Newton Artemis Fido Scamander or "Newt" is a fictional character created by J. K. Rowling. He is the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

of the ''Fantastic Beasts'' film series, a spin-off prequel to the ''Harry Potter'' novel and

film series A film series or movie series is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series. It is a type of series fiction. This article explains what film series are and gives brief examples ...

. Newt Scamander was only mentioned in ''

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. It is the first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and was Rowling's debut novel. It follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who disco ...

'' 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 ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

and his classmates. In 2001, J.K. Rowling wrote a real version of the fictional textbook under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

"Newt Scamander". In the film series inspired by the book, Newt Scamander is the main character and is portrayed by

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne OBE (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Olivier Awards. Redmayne began his professional ac ...

. Newt Scamander is an introverted

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

wizard and magizoologist. His help is often sought by his former professor

Albus Dumbledore Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts. He is also the founder and ...

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. 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. Presumably, Rowling created the character's name by combining terms related to animals — the nickname "Newt" is the name of a kind of brightly-coloured

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

with a tail. The first middle name "Artemis" is the name of the Greek goddess of hunting, wilderness, and wild animals. The second middle name "Fido" does literally mean "I trust" in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

— highlighting the fact that Newt Scamander is in Hufflepuff, the

Hogwarts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional boarding school of magic for young wizards. It is the primary setting for the first six novels in the '' Harry Potter'' series by J. K. Rowling, and also serves as a major setti ...

house of loyalty, while the same word in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

(Φειδώ, φειδώ,

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

transliteration Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → and → the digraph , Cyrillic → , Armenian → or L ...

''Pheidṓ, pheidṓ'',

Modern Greek Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the language sometimes referred to ...

''Feidó, feidó'') means "frugality/lack of excess" — "Fido" is also a common name for a

pet dog A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, inte ...

. The last name "Scamander" refers to the River Scamander of

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

from the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

. The word itself is alliterative with "

salamander Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

" — species very closely related to

newts A newt is a salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. The terrestrial juvenile phase is called an eft. Unlike other members of the family Salamandridae, newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Not all aqua ...

in the class

Amphibia Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniotic, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all tetrapods, but excluding the amniotes (tetrapods with an amniotic ...

— but in the wizarding world are lizard-like fire-dwelling creatures.

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 An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...

), 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 The Ministry of Magic is the government of the British wizarding community in the fictional universe of ''Fictional universe of Harry Potter, Harry Potter'' for Britain and Ireland. It is led by an official called the Minister for Magic, and is ...

— 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 Hermione Jean Granger ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. She first appeared in '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997), as a first-year student on her way to Hogwarts. She becom ...

as both of them are intelligent and deductive — crusaders with "extraordinary luggage".

Character biography

Early life

Born in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on 24 February 1897, Newt Scamander developed interest towards magical beasts and creatures from a young age as his mother bred

hippogriff The hippogriff ( Italian: ) or hippogryph is a legendary creature with the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse. It was invented at the beginning of the 16th century by Ludovico Ariosto in his '' Orlando Furioso''. Within the poem, ...

s. Sorted into Hufflepuff at

at the age of eleven, Newt develops a close friendship with a

Slytherin Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional boarding school of magic for young wizards. It is the primary setting for the first six novels in the ''Harry Potter'' series by J. K. Rowling, and also serves as a major setting ...

girl named Leta Lestrange, who is in the same year as him and shares both his interest in magical beasts and his

inferiority complex In psychology, an inferiority complex is a consistent feeling of inadequacy, often resulting in the belief that one is in some way deficient, or inferior, to others. According to Alfred Adler, a feeling of inferiority may be brought about by ...

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 Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at that time, strongly argues on his beloved student's behalf. Newt is still expelled but is allowed to keep his

wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal, bone or stone. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, whi ...

because of Dumbledore's influence. Around 1914 to 1918, Newt serves on the Eastern front during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in a confidential Ministry of Magic program involving Ukrainian Ironbelly

dragons A dragon is a magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in Western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depict ...

. 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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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 In J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series, a Muggle () is a person who lacks any sort of magical ability and was not born in a magical family. Muggles can also be described as people who do not have any magical blood inside them. It differs fr ...

(or No-maj) aspiring

baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

) 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 comforts and consoles with his kindness. When MACUSA aurors attack Credence and presumably kill him, Newt is the only one who notices that a tiny wisp of the obscurus flees (implying that Credence survived). 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 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.

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 France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, 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 Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

coast and arrives directly in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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 Nicolas Flamel (; 1330 – 22 March 1418) was a French ''écrivain public'', a draftsman of public documents such as contracts, letters, agreements and requests. He and his wife also ran a school that taught this trade. Long after his death, ...

