Fantastic Beasts: Who Is Newt Scamander?

When Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters later this month, moviegoers everywhere will be introduced to a new Harry Potter hero - and he's a wild card.

The man is named Newton "Newt" Scamander, and he is a rather whimsical figure. Born in 1897, Newt was the kind of guy who dissected mushroom-shaped magical creatures as a child and grew up on his mother's hippogriff farm. From a young age, the world knew Newt to be an odd fellow who loved fantastical beasts with all his heart, and fans will get to see the protagonist come to life thanks to Eddie Redmayne.

To celebrate the upcoming release of Fantastic Beasts, ComicBook.com has put together some must-know facts about the curious hero. Here's five facts you gotta' know about Newt Scamander before you head into theaters on November 18th.

He Is A Magizoologist

First and foremost, Newt is a magizoologist of the highest caliber. If you are not familiar with the term, it simply means that the hero studies magical creatures. Preexisting characters in the Harry Potter universe like Rubeus Hagrid are also considered magizoologists given their interest in fantastical beasts and their care.

However, Newt is know as the most famous magizoologist the wizarding world. He got his start as a scientist as a child, but his professional career began after he joined the Ministry of Magic. Newt worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He worked with House Elves for two years before being transferred to the Beast Division, and his love of creatures led him to become a respected name in the field.

And, eventually, Newt would go on to publish his seminal text, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

He Was Expelled From Hogwarts

Looking at Newt, you can hardly imagine the boy doing a single thing wrong in his life. The adorable, bumbling wizard is driven by his desire to study magical creatures - but there was a time when Newt was accused of something wholly sinister.

Newt began his formal wizard education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1908, but it did not last for long. After being sorted into Hufflepuff, he was eventually expelled for using a magical creature to threaten a classmate's life. Newt stressed the ordeal was an accident - something which his teacher Albus Dumbledore echoed - but the student was sent packing regardless.

He Caused A Ruckus In The U.S.

When Newt was striving to become a well-known magizoologist at the Ministry of Magic, he took up an offer that would lead the U.S. into a panic. In 1918, Augustus Worme of Obscurus Books hired Newt to write a textbook about magical creatures. The man then left his previous job and went on a whirlwind excursion across the globe to study these beasts, but his time in America was less-than-ideal.

In December 1926, Newt arrived in New York City with a charmed suitcase filled with magical creatures. This would have been fine if a muggle (or non-mag) named Jacob Kowalski hadn't accidentally opened the case and freed the creatures from its confines. After word of the escape went public, the Magical Congress of the United States of America intervened and forced Newt to recollect his specimens before an extremist muggle group used the event to end the wizard world.

He Is A Father

In his later years, Newt became a father. Adorable, right?

During his misadventures in America, the man met his future wife, Porpentina Goldstein. The two grew close while they were searching for Newt's beastly hoard, and they eventually married. They had at least one child together, and fans know Newt then had a grandson named Rolf.

In the future, Rolf would come to marry another familiar character from the Harry Potter universe. The boy married Luna Lovegood, and the couple gave Newt two great-grandchildren: Lorcan and Lysander.

He Really Loves Magical Beasts

It cannot be overstated how fond Newt is of magical creatures. Throughout his life, the boy has been interested in the various breeds of fantastical beasts, and he dedicated his life to studying them.

After Newt finished his business in America, he returned to the Ministry of Magic in order to continue his career. In 1947, Newt created the first-ever Werewolf Register. And, by 1965, he has passed a measure which banned anyone from experimentally breeding magical creatures. His work with dragons and other typically aggressive beasts also led Newt to create more humane treatment protocols for the creatures.

MORE: Fantastic Beasts Tracking For Magical Opening Weekend / Fantastic Beasts Character Posters Revealed / First Look At Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander / Johnny Depp Will Play Grindelwald In Fantastic Beasts / Dumbledore To Return In Fantastic Beasts 2