Warning: This post contains spoilers for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Tina Goldstein played a crucial role in the first two Fantastic Beasts films, so why is she hardly in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore? Played by Katherine Waterston, the American witch was first introduced in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, befriending Newt Scamander as they both found themselves embroiled in an unexpected adventure.
Tina (whose full name is Porpentina) is an American witch and Auror with the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA) at the start of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She helps to locate Credence Barebone in The Crimes of Grindelwald and is crucial in the fight against Grindelwald, who was beginning to rally followers at the time. Ahead of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’s release, Tina’s absence was noticeable. She did not have a presence in any of the film’s trailers, nor did she get her own character poster. It was all a bit strange considering how big of a role she played in the first two movies and there was speculation Tina might not be in the third film at all.
While Tina is present in Fantastic Beasts 3, her role has been greatly diminished, appearing in only one scene at the end of the film to celebrate Jacob Kowalski and her sister Queenie’s wedding. The Secrets of Dumbledore does explain why she’s not around to help Dumbledore and his allies against Grindelwald, but it doesn’t make all that much sense considering certain elements of the plot. Here’s why.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore answers the big question not too long into its runtime. For the majority of the film, Tina is nothing but a moving picture in Newt’s suitcase, tucked away until he opens it and sadly smiles at her. It’s clear from the brief exchange that Tina will not be a major player in Fantastic Beasts 3. Later, Newt explains to older brother Theseus that Tina has been promoted to Head Auror for MACUSA. Her new role is why she cannot join Newt and Dumbledore on their mission to thwart Grindelwald’s plans to be elected to the International Confederation of Wizards.
While Tina’s new responsibilities have surely left her with little time to journey across Europe, it’s possible her relationship with Newt, which had romantic tension, became strained in the years since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. They’re both fairly awkward people already, but their interaction at the end of the third film suggests something more may have happened between them besides Tina being promoted at work. Becoming Head Auror, as well as something potentially going down with Newt, led to her being sidelined in Fantastic Beasts 3.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is an odd film in that, for the first time since the franchise began, Tina is not a main character. While the film gives an explanation as to why she is not on Dumbledore’s mission to stop Grindelwald, there could be external reasons for her absence. Offscreen, the film’s production was delayed due to the pandemic. Principal photography was expected to begin in March 2020, but the whole world shut down and filming wouldn't resume until September of that year. While unconfirmed, it's possible the delay meant Katherine Waterston wasn't able to be in as much of the movie because of scheduling conflicts that arose because the dates for filming were changed. It would explain why she might have been written out of most of the movie. However, it's no secret the Fantastic Beasts franchise has shifted to focus heavily on Dumbledore and Grindelwald’s relationship, as well as their separate endeavors. Newt, Kowalski, and Tina were pushed further into supporting character territory and it could be that Tina's role was reduced to accommodate Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and even Aberforth in the story, but that remains unclear for now.
With Newt, Theseus, Kowalski, and Lally going after Grindelwald, Tina’s absence is glaring considering how essential she was to previous adventures. New promotion or not, it seems out of character for her to avoid trying to save Queenie from Grindelwald. Fantastic Beasts 3 is set a few years after the second film, which means Queenie has been gone for a while. Although Tina could have been searching for her in the interim, it’s doubtful that Jacob would be the only one who cares about what happens to Queenie. Tina cares for her sister deeply and showing up at the end of The Secrets of Dumbledore to attend Queenie and Jacob’s wedding without making mention of anything that transpired makes her feel extremely out of place, as though she was never a big part of the previous films at all.
What’s more, as the Head Auror, surely Tina would have wanted to be in on the action of finding and catching Grindelwald. Considering Theseus is also an Auror and had no issue gallivanting across Europe in a bid to stop Grindelwald, the explanation of Tina’s promotion being what is keeping her from going on the adventure makes even less sense in the narrative. What mission could Tina have been on that was more important than Grindelwald and finding her sister? It’s possible MACUSA did not want to get involved in what was going on in Europe. However, Tina’s position as a U.S. Auror had never stopped her from helping Newt or Dumbledore before. She’s a passionate witch who would have done what she felt was right no matter her new status, so the excuse given for her absence is a weak, head-scratching one.
Tina Goldstein’s presence was certainly missed, but there is hope she will be in Fantastic Beasts 4. While WB previously confirmed there were two more films in the franchise, several factors have reportedly led the studio to potentially rethink its future. At the very least, the studio is waiting to see how well Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore does at the box office before moving full-steam ahead. That said, it’s possible Tina could return with a much bigger role in Fantastic Beasts 4. After all, Tina’s future is with Newt — the two get married and have a child together — and it wouldn’t be a good idea to leave her out of the action once more. Crucially, Tina is the Head Auror of MACUSA and, if Grindelwald’s rise to power is so threatening, it would be prudent of her to go after the dark wizard. For now, the returning cast has not been announced for Fantastic Beasts 4, making Tina’s future with the franchise all the more unclear. However, such an important character to Fantastic Beasts should return to the franchise so as to provide some closure.
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