The Dark Dumbledore Easter Egg Everyone Missed In Fantastic Beasts 3

It's finally time to return to the Wizarding World in "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" — which sees the battle with Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) escalate as the dark wizard aims to overthrow the International Confederation of Wizards. His goal is to become the leader of the ICW, also known as the Supreme Mugwump, so that he can wage war against the Muggle world. Yikes. Thankfully, Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) continues to work with Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to stop the villain from causing chaos. The duo recruits a team of wizards and witches to wreak havoc on Grindelwald's plan in a globetrotting adventure.

But the main crux of the story revolves around the relationship between Grindelwald and Dumbledore, as the film confirms that they were in love years before the dark wizard started his campaign of terror. It's made even more complicated by the fact that the former lovers have a blood pact, which means neither of them can try and actively fight the other or it strangles them to death. So, that's why Dumbledore uses Newt and his friends to carry out his mission. It's a good tactic, and it's similar to the way he uses Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) to fight Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the original series of movies and books.

Dumbledore's past with Grindelwald is a key part of the story in the third "Fantastic Beasts" movie, but his tragic family history comes into it as well, and there's a dark Easter egg specifically about the Dumbledore family past that you might've missed.

When Newt meets Albus at Aberforth Dumbledore's (Richard Coyle) pub in Hogsmeade, the headmaster opens up about the heartbreaking truth regarding his late sister, Ariana (Hebe Beardsall). Her portrait hangs in the pub, and longtime fans will know that the painting hides a secret tunnel into Hogwarts that leads into the Room of Requirement itself — as seen in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II." But when Harry asks an older Aberforth (Ciarán Hinds) about Ariana in the final film, all he says is that she's the final thing Albus "sacrificed" on his way to power.

However, the latest "Fantastic Beasts" sequel, "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore," confirms what really happens to Ariana. The headmaster reveals that she is an Obscurial – like Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) — and as a child, she struggles to contain her magical powers because of it. During this time, a young Gellert Grindelwald (Jamie Campbell Bower) strikes up a relationship with Albus — but their differing opinions on Muggles eventually cause a three-way duel between the dark wizard and the Dumbledore brothers. Unfortunately, the young men aren't aware that Ariana is behind them and one of their curses kills her — although none of them know who is really responsible for her death.

This is a direct reference to the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" book, in which Albus confesses that he's terrified of the idea that he killed his sister, saying, "I dreaded beyond all things the knowledge that it had been I who brought about her death, not merely through my arrogance and stupidity, but that I actually struck the blow that snuffed out her life." The magical Qilin might think that Dumbledore is pure of heart, but he'll never be free of his guilt over Ariana's death.