The Wizarding World has given birth to many dangerous magical individuals, but undoubtedly one of the most menacing is Gellert Grindelwald. First teased for his place in wizarding history in the Harry Potter series, the dark wizard has mostly featured in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. Over the course of the spin-off’s movies, he proves a tricky opponent for Newt Scamander and his allies, truly pushing them to their limits.
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Possessing a terrifyingly strong magical skillset, Albus Dumbledore’s former lover is easily one of the most feared beings in this universe. Grindelwald holds a powerful grip over much of the Wizarding folk in the early 20th century, with his deviously evil quotes managing to turn a number of witches and wizards to his side. He has a knack for saying what other wizards need to hear in order to make them think they have the same goals, but what he really wants is power and magical users to rule over those who do not have the ability.
“Your Anger, Your Desire For Revenge, Is Natural.”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
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Vengeance is a common theme within fantasy stories, with characters losing loved ones to malignant forces. The Crimes Of Grindelwald demonstrates Grindelwald’s ability to use this understandable human reaction for his own gain. The wizard’s comments come as he spots a nervous young witch among the aurors who have gatecrashed his rally.
Grindelwald notices that this woman is in clear distress, and he uses her anxiety to his advantage, to recruit her to his side. He chooses his words carefully, to fuel this witch’s anger towards her fellow aurors and use her as a weapon. It’s an especially devious quote from one of the franchise’s most evil wizards. It’s also a great, succinct, example of how he is able to read people without spending much time with them. He knows exactly what spots to hit to get them on his side.
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Related Every Actor Who Has Played Grindelwald In Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts
The dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald has been played by many actors in the Wizarding World. Who are they and what did they each bring to the role?
“This Will Be Suitable After A Thorough Cleanse.”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
After Grindelwald breaks out of custody in the second movie, he and his followers search for a house to use as their home base. His followers rather unceremoniously kill the occupants of a house they find. When he walks inside with them to inspect the house after watching coffins be removed from it, this is his response.
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Grindelwald takes no issue with people being killed and removed from a property just so he can use it. There is no moral quandary for him as long as he gets what he wants. Beyond that, he also seemingly has no qualms when those being killed include children. That’s evident when he and his followers continue a walk through the house to find an infant. One of the women with him using a spell that involves green light as Grindelwald leaves the room indicates that she uses the Avada Kadavra curse on him.
It’s a good indication that Grindelwald and Voldemort, the main villain of the Harry Potter franchise, are not so far removed from one another as long as they get the power they want.
“Magic Blooms Only In Rare Souls. It Is Granted To Those Meant For Higher Things.”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
During his rally in Paris, Grindelwald spends quite a few moments of his speech talking about how he doesn’t hate people born without magic. He discusses how they are simply different from magical beings, offering several comparisons as examples. He also says this line.
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His speech is meant to appeal to those in the magical community who haven’t agreed with hurting those without magic. His entire speech, however, reeks of the “separate, but equal” line that explained segregation in the United States of America. For years, the idea was presented that two different races could coexist in separate areas, using separate doors, different parts of buses, etc. simply because they were different.
That idea, in real life as in the movie, only serves to grow discord between the groups and shows how easy it is to make it seem like that discord is imagined.
“Can You Smell It? The Stench?”
The Secrets Of Dumbledore
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To the public, Grindelwald is the face of charisma and leadership. He says and does exactly what they need to hear and see in order to sway them to his side. The public doesn’t get to see who he really is though. Albus Dumbledore does.
The two take a magical meeting of sorts in The Secrets of Dumbledore. It’s after Albus has acquired the symbolic blood pact and Grindelwald is making headway with his followers. Albus chooses a non-magical meeting place so that neither of them will be exposed for the meeting, or at least, the audience can surmise that the location is his choosing because Grindelwald says this line upon meeting him for tea.
Grindelwald drops all pretense of being the good guy, though it’s clear he still thinks he’s going to be seen as charming by his former lover. He might love a good cup of tea from muggles, but he goes so far as to say that those who don’t have magic have a stench to separate them as something “other” from himself and Dumbledore. It’s a particularly vile way to maintain distance.
