New ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Character Has Major Ties to ‘Harry Potter’s Voldemort

The introduction of young Albus Dumbledore isn’t the only major connective tissue that will tie Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald to the original Harry Potter series, as the final trailer for the film has revealed the hidden identity of its new characters: Nagini.

Fans of Harry Potter will recognize Nagini as the name of Voldemort’s serpent/Horcrux, who eventually kills Severus Snape. However, in the new Fantastic Beasts film, Nagini is still a human being who can transform into a snake at will, and she’s played by actress Claudia Kim.

Warner Bros. and the film’s producers have kept the character a secret until now, as the trailer not only revealed the character’s name, but also showed her transforming into a snake. While speaking to EW about the new footage, Kim talked about her new character, saying that she isn’t the evil being that appears in the Harry Potter films.

“It will be so interesting to see another side of Nagini,” Kim said. “You’ve only seen her as a Horcrux. In this, she’s a wonderful and vulnerable woman who wants to live. She wants to stay a human being and I think that’s a wonderful contrast to the character.”

Sadly, no matter how hard Nagini tries to fight her fate, we all know that she eventually takes on the form a serpent permanently.

“She does feel sometimes it’s not controllable,” the actress said. “She is bound to [permanently] transform at some point to a beast so she feels this pressure that the clock is ticking.”

“She has powers that are yet to be explored. I can’t confirm she has powers like wizards have. And she doesn’t have a wand.”

When we come across Nagini in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, she will be performing as part of a circus, wowing Muggles with her ability to transform. It’s here that she runs into another Fantastic Beasts character, Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller).

“Sometimes I introduce myself as ‘Credence’s only friend,’” Kim said. “It’s amazing these two broken souls are able to form some kind of friendship within the circus. Credence is special to her because he encourages her to use her power.”

What do you think of the introduction of Nagini in Fantastic Beasts? Will we see even more ties to the original Harry Potter series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is set to hit theaters on November 16th.