It was a fleeting image. But one that's frozen in the minds of the Potter fans who have watched Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. A young Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore looks into the Mirror of Erised, and a moment later, sees his bosom buddy-turned-nemesis Gellert Grindelwald looking right back at him.
It was left for the Potterheads to figure out what that means—the Mirror of Erised shows the person looking into it what he desires the most. But, was the mirror merely showing the person Dumbledore was desperately looking for, since Grindelwald had gone 'rogue'? Or was there more to it than what met the eye?
The latter argument gathered steam since author J.K. Rowling had 'revealed' earlier that the Hogwarts headmaster was gay. It was widely assumed (Potter fan theories mostly) then that Dumbledore and Grindelwald shared more than just friendship and admiration for each other, before they turned bitter foes.
Now, in the Blu-ray version of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Rowling put all such theories to rest saying that the two shared a “passionate love relationship”.
“It was passionate, and it was a love relationship,” the RadioTimes reported her as saying in the documentary feature. “But as happens in any relationship, gay or straight or whatever label we want to put on it, one never knows really what the other person is feeling. You can’t know, you can believe you know.
“I am less interested in the sexual side—though I believe there is a sexual dimension to this relationship—than I am in the sense of the emotions they felt for each other, which ultimately is the most fascinating thing about all human relationships,” said Rowling. Director David Yates added: “This is a story about two men who loved each other, and ultimately have to fight each other. It’s a story for the 21st century.”
The 'revelation', expectedly, set the social media on fire, with a large section of fans criticising her for its need and timing. None of the seven Harry Potter books nor the eight films in the franchise made any reference to this subplot. Rowling, who supports LGBTQ rights, was criticised for the absence of a queer character in the whole series. Many fans argue that this might have prompted her to make the 'revelations' about Dumbledore's sexuality. Some have even dismissed it as 'queer-baiting'.
Don't get me wrong I love the HP series and got super excited when JK Rowling announced that Dumbledore was gay, seeing as I'm queer person myself in which it made me feel less alone. But it was not mentioned in many of the books or movies making it basically queer baiting
— Simon 👌 (@KalebAsher1) March 18, 2019
Then there are others who argue that Rowling is merely trying to stay 'relevant' or, as they say, 'in the spotlight'. It has been 11 years since the last book of the original series was published and seven years since its last film was released.
People are rightly taking the piss out of JK Rowling for her ridiculous post publishing announcements about Dumbledore's sexuality & imaginary sex life. Unless there's an editor's note or some gay sex scene she was forced to cut out then she's simply vying for attention.
— David Hooks (@PoliticsScot) March 17, 2019
The two Fantastic Beasts films, based on spin-offs to the Harry Potter series, have steered clear of any direct references to Dumbledore's sexuality. With three more (phew!) films to come in this prequel saga, fans are now wondering whether Yates (or whoever directs the rest of the films) will tread into this 'forbidden forest' or zoom over it on a broomstick, dropping a few 'love potions' on the way just to 'spice' up things.