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“His Pain Is His Power.”
The Secrets Of Dumbledore
He’s never welcomed, but always kept in a constant state of pain.
When Credence Barebone decides to ally himself with Gellert Grindelwald, it’s because he wants to know where he comes from and wants to feel less alone. Grindelwald feeds him a lie about the Dumbledore brothers abandoning him when he was born. Albus didn’t even know Aurelius Dumbledore existed and Aberforth regretted not getting to meet his son his entire life.
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Aurelius doesn’t get the acceptance or love he craves from Grindelwald though. Instead, Grindelwald uses him like another magical tool in his arsenal. Even while Aurelius secretly communicates with Aberforth on a magical mirror, he still does Grindelwald’s bidding, helping to capture a Qilin, keeping the Dumbledore brothers off balance, and using his magic in the street where anyone can see. He’s never welcomed, but always kept in a constant state of pain.
As Grindelwald points out, he needs Aurelius to be in pain in order to use his power. It’s a cruel way to keep him in line, but also a cruel way to force someone to live their life.
“Mr Scamander! Do You Think Dumbledore Will Mourn For You?”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
Albus Dumbledore is the kind of person who believes the ends justify the means and those closest to him know that.
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Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore have a strong personal connection, having previously been romantic partners. Unfortunately, Gellert Grindelwald’s extreme views on wizarding supremacy saw the couple drift apart, with Albus strongly opposing his partner’s ideas. The Crimes Of Grindelwald reveals a bitter attitude displayed by the wizard towards his former lover, as he goads Newt over his friendship with Dumbledore.
Grindelwald’s harsh words are designed to drive a wedge between Newt – who shares many identical traits with Harry Potter – and Albus, by making the magizoologist believe that his former teacher cares little for his wellbeing. Albus Dumbledore is the kind of person who believes the ends justify the means and those closest to him know that. He draws upon knowledge of his ex-boyfriend’s tendency to use people in order to seed doubt in Newt’s mind, toying with Scamander’s emotions in an especially heartless manner.
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“Their Arrogance Is The Key To Our Victory!”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
A cocksure attitude is common for many different kinds of villains, and Grindelwald demonstrates this undesirable personality trait throughout the Fantastic Beasts franchise. He is supremely confident in his beliefs and his plans, and for him, everyone else is wrong. The Crimes Of Grindelwald features one of his most impudent scenes yet, with the magical individual attempting to rally the wizarding population against the No-Majs.
This quote perfectly conveys Grindelwald’s views on non-magical folk. He sees the No-Majs as inferior due to their lack of spellcasting ability and believes their “victory” will be easy. After all, how could people who have no magical abilities have a chance against Grindelwald and his followers? Grindelwald thinks very little of these people, as he ironically dismisses them as “arrogant” in a line that’s wickedly dismissive.
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“I Wish You Were Working With Me Now. Towards A World Where We Wizards Are Free To Live Openly, And To Love Freely.”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
Grindelwald is easily one of Harry Potter’s most overpowered characters, and one of the key factors behind his extreme power levels is his way with words. The Crimes Of Grindelwald shows Grindelwald’s manipulative methods during the Paris rally sequence, which sees the wizarding dictator successfully lure Queenie to his side. Even before that, however, he meets Queenie face-to-face when one of his followers comforts the other woman in Paris.
Grindelwald’s words demonstrate how easily he is able to get inside someone’s mind. The dark wizard plays on Queenie’s love for Jacob, to convince her that his tyrannical aims will allow her to romance the No-Maj baker more easily. He uses her strong feelings for Jacob as a means to manipulate her against Newt, in a quote that reflects his scheming ways.
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The audience, of course, knows that his words are solely for Queenie’s benefit because he has no intention of allowing No-Maj’s to marry wizards. He wants to enslave those who cannot use magic or eliminate them completely. He doesn’t see any other use for them. He makes that clear to his followers at the start of the movie. Queenie, however, doesn’t know that.
“A Law That Directs Those Under Its Dominion To Cower In Fear Lest We Risk Discovery! I Ask You, Madam President, I Ask All Of You… Who Does This Law Protect? Us? Or Them?”
