

With all that being said, I believe it’s only a matter of time before Voldemort appears in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The two already have history from the Harry Potter books and movies, and it seemed that they knew each other from before when they met face to face in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

It happened in 1998 when Voldemort visited an imprisoned Grindelwald in Nurmengard. At the time, Grindelwald had thought thoroughly about his actions and expressed remorse and shame. Voldemort sought information about the location of the Elder Wand, which Grindelwald knew, but refused to tell the Dark Lord.

In the books, Voldemort kills Grindelwald in his cell with Avada Kedavra, the Death Curse, whereas in the movies, he spares Gellert’s life. No matter the case, it was somewhat obvious from their interaction that they knew each other from before. Perhaps we’ll see how they knew each other in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.

One more detail that caught my eye in the trailers that could be interpreted as a connection between Voldemort and Grindelwald is Quilin, or Quirin, also known as the Asian Unicorn. It appears several times throughout the trailer for The Secrets of Dumbledore – and it just might be the connection between the two dark wizards.

As you remember, Unicorns are known as noble creatures, and killing them is considered an atrocious crime. However, their blood has magical properties to enhance life and keep one alive even from the brink of death. Voldemort drank a Unicorn’s blood in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

It seems that a Quilin will have a major role as the main mystical creature in the new movie. We see Grindelwald with a Quilin, and later, Newt carrying the creature in his arms. Perhaps they ought to save the noble thing before Grindelwald slays it for the benefits it can give him.

That being said, Grindelwald would already be around 115 years old in Nurmengard when Voldemort visited him in 1998, and he still looked vital. He probably did drink the creature’s blood, prolonging his life.

Perhaps that’s the connection they’ll try to make between Voldemort and Grindelwald. Maybe a young Tom Riddle will learn of the power that a Unicorn’s blood has directly from Grindelwald, prompting him to drink it at his weakest point in the first Harry Potter book and film.

I’m merely speculating, but there’s a big possibility it will play out this way. One thing is for certain – if Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort, appears in Fantastic Beasts 3, it will probably be a minor role. 

There’s a much greater chance for a more significant role in one of the two subsequent films, Fantastic Beasts 4 or 5, seeing that they’ll revolve around the time between 1940-1945 when Tom is a more mature teenager and a more capable wizard.