Reddit Fans Agree: Johnny Depp's Grindelwald Was the Most Compelling Version Yet
With his attention-grabbing performance, Johnny Depp made the best Grindelwald the Dark Lord.
So far, the Fantastic Beasts franchise has been a wild ride, with more happening behind the camera than on the screen. With its many cast and crew scandals, the franchise seems almost as jinxed as the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.
The behind-the-scenes turmoil naturally led to declining ratings and viewership, which in turn resulted in Warner Bros. dropping the franchise. Since the release of The Secrets of Dumbledore in 2022 there hasn't been a single word about another installment. What was planned as a five-part series has most likely ended in three films.
But every cloud has a silver lining, and at least the scandals surrounding the franchise have allowed fans to see different actors play one of the Wizarding World's most exciting villains, Gellert Grindelwald. After Johnny Depp was removed from the franchise in 2020 due to allegations of domestic abuse, Mads Mikkelsen replaced him in the role of Grindelwald.
And fans had a chance to compare the two brilliant actors in one role. So who played the enigmatic dark wizard better?
This seems to be the never-ending discussion among Wizarding World fans. In the latest thread on Reddit, user u/TheVirtuousDuke made a strong case for Johnny Depp's performance.
"Johnny's Grindelwald demanded attention. Whenever he entered on the screen, you felt perplexed by his presence," the Redditor wrote.
They added that it was during The Crimes of Grindelwald that the actor's talent peaked. He was both terrifying and attention-grabbing, especially with his speech at the end of the film. Many commentators agreed with the author, noting that Depp's performance tapped into Grindelwald's narcissism.
He revelled in the chase, the theatrics, the cult following, even the bloodlust. His take on the character was the right amount of charming, eccentric, highly intelligent, and twisted.
Since Grindelwald's endgame has always been to lure the wizarding world into a war against and subjugation of Muggles, audiences could certainly see Depp's character accomplishing that. In contrast, Mads Mikkelsen's version felt more like a reluctant, grounded villain. But he definitely had a much more palpable chemistry with Jude Law's Dumbledore.
Overall, fans agreed that Mikkelsen made a better Grindelwald the person and Depp made a better Grindelwald the Dark Lord. But of course, it's all a matter of preference.