3 Super Big Questions About Maledictus and *that* Crimes of Grindelwald Bombshell

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

As one of several new characters introduced for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, a big mystery swirled around Claudia Kim's role in through official trailers and cast photos. Given the connection and calling card of being able to transform from a person into a magical beast, fans began to wonder what her part in the Fantastic Beasts franchise would be.

With the epic release of the final trailer for the highly anticipated sequel, we were given not only more clues about Newt's next adventure in Paris, but a huge bombshell over Claudia's fictional counterpart - one that might change the course of both the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts worlds as we know it. We've now figured out who Claudia Kim is playing, but now we have so many more questions we hope the franchise answers. Here are five of my biggest questions!

This post contains spoilers beyond this point for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and the identity behind Claudia Kim's character.

How does Nagini full transform from woman to the snake we know?

Part of this question has already been answered on twitter by J.K. Rowling. In a series of tweets, she confirmed that maledictus is a blood curse that runs from mother to daughter where the bearers eventually transform into a magical beast permanently. Visually, we even see her transform in the latest trailer. Another part of this question I hope is answered is the state of mind Nagini is in to eventually transform into the snake we know. In a first look at the character with Entertainment Weekly, Nagini is described a vulnerable woman who sees the good in Credence Barebone and helps harbor him even though he's a fugitive. That's quite a big leap to becoming a companion to arguably one of the most evil wizards of all time. What is her form of agency is in aligning herself with Voldemort? We might not see why Nagini forms a relationship with Voldemort in this film, but it is something we'd like to see the full evolution of over the next three movies.

Does Nagini becoming a snake make her any less human?

Now that we know Nagini used to be a woman before officially taking on her serpent form, we have to wonder if the permanent shift makes her any less human and how. Throughout the Harry Potter novels, we assumed that Nagini was able to do things because she was at Voldemort's beck and call, and she was valuable to him because she's a Horcrux. However, Nagini commits to heinous acts throughout the series, but we don't know how much of it is of her own accord. For one, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she alters her physicality into Bathilda Bagshot and it's been a mystery in the fandom of how it actually happens. What parts of Nagini makes her human enough to still undergo magic or does containing a part of Voldemort's soul give her the only sentience she has? Does she still remember her human past?

Will our perceptions about Neville change?

One of the biggest controversies over Nagini's identity is how it changes canon in the Harry Potter novels. As we all know during the climatic battle between Voldemort and Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom becomes the epitome of heroism when he beheads Nagini, who is one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Throughout the novels, we're familiar with the close connection between Voldemort and Nagini since he contains a part of his soul. However, now that we can view her through the lens of being a real person carrying a blood-born curse, her arc has the power to change how we might see Neville's actions.

What questions do you have about Nagini? Anything you'd like to see answered in the Fantastic Beasts movies?