Fantastic Beasts 2: 10 Biggest Changes To Harry Potter Canon (And If They Work)

10. Nagini Was A Maledictus

The Change:

One of the major additions to the established canon that was revealed before release - presumably because there are already enough in here to contend with - it turns out that, before being Lord Voldemort's pet snake, Nagini was actually a woman.

Portrayed by Claudia Kim, Nagini is a Maledictus, cursed to eventually make a permanent transition into the snake she can currently turn into at will, and works at Circus Arcanus alongside Credence, with whom she's developed a close bond as a pair of outsiders.

Does It Work?

Sort of. It makes the character of Nagini feel more tragic, but she's also still massively underdeveloped. She doesn't factor heavily into the plot and isn't given a great deal of agency, meaning it's still difficult to see just how she winds up in the service of Voldemort, and whether that's a willing choice or not. No doubt the future instalments will give us further clues, which will cement just how necessary a move this was, but for now it's just pointless, but fine, fan-service.