0:00:08.119,0:00:11.200
As a cultural critic, I watch a lot of movies

0:00:11.500,0:00:16.900
and I'm always on the lookout for positive Hollywood representations of masculinity.

0:00:17.500,0:00:19.780
I usually walk out of the theater disappointed

0:00:20.100,0:00:25.300
but occasionally the stars will align, and I'll find myself pleasantly surprised.

0:00:25.460,0:00:31.160
And that's how I felt after seeing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

0:00:32.820,0:00:39.060
Newt Scamander, protagonist of this Harry Potter spin-off, is an unconventional male hero.

0:00:39.760,0:00:44.120
The kind of character typically relegated to sidekick status.

0:00:44.780,0:00:49.480
He performs a refreshingly atypical form of masculinity

0:00:49.640,0:00:52.640
especially for the lead in a fantasy adventure story.

0:00:52.920,0:00:58.380
His is a quiet, vulnerable, yet confident form of manhood.

0:01:00.100,0:01:07.820
Newt's character is largely defined by his extraordinary ability to connect with magical creatures

0:01:08.920,0:01:13.420
and by his relative inability to connect with other human beings.

0:01:15.700,0:01:21.340
Newt is a Magizoologist. Essentially he's an expert in the care of magical creatures.

0:01:22.100,0:01:25.740
His life work, his passion, is studying

0:01:26.480,0:01:33.640
nurturing, and protecting these fantastic beasts, then writing textbooks in an effort

0:01:33.700,0:01:36.600
to foster understanding and compassion for their plight.

0:01:36.600,0:01:43.960
NEWT “They’re the last breeding pair in existence. If I hadn’t managed to rescue them, that could have been the end of Graphorns forever.”

0:01:44.140,0:01:47.940
I should mention that this is not a Doctor Dolittle situation.

0:01:48.260,0:01:53.440
Newt's bond with and affinity for animals is not supernatural in nature,

0:01:53.780,0:01:58.800
even though that wouldn't be out of place in this universe.

0:02:00.620,0:02:05.580
Instead he simply pays attention to them and their needs when others don't.

0:02:05.580,0:02:08.820
NEWT “He had a cold. He needed some body warmth.”

0:02:09.100,0:02:13.520
This is also not an "animal good, human bad" story.

0:02:13.960,0:02:20.920
Even though he's painfully shy and socially awkward Newt's empathetic worldview extends to people,

0:02:20.980,0:02:25.100
especially to those discriminated against or marginalized,

0:02:25.100,0:02:30.740
as evidenced by his disgust at the way American wizards treat non-magical people.

0:02:30.780,0:02:34.940
TINA "Mr. Scamander do you know anything about the Wizarding community in America?"

0:02:35.040,0:02:40.500
NEWT "I do know a few thing actually. I know that you have rather backwards laws about relations with non-magic people.

0:02:40.500,0:02:44.880
NEWT "That you're not meant to befriend them, that you can't marry them which seems mildly absurd to me."

0:02:44.940,0:02:47.140
TINA "Who's going to marry him?"

0:02:49.000,0:02:54.200
He's strongly opposed to segregation, discriminatory laws, capital punishment,

0:02:54.200,0:02:57.219
and other violence committed in the name of justice.

0:02:58.250,0:03:01.800
Newts truly special gift is not his magic.

0:03:01.800,0:03:04.889
It's his empathy.

0:03:05.269,0:03:08.949
NEWT "All right, I'm coming. I'm coming. Mum's here. Mum's here."

0:03:10.420,0:03:15.400
This type of quiet sensitive masculinity is so out of the ordinary for a leading man

0:03:15.400,0:03:22.000
that I wasn't terribly surprised to see a number of movie reviewers turned off by his character.

0:03:22.100,0:03:26.080
The New York Post said that Newt was "not a very engaging lead."

0:03:26.820,0:03:32.100
MTV said he lacked "depth," "soul," and a "coherent personality."

0:03:32.540,0:03:37.800
The Village Voice went so far as to say he seemed "physically ill" much of the time.

