Newton Artemis Fido "Newt" Scamander is a character created by J. K. Rowling. He is the protagonist of the Fantastic Beasts film series, a spin-off prequel to the Harry Potter novel and film series.
Newt Scamander was only mentioned in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the author of the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which was used as a textbook for Care of Magical Creatures by Harry Potter and his classmates. In 2001, J.K. Rowling wrote a real version of the fictional textbook under the pseudonym "Newt Scamander". In the film series inspired by the book, Newt Scamander is the main character and is portrayed by Eddie Redmayne.
Newt Scamander is an introverted British wizard and magizoologist. His help is often sought by his former professor Albus Dumbledore in the mission to defeat the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. Newt ends up playing a vital role in the downfall of Grindelwald, during which Newt meets and falls in love with his future wife Tina Goldstein.
Rowling as a producer, as well as scriptwriter, had a much greater involvement in the casting of Fantastic Beasts films than she did in the Harry Potter films. She quickly came to see that Redmayne met with her ideas for the character of Newt as a very British subtle and understated hero figure.Fantastic Beasts films' "extras" interviews on the DVD and blu-ray releases Redmayne's portrayal of the character received strong critical reviews in the U.K., but reactions from critics in the U.S. were more mixed as his subtlety of character did not fit the American ideal cast of hero.
Character development Describing Newt as an outsider, Rowling said, "My heroes are always people who feel themselves to be set apart, stigmatised or othered. That's at the heart of most of what I write, and it's certainly at the heart of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Newt Scamander grows up attached to the magical beasts since childhood and eventually becomes a magizoologist. He feels extremely connected to all his magical creatures and beasts, and always defends them.
Harry Potter and Newt Scamander are rather different kinds of protagonists: Harry is a born leader who makes lifelong, unbreakable friendships at Hogwarts; while Newt is an unheroic hero, (but not an antihero), a loner and always thought of himself to be alone because his only close friendship is with Leta Lestrange that ended due to "rocky circumstances". Harry is daring, reckless, and short-tempered at times; while Newt usually remains calm and cool in a crisis. However, Newt and Harry also share similar traits, as they are both brave, humble, loyal, protecting of underdogs, at odds with authority — mainly in the form of the Ministry of Magic — and fighting for what is right. Both Harry and Newt are "chosen" to fight evils: the bold Harry is chosen by his fate and guided by Dumbledore to complete his parents' fight; whereas Dumbledore sees a rather reluctant and bashful Newt just needs a little push to be convinced into just following his own innate instincts to do the right thing and fight Grindelwald.
Newt is also somewhat similar to Hermione Granger as both of them are intelligent and deductive — crusaders with "extraordinary luggage".
Character biography
Early life Born in England on 24 February 1897, Newt Scamander developed interest towards magical beasts and creatures from a young age as his mother bred hippogriffs. Sorted into Hufflepuff at Hogwarts at the age of eleven, Newt develops a close friendship with a Slytherin girl named Leta Lestrange, who is in the same year as him and shares both his interest in magical beasts and his inferiority complex due to being an outsider. Newt and Leta explore magical creatures together and enjoy each other's company, gradually falling in love. One of Leta's experiments involving a Jarvey accidentally endangers human life. Newt takes the blame for Leta's actions and is expelled from Hogwarts instead of her. Therefore, Newt turns bitter towards Leta but still remains much in love with her. Albus Dumbledore, Newt's Transfiguration professor at that time, strongly argues on his beloved student's behalf. Newt is still expelled but is allowed to keep his wand because of Dumbledore's influence.
Around 1914 to 1918, Newt serves on the Eastern front during the First World War in a confidential Ministry of Magic program involving Ukrainian Ironbelly dragons. However, the program is cancelled as the dragons respond only to Newt, whilst trying to eat all others. Newt later joins the Ministry and receives several promotions there due to his knowledge about magical creatures, eventually becoming a magizoologist. However, Newt's career choice is not appreciated by his family. In 1918, Newt is convinced by Augustus Worme to use his extensive knowledge about magical beasts to write a book on them. Newt begins to travel internationally to conduct research on magical beasts and creatures for his book.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
In 1926, Newt Scamander makes a brief stop over in New York with the motive of releasing Frank the Thunderbird into its habitat. Newt carries with him a magically expanded suitcase in which he carries several magical beasts from his voyage around the world. In a chain of chaotic events, Newt's suitcase is accidentally switched with the suitcase of Muggle (or No-maj) aspiring baker Jacob Kowalski; Jacob opens the suitcase and accidentally lets out the magical beasts. Newt teams up with Jacob, American ex-auror Porpentina "Tina" Goldstein, and Tina's Legilimens sister Queenie, to round up all the escaped creatures. Newt faces complications from MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) but nonetheless succeeds in rounding up all the escaped creatures with Jacob, Tina and Queenie's help. When Queenie learns of Newt's past through her Legillimency, she advises him to move on, describing Leta Lestrange as a "taker".
