The Deathly Hallows Scene That's Sadder After Watching Fantastic Beasts 2

You would think it would be impossible to feel sympathy for one of Lord Voldemort's most loyal allies. But after rewatching both the final Harry Potter film and the Fantastic Beasts sequels, you might find yourself conjuring some compassion for a certain villainous serpent.

In both the Harry Potter books and films, Nagini is the giant murderous snake willing to kill at a moment's notice for her master, Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Throughout the franchise, we see Nagini commit unforgivable acts including attacking and nearly killing the lovable Arthur Weasley, eating the body of the muggle Frank Bryce, and murdering one of the series' most important characters, Severus Snape.

But in the Fantastic Beasts sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald, we learn that Nagini (Claudia Kim) was once a Maledictus, a witch with a blood curse that permanently turned her into a beast. We root for Nagini in the film because she cares for Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) and helps Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and Dumbledore (Jude Law) in fighting Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).

In the Harry Potter films, neither the audience nor the characters ever learn of Nagini's heroic backstory. When Neville Longbottom (Matthew Lewis) ultimately beheads Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 , it is a victorious moment. This act critically weakens Voldemort, as Nagini was his final horcrux. But after watching The Crimes of Grindelwald, this scene is a whole lot sadder. Nagini might be murderous, but given a little more context to her story, you can't help but sympathize — and wonder how she ended up at Voldemort's side.

The Fantastic Beasts franchise is set in the 1920s. Tom Riddle, who would later become the fearsome Lord Voldemort, was born in 1926. Though Tom Riddle and Nagini lived at the same time, and parts of their pasts have been revealed throughout the films and books, it remains unclear how the two wound up joining forces.

What we do know is that at some point, Nagini permanently transformed into a snake and devoted her life to the Parseltongue-speaking Voldemort. Fans have speculated that Nagini might be immortal, due to her Maledictus nature, and that, in an effort to achieve his own immortality, Voldemort possessed her. Others wonder if Nagini is actually Voldemort's mother. This notion springs from a moment in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when the matron of Voldemort's childhood orphanage speculates that his mother, the late Merope Gaunt, might have been a circus performer due to the odd name she bestows upon her son. 

Future Fantastic Beasts films may shine a light on how exactly Nagini and Voldemort join forces, but no matter the circumstance, it's a little easier to sympathize with Nagini's tragic backstory over Voldemort's troubled one.