Who is the protagonist of J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts screenplays?

The protagonist of J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts screenplays is Newt Scamander.

Newt Scamander is a magizoologist who studies and protects magical creatures. He carries a magical case containing many creatures and becomes involved in events connected to the wizarding community beyond Britain. Eddie Redmayne portrays Newt in the film series.

The character’s name originally appeared as the credited author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a Hogwarts textbook-style companion book published in 2001. Rowling later expanded the name into a fictional biography and made Newt the central character of the Fantastic Beasts films.

Newt is not the same person as Albus Dumbledore or Gellert Grindelwald, although both become important to the films’ larger conflict. Theseus Scamander is Newt’s older brother. The films are set decades before Harry Potter’s story and move through locations including New York, Paris, and London.