Who Credence really is - why his real family is biggest twist in Fantastic Beasts 2

If you've just seen Fantastic Beasts you probably have a few questions.

The main one will probably be regarding THAT twist.

We now know who Credence really is and it was a bit of a shock for fans.

Firstly, we thought we knew where this was heading - with the whole link to the Lestranges, but then J.K Rowling pulled the rug out from under us.

Of course, that's to be expected, when have the Harry Potter books ever not surprised us?

Now it goes without saying that there's spoilers galore here, so if you haven't seen the movie and want to remain spoiler free run away now.

WARNING: SPOILERS

Now!

Last chance...

Ok, you've been warned.

Who is Credence really?

First up Credence is alive and in Paris, where he has befriended Nagini.

They've been hanging out at the circus where Nagini is caged. She's a Maledictus, which means over time she's destined to become more beast than human.

Credence wants to help her escape and manages to get away with her before Tina and Newt catch up with them.

In the mean time the ministry is trying to recruit Newt to catch - and kill - Credence, but he's also being asked, or rather persuaded, by Dumbledore, to head to Paris and protect Credence. Poor Newt.

In the end Dumbledore sort of wins as Newt heads over to Paris with Jacob using a portkey.

They're trying to find Tina (and Queenie) but end up a little bit late. Tina was at the circus trying to find Credence but just missed him. Instead she bumps into another man, who tells her he wants to help and find Credence.

It turns out to be a lie, he locks Tina up and then Newt and Jacob too when they turn up to rescue her. Woops.

So how does this link in to finding out who Credence is? Well, lets skip ahead.

Is Credence Leta's brother?

Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz) has been struggling with the rumours surrounding her brother Corvus.

As the movie plays out we realise Credence could be her half-brother....but wait a hot second.

Leta was born after her father Lestrange put a curse on her mother and took her from her husband, who already had a son.

Her mother died giving birth to her and her father remarried soon after. His second wife gave him a son, Corvus.

Worried that the first husband and his son would kill Corvus in revenge, Lestrange sends Leta and Corvus off to America with the maid by boat.

On the boat Leta is driven mad by Corvus' crying and takes him to another room and places him in another baby's cot.

When the lights go out, she picks up the wrong baby and walks away. The maid grabs the baby thinking it is Corvus and in all the confusion the babies never get switched back. Leta remains silent.

The boat goes down and the family escapes on a lifeboat - but Corvus is with the other unsuspecting mother on a different boat.

Leta sees their lifeboat capsize with Corvus sinking into the sea. He's dead.

...so Credence isn't Corvus Lestrange! If we are to believe he was the baby the maid took to New York as planned, unaware of the switch, he can't be Lestrange.

So who is he?

At the end of the movie Credence joins Grindelwald, who, in a bid to get him on side has told him he will reveal his true identity to him.

Seeing Credence struggling with his decision to join Grindelwald, he plays his ace card.

He tells him he's actually Dumbledore's brother Aurelius!

Who?! we hear you ask.

Did Dumbledore have another brother?

We know from the books that Dumbledore (Jude Law) has two siblings, Aberforth and Ariana...not Aurelius.

Though it's worth noting here that Aurelius and Ariana are both Obscurials. So who is this Aurelius?

Of course Grindelwald could be lying to manipulate Credence who is desperate for the truth about his identity, but there's also the phoenix.

Phoenixes are known to approach the Dumbledore family.

Albus mentions it earlier in the movie so when Grindelwald tells Credence he's related to Dumbledore it's not surprising he uses a phoenix to prove his case.

Credence having one under his care is unusual, but is another sign of his lineage.

Holy lemon sherbet!

Why is this a problem?

Hold fire one second. Fans have pointed out that there are a few issues here.

First we never knew Dumbledore had another brother. It's plausible, but a little weird, that Dumbledore has never mentioned him.

Second, doesn't the age gap confuse matters? Dumbledore must be about 40 something in Fantastic Beasts 2, Credence is in his 20s. It begs a question how Credence is his brother. Did the parents wait? Is he a half-brother?

There's more questions here, but we're guessing J.K Rowling will explain all in the next few movies and we can't wait to find out.

Remember #Protectthesecrets - we've written this to help you unravel what happened, but be careful when sharing it with others...

Got any other theories? Let us know in the comments below!