0:03:38.800,0:03:41.380
Slate felt that he was "a little boring."

0:03:42.020,0:03:49.700
Both Slate and the New Republic lamented that the character "tamped down" Eddie Redmayne's charisma.

0:03:50.140,0:03:53.860
The New Republic also expressed shock at his leading man status

0:03:54.040,0:04:03.540
saying that he's so "good-hearted, simple and nondescript that it's sort of crazy he's going to be the centerpiece" of a five film franchise.

0:04:04.660,0:04:10.140
I was disappointed, but as I said, not surprised to see this kind of reaction.

0:04:10.540,0:04:15.420
We, as movie-going audiences, have been conditioned to expect a certain type of

0:04:15.460,0:04:21.079
masculine performance from male characters in sci-fi or fantasy films.

0:04:22.360,0:04:30.080
We expect leading men who are, or learn to be, autonomous, brazen, and physically strong.

0:04:30.540,0:04:35.500
Or at least men who are witty, boisterous, and charismatic.

0:04:35.580,0:04:38.360
Preferably all of the above.

0:04:38.360,0:04:43.760
It's practically required for male heroes to hide their vulnerability.

0:04:43.920,0:04:53.000
We've learned to easily forgive aggression and arrogance in men but to take exception at presentations of humility or sensitivity.

0:04:53.000,0:04:59.000
We're accustomed to seeing men who are quick to violence and slow to diplomacy.

0:05:00.700,0:05:03.900
Newt is a significant departure from this trend.

0:05:04.460,0:05:11.200
His version of manhood doesn't stem from physical strength or combat skills or feats of daring-do,

0:05:11.700,0:05:16.619
or even from some preordained mystic destiny like so many other male heroes.

0:05:17.440,0:05:20.900
He's sincere, nurturing, emotional, and sensitive.

0:05:20.900,0:05:25.360
NEWT "That’s definitely the Murtlap. You must be particularly susceptible."

0:05:25.860,0:05:31.440
And critically that sensitivity is framed as a strength rather than a weakness

0:05:31.680,0:05:36.320
NEWT "Stay still. Alright, that should stop the sweating."

0:05:36.600,0:05:41.940
When men in our culture express this kind of vulnerability, they're often labeled "weak"

0:05:42.220,0:05:49.000
because nurturing and sensitivity are things that are stereotypically associated with women and with femininity.

0:05:49.340,0:05:55.940
And by framing these attributes as positive and heroic aspects of a male adventure hero,

0:05:56.200,0:06:01.580
it goes a long way to challenging regressive gender expectations.

0:06:03.040,0:06:08.840
Now in order for us to understand just how revolutionary Newt's performance of masculinity is

0:06:08.840,0:06:14.980
it's useful to talk a little bit more about all the things he is not.

0:06:18.800,0:06:23.960
Newt is a British Wizard who attended Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

0:06:24.240,0:06:27.660
But Newt is not Harry Potter. He's a Hufflepuff.

0:06:28.420,0:06:31.660
EDDIE "Actually, no, I am a proud Hufflepuff!"

0:06:32.400,0:06:36.980
The House characterized by friendship, hard work, and humility.

0:06:37.380,0:06:43.400
Hufflepuffs are said to be more down-to-earth and less competitive than the other three wizarding houses.

0:06:44.460,0:06:52.100
Harry Potter, on the other hand, was sorted into Gryffindor, the House known for daring, nerve, chivalry,

0:06:52.460,0:06:55.500
and prone to a fair bit of showing off.

0:06:56.180,0:07:00.940
As such, Harry fits neatly into the pantheon of traditional Hollywood heroes.

0:07:01.700,0:07:04.089
His is the archetypal hero's journey.

0:07:05.540,0:07:10.260
And we all know how these fantasy character arcs are supposed to unfold,

0:07:10.560,0:07:14.380
an unsuspecting young man has adventure thrust upon him

0:07:14.560,0:07:20.160
and it turns out that he's the only one in the entire universe who can save the world.