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
Grindelwald’s disguise proved particularly effective during the events of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, which involves him masquerading as Percival Graves. Many had no idea going into the movie that the two would be the same. In the movie’s final scene, Grindelwald criticizes Madam Picquery for her decision to have Credence killed.
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Grindelwald uses Credence’s apparent death as a means to influence the magical folk against the No-Majs, painting him as a tragic figure in light of the community’s strict laws against muggle interference. Grindelwald’s aim here is to spark a revolution against non-magical individuals, with the hope that it ends with wizards ruling supreme, making this an especially evil quote. It’s definitely not difficult to see how his words would garner favor in the magical community, weaseling his way into their good graces.
Related The Potterverse: All The Wizarding World Films In Chronological Order
The Fantastic Beasts franchise came after the Harry Potter movies wrapped, making the chronological order a bit confusing for Wizarding World fans.
“Aurors, Join Me In This Circle, Pledge To Me Your Eternal Allegiance, Or Die. Only Here Shall You Know Freedom, Only Here Shall You Know Yourself.”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
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Any evil wizard requires a team of loyal followers to carry out their dirty work and increase their control over others, and Grindelwald is no different. In The Crimes Of Grindelwald, the wizarding dictator launches a rally in Paris as a means of recruiting new magical folk to his cause. Upon discovering that aurors have arrived at his event, he invites them to join him in his fight to establish a new world order. Of course, if they aren’t genuine, his magical line of blue fire will kill them.
This harsh line showcases how far Grindelwald is prepared to go in order to achieve his prime objective. It’s a callous piece of dialogue that represents the wizard’s deranged mindset, as his obsession with ruling over No-Majs leads to his murderous threats. Grindelwald demands loyalty to his cause and expresses his intent to kill those who stand in his way, resulting in one of his most wicked quotes yet.
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“Leta Lestrange. Despised Entirely Amongst Wizards, Unloved, Mistreated, Yet Brave. So Very Brave.”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
Grindelwald’s cruel words reflect his uncaring nature.
Leta Lestrange is a key character throughout The Crimes Of Grindelwald, with many fans believing Newt should have ended up romantically involved with her instead of Tina. Newt’s old school crush had a rough upbringing with her family blaming her for their lack of love for one another and tragedy and her classmates spreading rumors about her. Grindelwald exploits her feelings about the past during his Paris rally to encourage her to join his movement.
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Grindelwald’s cruel words reflect his uncaring nature. The wizarding dictator delivers a cutting reference to Leta’s past, as he tries to make the witch believe that she has no friends. He doesn’t mind cutting people down or making them feel worse about themselves if it means they will follow him. Grindelwald emotionally abuses poor Leta Lestrange in what proves to be one of his most evil remarks yet.
“The Disapproval Of Cowards Is Praise To The Brave. Your Name Will Be Written In Glory When Wizards Rule The World.”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
Throughout the first two Fantastic Beasts movies, Grindelwald demonstrates his commitment to his cause, no matter what. The Crimes Of Grindelwald acts as the perfect example of the wizard’s determination, with his plans starting to truly form in Paris. During an early attempt to capture Credence, Grindelwald shows his appreciation for the Ministry’s bounty hunter Grimmson’s allegiance to his cause.
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Grindelwald believes in establishing a hierarchy where magical folk rule over the world’s muggle population (those that he allows to survive) and labels those who oppose these wrongful ideals as “cowards.” Anyone who disagrees with him is labeled as such. The element that makes this quote truly malevolent, however, is his glorification of world domination, as he declares how Grimmon’s devotion to such a vile objective will see his name “written in glory.”
Related Did Grindelwald Ever Find Redemption? The Harry Potter Books Have The Answer
Fantastic Beasts may have missed out on the chance to finish Gellert Grindelwald’s story, but the Harry Potter books filled in the final details.
“You’re Unteachable, Credence. Your Mother’s Dead, That’s Your Reward. I’m Done With You.”
Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
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Grindelwald’s obsession with Credence is a major narrative focus throughout Fantastic Beasts, with the second film revealing that Credence is related to the Dumbledore family (although many fans believe this may not be true). The first movie sees Grindelwald acting as a mentor figure to the troubled young man, whilst masquerading as Percival Graves, before he cruelly turns on him for supposedly lacking any magical ability.
Grindelwald appears somewhat unsympathetic towards Credence. Not only does he refer to the struggling young adult as “unteachable,” but he also proceeds to call his mother’s death a “reward.” Grindelwald only places value on people based on how much they can do for him. This piece of dialogue presents audiences with Grindelwald’s lack of empathy towards those he views as useless, making this one of his most despicable lines.
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“That Is What We Are Fighting! That Is The Enemy: Their Arrogance, Their Power Lust, Their Barbarity. How Long Will It Take Before They Turn Their Weapons On Us?”
The Crimes Of Grindelwald
Grindelwald’s powers seemingly know no bounds, with the wizard able to draw upon all kinds of magical capabilities. One of his most impressive skills is seen in The Crimes Of Grindelwald, when he uses his skull-hookah to project a vision of the future. This scene occurs during Grindelwald’s Paris rally, as he conjures images of the Second World War. There are marching soldiers, tanks, and even the atomic bomb. The wizards present at the rally are horrified by what he shows them, and even Jacob Kowalski realizes that it means another war is looming.
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Grindelwald’s words which accompany this vision deliver a negative slant towards the No-Majs. The wizard uses the horrific imagery of the upcoming conflict to manipulate the wizarding community against those without magical ability, presenting muggles as a threat to their society, in a quote driven by evil intent. It’s an effective display of his power and one of the most terrifying methods of hiding his evil in the Fantastic Beasts movies.
“I Was Never Your Enemy.”
The Secrets Of Dumbledore
At the end of the third movie, Grindelwald’s lies are exposed for Wizarding World leaders to see. He’s kept from ultimately ascending to the most powerful position in the magical world because Aurelius, Newt, and the rest of Dumbledore’s allies come together to bring the truth to light. Grindelwald, however, doesn’t see himself as in the wrong, and that’s what makes him so dangerous.
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He tells Dumbledore, and then the assembled crowd, that he was never their enemy. He believes that wanting to take the world to war was in the best interest of those with magical abilities. He believes his prejudiced rhetoric is correct. Grindelwald finds no fault in himself, only in those around him. That is how his evil is conveyed one more time. He would rather burn the world down to get his way than he would allow anyone else to be proven correct. It makes him a truly evil villain for the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
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7.4/10 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them PG-13FantasyAdventure
In 1926, British magizoologist Newt Scamander travels to New York City in his ongoing field research into magical creatures. Here, he finds himself caught up in some trouble involving a No-Maj, local wizarding law enforcement, and the Dark Wizard Grindelwald.
Director David Yates Release Date November 18, 2016 Writers J.K. Rowling Cast Ezra Miller , Alison Sudol , Eddie Redmayne , Colin Farrell , Katherine Waterston , Dan Fogler Runtime 133 minutes
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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald PG-13FantasyAdventure
The second film in the Harry Potter prequel franchise, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald delves deeper into the machinations of the titular villain. With the dark wizard Grindelwald intent on sparking a war between magical and non-magical societies, it falls to magizoologist Newt Scamander and a young Albus Dumbledore to stop him.
Director David Yates Release Date November 16, 2018 Writers J.K. Rowling Cast Eddie Redmayne , Dan Fogler , Kevin Guthrie , Callum Turner , Katherine Waterston , Ezra Miller , Ingvar Sigurdsson , Jude Law , Johnny Depp , Alison Sudol , William Nadylam , Ólafur Darri Ólafsson , Claudia Kim , Zoe Kravitz Runtime 134 Minutes Expand
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4.3/10 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore PG-13AdventureFantasyFamily
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 Writers Steve Kloves , J.K. Rowling Cast Eddie Redmayne , Jude Law , Ezra Miller , Mads Mikkelsen , Dan Fogler , Alison Sudol , Callum Turner , Jessica Williams , Katherine Waterston Runtime 142 minutes
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