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 "the eyes are as a fire under water" — like

salamanders Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...

they say together — at which Tina's affections are rekindled. At the Lestrange family tomb in

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

, 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 The qilin ( ; ) is a legendary hooved chimerical creature that appears in Chinese mythology, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or death of a sage or illustrious ruler. Qilin are a specific type of the mythological family of o ...

, who births twins. Grindelwald's acolytes kill the mother Qilin and capture one of the twins, whom Grindelwald slaughters to gain

precognition Precognition (from the Latin 'before', and 'acquiring knowledge') is the purported psychic phenomenon of seeing, or otherwise becoming directly aware of, events in the future. There is no accepted scientific evidence that precognition is a ...

. 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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

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. Newt, Theseus, Jacob, Lally, Bunty and Dumbledore reach

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

where the election for the new supreme mugwump is held. Grindelwald manipulates the election and deceitfully wins. But with Credence's help, Newt exposes that the Qilin which chose Grindelwald was already dead, reanimated through

necromancy Necromancy () is the practice of Magic (paranormal), magic involving communication with the Death, dead by Evocation, summoning their spirits as Ghost, apparitions or Vision (spirituality), visions for the purpose of divination; imparting the ...

. Newt releases the remaining alive Qilin, which chooses Vicência Santos as the new Supreme Mugwump. Enraged and defeated, Grindelwald flees, but not before his and Dumbledore's blood pact is broken in a chain of spells. Dumbledore sincerely thanks Newt for all his help; Aberforth accepts a dying Credence and takes him home. As Queenie regrets joining Grindelwald and renounces the dark side, she and Jacob marry. Newt attends the wedding as Jacob's best man. Newt is gladdened and rendered speechless to see his love-interest Tina there as well. The two reunite and attend the wedding together.

Later life

At some time after the end of the Global Wizarding War, Newt and Tina marry. Newt creates the Werewolf Register and the Ban on Experimental Breeding. Newt also works for the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau. In 1979, he is awarded The Order of Merlin - Second Class for his services to magizoology. He appears on a Chocolate Frog Card. His grandson Rolf Scamander—a naturalist by profession—goes on to marry

Luna Lovegood Luna Lovegood is a fictional character in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. She first appears in '' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' (2003). She is portrayed by Evanna Lynch in the ''Harry Potter'' films. Ch ...

. Soon, Newt becomes the great-grandfather of twins Lorcan and Lysander. As depicted in '' Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'', Newt Scamander visits

in 1993 or 1994 for some unknown reason, thus appearing on the Marauder's Map. Newt writes ''A Children's Anthology of Monsters'', an edition for younger readers. As of 2017, Newt Scamander is still "alive and well".

Reception

The character received mixed reaction. Newt Scamander was chosen by ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' as their fifteenth favourite ''Harry Potter'' character, saying that Newt has very quickly established himself as a "very different sort of hero". Cultural critic Jonathan McIntosh praised the character, stating that he "performs a refreshingly atypical form of masculinity." Joshua Hansen from ''

MuggleNet MuggleNet is the Internet's oldest and largest '' Harry Potter'' and Wizarding World fansite. MuggleNet was founded in 1999. It has expanded over the years to include a handful of partner podcasts, a separate book blog, over half a dozen publis ...

'' liked Newt Scamander more than Harry Potter and said, "Don't get me wrong, Harry is still dear to my heart ..But when ranking whom I prefer, the man with the lizard icfor a name definitely takes the cake." An editor from ''Looper'' approved of how Newt's character helped the Hufflepuff house to "step into the limelight". Reviewer from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' enjoyed Newt Scamander's personality and said, "All pigeon-toed angles and stuttering rushes of enthusiasm, ddie Redmayne'sgreat gift to the character is a crippling diffidence."

, the actor who portrayed Newt Scamander throughout the films, also received positive reception. For his role in '' Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them'', Redmayne received the ''Best Actor Award'' from Empire Awards. Many critics disapproved of Redmayne’s interpretation of the character. Helen O'Hara from ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

'' wrote, " ..he's so disconnected and withdrawn that he barely shifts facial expression from friendly blankness for the first half hour, when we really need him to guide us around."

Justin Chang Justin Choigee Chang is an American film critic and columnist currently working at ''The New Yorker''. He previously worked for '' Variety'' and for ''Los Angeles Times''. His 2023 reviews at the ''Times'' won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Critici ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' described Newt Scamander as "charmless". Charles Bramesco of ''Polygon'' criticised how Newt Scamander has "been remanded to the margins of his own franchise".