0:07:21.880,0:07:25.380
OBI WAN "Not as clumsy or random as a blaster".

0:07:25.380,0:07:31.140
And thus he is transformed from shy nerdy guy into triumphant badass.

0:07:31.500,0:07:37.380
It's not uncommon for this evolution to involve fighting with some sort of flaming phallus.

0:07:37.840,0:07:41.700
By contrast Newt Scamander is not the "chosen one."

0:07:42.290,0:07:47.200
He doesn't have some fated cosmic burden that he alone must shoulder.

0:07:48.880,0:07:53.320
Some have compared Newt with Doctor Who because, well

0:07:53.420,0:07:57.100
British, bowtie, and bigger on the inside

0:07:57.100,0:07:59.900
but that's really where the similarities end.

0:08:00.100,0:08:06.860
Newt does harbor a deep inner pain, but his personal struggle doesn't manifest as arrogance.

0:08:09.580,0:08:13.980
[Newt's] not interested in showing off his power in grand gestures.

0:08:14.280,0:08:21.660
DOCTOR WHO "So, all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will, where do you want to start?"

0:08:22.040,0:08:29.040
Newt is a humble caregiver who's content with his personal goal, which let's remember is writing textbooks.

0:08:29.660,0:08:35.469
Albeit magical textbooks, but still that's surprisingly unassuming for a fantasy adventure hero.

0:08:35.740,0:08:41.419
This means that unlike Potter, Newt doesn't possess super-powered magic

0:08:41.799,0:08:46.640
nor is he plagued with self-doubt about his abilities or his place in the magical world.

0:08:48.660,0:08:50.940
TINA "Well, sit down Mr. Scamander. "

0:08:50.940,0:08:53.940
He's a grown up already confident in his wizarding skills...

0:08:54.200,0:08:55.680
TINA "We aren't going to poison you."

0:08:55.680,0:08:59.860
...even if he remains uncomfortable around others.

0:09:00.760,0:09:07.680
And I suspect that this point might be another reason why some critics weren't so fond of this new Wizarding protagonist.

0:09:09.220,0:09:11.020
BANKER "Can I help you?"

0:09:11.260,0:09:17.760
I think there's an argument to be made that Newt exhibits the characteristics of someone on the autism spectrum.

0:09:17.760,0:09:21.200
He's awkward in social settings. He doesn't like being touched.

0:09:21.760,0:09:27.060
He feels intense empathy for others but has trouble connecting to people and making friends.

0:09:27.340,0:09:31.580
And careful viewers will also notice his aversion to direct eye contact.

0:09:33.360,0:09:37.800
The film's narrative never confirms this hypothesis one way or the other.

0:09:38.300,0:09:41.600
Perhaps this is simply how Eddie Redmayne decided to play the character

0:09:41.940,0:09:46.600
but whatever the case it's a testament to both the writing and the acting

0:09:46.840,0:09:53.360
that Newt's social anxieties are not framed in the stereotypical ways we've come to expect from Hollywood.

0:09:54.780,0:09:58.840
Characters like this tend to fall into a few specific archetypes.

0:09:59.180,0:10:01.240
There's the Tormented Genius:

0:10:01.440,0:10:06.960
a brilliant but insufferable character who's intelligent to the point of instability or mental illness

0:10:07.540,0:10:12.420
which is often framed as "the price" he must pay for his extraordinary talent.

0:10:14.260,0:10:16.720
There's the Mad Scientist:

0:10:16.720,0:10:23.160
a whimsical or bumbling character whose weird eccentricities are perhaps endearing to a degree...

0:10:23.340,0:10:25.560
DOC BROWN "I'm gonna read your thoughts!"

0:10:25.560,0:10:28.380
...but are also played for comedy.

0:10:28.380,0:10:30.740
And then there's the Sherlock Holmes archetype:

0:10:30.940,0:10:40.680
a character possessing such a superhuman IQ that it leads to callousness and the inability

0:10:41.020,0:10:44.800
or perhaps unwillingness to feel sympathy for other people.

