In Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, the best magical character in the fight against Grindelwald's army isn't Albus or Newt.
The following contains major spoilers for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, now playing in theaters.
In the Fantastic Beasts franchise, it's obvious how impressive a wizard Newt is. His moral compass, perseverance and overall spirit are why Albus Dumbledore recruited him to take down his ex, Grindelwald and ensure the magical world doesn't wage war on humanity. This further set up an intriguing alliance Harry Potter fans were eager to see more of, expecting Newt and Albus to finally cut loose as badass soldiers against Grindelwald's dark army.
However, while both do play key roles in moving against the supernatural terrorist cult Grindelwald is leading, they're actually not the best magical character as the battle continued in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. That accolade actually goes to relative newcomer, Lally Hicks.
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Hicks was seen briefly in The Crimes of Grindelwald, urging Nicolas Flamel to help Newt against the cult. In this threequel, she arrives with a bigger purpose -- tasked by Albus with recruiting a squad to stymie Grindelwald's plan. She's needed more than ever, especially because Albus' blood pact limited him from going after his former lover.
And make no mistake, Lally is quite dynamic, filled with substance and style, and attitude to boot. Her leadership is brought to the fore immediately when she faked an assault outside Jacob's bakery, getting him to help her and realize he's still a hero. Using her non-verbal spells from her time as Professor of Charms at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America, she rendered the "attackers" immobile in seconds, all with speed and precision. It stunned Jacob who usually saw Newt and the likes using wands to weave complex spells. Lally, though, was faster on the draw, more adaptive in brawls and the team's lead strategist, making up for when Newt got flustered.
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In addition, Lally's powers, apart from teleportation, had more of a spectacle to them. It showed when she levitated pages and made a staircase for Jacob to escape Grindelwald's goons. She simultaneously threw cutlery at them at the dinner party, proving she could multitask in a way Newt, and even Tina, in the past movies couldn't.
She also had remarkable defensive powers, seen in the finale in Bhutan when Grindelwald tried to rig the elections to lead the wizarding world. Once more, she was found dropping crystals at the enemies, blasting them away and carving a path for Newt and Co. to go stop the voting. What also made Lally stand out was that Albus knew she had a lot of heart, so this altruistic nature really made her pop more to audiences, similar to Newt.
The display of Lally's impressive skill was even more powerful because it added diversity, as well as female empowerment to the series, which never really had a Black woman being this crucial before. Many fans would appreciate this representation, especially because actor Jessica Williams wanted to imprint her culture on the character, using the Williams sisters' tennis styles to influence her wand-handling. It proved how authentic she was in crafting the character, adding personality to an already-spunky, impressive soldier. Ultimately, all these things helped shape Lally as the ultimate mystical enforcer, which allowed her character to repay the faith Albus showed, while inspiring Newt's global alliance to keep fighting the good fight.
See how Lally outshines the other mages in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, now playing in theaters.
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