Characterisation

Outward appearance

Newt Scamander is a tall wizard with brown hair and hazel eyes. Newt almost always wears his single-breasted, close-fitting, peacock blue overcoat, which covers his body down to his knees. Newt's primary dressing-manner also includes his dark brown suit jacket and trousers, burnt-orange waistcoat, ivory-white shirt, small bow tie and calf high leather boots which are weather-beaten and worn from his travels across the world. The various pockets in Newt's coat contain various potions and elixirs for Newt as a magizoologist always remains prepared. Occasionally, he is also seen wearing his woollen black-and-yellow Hufflepuff scarf.

Personality

Eddie Redmayne expressed his thoughts about Newt Scamander possibly being on the

autism spectrum Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

. Socially awkward, slightly eccentric and introverted around humans, Newt feels more comfortable around animals and connects better with them. Newt's relationships with his magical beasts sometimes takes precedence over his relationships with other human beings. However, Newt does not lack empathy towards humans as his beliefs about the power of Muggles and his remarkable friendship with Muggle Jacob Kowalski "mirrors a certain

". Newt is not afraid to show weakness, vulnerability or emotions. He attempts to avoid violence when possible, such as when he consoles the violently disturbed obscurial Credence Barebone by his kind, understanding and sympathetic nature. Newt is praised by his former headmaster Albus Dumbledore for always doing the right thing without seeking power or glory. Newt has a scientist's eye and the thirst for knowledge about magical creatures, with the motive of protecting them and educating others about them. Newt "bumbles" into the heart of danger, especially if a mysterious species is involved. Newt is fascinated by all sorts of magical creatures—those by which wizards and witches are deeply terrified.

Magical abilities and skills

Newt's expertise in Charms is seen as he is able to perform a highly-advanced Undetectable Extension Charm on the interior of his suitcase to expand the space within and hold innumerable magical creatures of different native habitats. He is also able to cast Atmospheric Charms to create separate natural habitats inside the suitcase for the magical beasts to survive. He is even able to create a magical bubble to contain and sustain an obscurus even after the death of its host. He could also successfully use a tracking spell, which he used to trace Tina. Newt is particularly gifted in Herbology and Healing as he is capable of preparing medicinal remedies from magical plants and potions — such as when he swiftly creates a poultice through some fresh plants and some preprepared concoctions to control Jacob's unusually severe reaction to a Murtlap bite. Newt also looked after magical flora and was familiar with their properties, keeping several potted plants on a shelf in his shed in the magically expanded suitcase that serves as his home for his magical creatures. Polyjuice Potion is regarded as highly difficult to make. Since Newt was successfully able to brew the potion, it suggests that he is skilled in potion-making as well. Newt Scamander's wand is made up of rather unusual contents: The wood of the wand is of Tropical Lime Tree, while shell and bone are used as cores of the wand. Newt's

boggart A boggart is a supernatural being from English folklore. The dialectologist Elizabeth Mary WElizabeth Wright described the boggart as 'a generic name for an apparition'; folklorist Simon Young defines it as 'any ambivalent or evil solitary super ...

is an office desk at the Ministry, because what he fears most is having to work in an office. When Rowling was asked by a fan regarding the form of Newt's patronus, she left it unrevealed for suspense.

Film portrayal

In the film series, Newt Scamander is portrayed by

. Both

J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( ; born 31 July 1965), known by her pen name , is a British author and philanthropist. She is the author of ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume fantasy novel series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has List of best-sell ...

and David Heyman stated that Eddie Redmayne was their "first and only choice" for portraying Newt Scamander. "Not only does he look as if he lives in 1926, but he has all the elements required to be Newt: he's smart, funny, utterly British, and immensely sympathetic .. said David Heyman. Redmayne chose the character's

himself from a number of different designs because he loved that it was "very simple" and "made of organic materials". Redmayne took the Patronus quiz on '' Pottermore'' twice and both times got the same result: a

Basset Hound The Basset Hound is a short-legged breed of scent hound. The Basset Hound was developed in Great Britain from several now-extinct strains of France, French basset breeds. It was bred primarily for hunting rabbit and hare on foot, moving slowly en ...

patronus. During '' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'', Newt Scamander as a teenager is portrayed by British child artist Joshua Shea.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scamander, Newt Author surrogates Fictional characters from the 20th century Fictional cryptozoologists Fictional English people Fictional ethologists Fictional characters who use magic Fictional World War I veterans Fictional writers Film characters introduced in 2016 Harry Potter characters Male characters in film Wizarding World characters