0:10:44.980,0:10:47.660
SHERLOCK "Shut up.!"[br]INSPECTOR "I didn't say anything?"

0:10:47.740,0:10:49.600
SHERLOCK "You were thinking. It's annoying."

0:10:50.040,0:10:57.700
But Newt isn't too lost in his own mind or his own eccentricities to care about or empathize with other people.

0:10:58.040,0:11:02.600
In fact, quite the opposite. His sensitivity is where he excels.

0:11:05.020,0:11:14.780
Critically, Fantastic Beasts doesn't frame Newt's social anxiety as an obstacle he must ultimately overcome in order to be a true hero.

0:11:15.140,0:11:20.740
The narrative doesn't require him to "toughen up" or learn to be more outgoing.

0:11:22.280,0:11:25.600
Newt doesn't fundamentally have to change his way of being.

0:11:26.070,0:11:32.510
And the people who become his friends are those who interact and engage with him on his terms.

0:11:36.740,0:11:43.960
Newt does learn and grow over the course of his adventure, but it's a subtle more interpersonal growth.

0:11:43.960,0:11:46.440
JACOB "Everybody knows Newt only kept me around because--"

0:11:46.600,0:11:50.280
He learns to make friends, and he learns to trust them.

0:11:50.300,0:11:53.360
JACOB "Newt, why did you keep me around?"

0:11:54.020,0:11:56.020
NEWT "Because I like you."

0:11:57.680,0:11:59.680
NEWT "Because you're my friend."

0:12:01.360,0:12:03.940
JACOB "Oh."

0:12:04.240,0:12:09.640
And establishing these deep human connections is the core of his character development.

0:12:12.500,0:12:15.140
NEWT "It's been...um"[br]TINA "Hasn't it?"

0:12:18.380,0:12:24.400
The ending of Fantastic Beasts is rather anticlimactic compared to most other action fantasy movies and

0:12:24.700,0:12:28.300
even compared to most other films in the Harry Potter universe.

0:12:31.060,0:12:35.480
As expected, there's a final showdown with a powerful and destructive magical force

0:12:36.020,0:12:39.880
but even here Newt's actions are guided by his empathy.

0:12:41.120,0:12:43.820
NEWT "I'm here to help you, Credence."

0:12:44.380,0:12:47.160
NEWT "I'm not here to hurt you."

0:12:47.160,0:12:55.680
Rather than besting his foe in an epic magical duel, Newt approaches the conflict with an eye for de-escalation.

0:12:57.160,0:13:03.540
Of course, in the end the malevolent force is vanquished, but it's not done by Newt's hand.

0:13:05.200,0:13:11.280
Even more surprising, this triumph of over evil isn't shown to be a cause for celebration.

0:13:11.560,0:13:15.220
It is instead framed as a melancholy event.

0:13:16.760,0:13:20.620
Melancholy because our heroes failed to save the monster.

0:13:21.560,0:13:23.820
I feel like I might need to say that again.

0:13:24.260,0:13:31.420
In this movie, defeating the monster is framed as a tragedy because they couldn't save him.

0:13:32.060,0:13:37.480
A fittingly unconventional conclusion to an unconventional Hollywood Fantasy production.

0:13:40.069,0:13:47.438
It remains to be seen if Warner Brothers has the guts to keep Newt as the protagonist throughout all five films in the franchise.

0:13:48.280,0:13:54.300
For her part, J.K. Rowling has said that Newt will remain the star, at least for the next movie in the series.

0:13:55.100,0:14:02.620
But within Hollywood, there is no doubt enormous pressure to shift the focus to a character who performs a more traditional

0:14:03.050,0:14:08.139
and expected type of manhood. The studio has even hinted at demoting Newt's role

0:14:08.139,0:14:13.319
And that would be a shame because we need more movies that center a gentle

0:14:13.900,0:14:16.780
empathetic version of heroic masculinity.

0:14:19.420,0:14:22.740
If you'd like to see more videos related to media and manhood

0:14:22.900,0:14:27.600
hop on over to my Patreon page and help fund the Pop Culture Detective Agency.