Newt encounters a destructive and emotionally disturbed obscurial teenager Credence Barebone, whom Newt attempts to comfort and consoles with the aid of Tina (who attempted to help him before). When MACUSA aurors attack Credence and blast the Obscurial to oblivion, Newt is the only one who notices that a tiny wisp of the Obscurus flees (likely to find another host). Newt exposes that MACUSA auror Percival Graves is the infamous and dangerous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in disguise; Grindelwald is arrested. Newt prevents the exposure of wizarding world to the No-maj community by using his thunderbird to disperse a potion which removes all the No-maj's memories about the Obscurial battle. Newt receives respect and a sincere apology from MACUSA. Newt bids Jacob an emotional farewell before the latter willingly steps into the rain of obliviating potion. Newt argues on Tina's behalf and justifies her mistake because of which she had been fired; thereafter, Tina gets back her job as an auror. A week later, Newt anonymously gifts Jacob some silver Occamy shells to help him sanction a loan and fulfill his dream of opening a bakery. Newt bids farewell to Tina and promises to deliver a copy of his book to her in person, before he boards a ship to England and leaves.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
In 1927, Newt Scamander's book Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them has become a bestseller and an approved Hogwarts textbook. In the meantime, Grindelwald has escaped custody. Albus Dumbledore secretly meets Newt and asks him to track and save Credence (now known by everyone to be alive). Newt is disappointed to learn from Queenie that a crestfallen Tina is dating someone after mistakenly thinking that Newt is engaged to Leta Lestrange, whereas Leta is actually engaged to Newt's elder brother Theseus.
Learning that Tina is also searching for Credence in France, Newt goes there as well with Jacob (who has regained memories about the wizarding world). Due to an international travel ban placed on him by the Ministry, illegally Newt bribes a portkey tout on the Kent coast and arrives directly in Paris with Jacob. Both follow a wizard named Yusuf Kama, only to find Tina being held hostage by Kama. Unexpectedly, Kama collapses due to a parasitical infection and Newt's pet bowtruckle, Pickett, frees the three by picking the lock.
Newt captures a Zouwu, that had escaped earlier from a travelling circus, running rampant across the Parisian streets. Then the three take the unconscious Kama to Dumbledore's safe-house run by the alchemist Nicholas Flamel where Newt extracts the dragon worm that has infected Kama, so curing him. Tina, still put-out by Newt and his supposed engagement leaves, followed shortly after by Newt to infiltrate the French Ministry of Magic to uncover information about Credence's past. Eventually, Newt tells Tina that he is not engaged to Leta. He awkwardly tries to confess to Tina that he has fallen in love with her, but nervously blurts that she has "eyes as a fire under water" — like salamanders, they say together — at which Tina's affections are rekindled. At the Lestrange family tomb in Père Lachaise Cemetery, as Leta comes clean about a past mistake of hers to absolve Credence from Yusuf Kama unbreakable vow, Newt consoles a remorseful Leta as a good friend. Newt chooses to join the fight against Grindelwald after a destructive rally of Grindelwald's followers, during which Queenie and Credence join Grindelwald under manipulation, while Leta sacrifices her life to let her fiancé Theseus and the others escape. Flamel leads the escapees in saving Paris from a fiery destruction.
In an epilogue at Hogwarts, Newt presents Dumbledore with a magical silver vial stolen from Grindelwald by Newt's niffler, containing a blood oath pact Grindelwald and Dumbledore made in their youth that prevents them from dueling one another; Dumbledore believes it can be destroyed.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
In 1932, Newt Scamander nurses a pregnant Qilin, who births twins. Grindelwald's acolytes kill the mother Qilin and capture one of the twins, whom Grindelwald slaughters to gain precognition. However, Newt saves the younger Qilin twin and keeps him safe.
Albus Dumbledore entrusts Newt to form and lead a group to thwart Grindelwald's plans of world domination. Newt forms a team consisting of his auror brother Theseus, Muggle friend Jacob Kowalski, Ilvermorny Charms professor Eulalie "Lally" Hicks, his assistant Bunty and Yusuf Kama. Newt presents Jacob with a wand as per Dumbledore's orders, much to Jacob's surprise and joy. Newt, Jacob, Lally and Theseus are all shocked when Grindelwald is acquitted of all charges and is also allowed to stand in the upcoming election as a candidate. After Theseus is stunned and abducted by Grindelwald's acolytes, Newt infiltrates German prison Erkstag and rescues his brother. At Hog's head, Dumbledore reveals to Newt that Credence Barebone is actually the illegitimate son of his younger brother Aberforth Dumbledore. Newt attempts to comfort a guilt-ridden Dumbledore but in vain. However before leaving, Newt tells Dumbledore that he has a chance to correct his mistakes.