I don’t think enough is talked about how GOOD and KIND and CONSIDERATE Theseus Scamander is.
We often talk about how all of those things describe Newt, we talk about how he is this great Hufflepuff hero and how he pushes against toxic masculinity, but what we don’t talk about much is the fact that he would have had a great role model to learn from with his older brother. Of course it is entirely possible for Newt to still have been good and kind and considerate even if he had grown up in a horrible family, but the fact that he did grow up with a good, kind, and considerate older brother would have shown him from a very young age what is really important to be as a person and how you should treat others.
As much as we talk about how Newt is a hero who subverts the traditional masculine hero trope, so does Theseus actually as well.
From the very first moment we were told that Newt had an older brother and that he was introduced as this famous war hero, many of us had the assumption that he was going to be this popular jock. Then when it was given information that Theseus was going to be engaged to Leta Lestrange, most thought on top of being popular jock that he was going to be this jerk who not only looks down at his little brother but also stole his brother’s girl and would lord it all over Newt. Except none of that actually happened in the movie. Yes Theseus likely was a popular kid at school and he is clearly more outgoing and confident, but he wasn’t a jerk who lorded anything over his brother or looked down at Newt. In fact, Theseus does not mention Leta even once to Newt. This love triangle that had been drummed up was almost non-existent from Theseus’ end. There was no scene where he told Newt to stay away from Leta, or accusing Leta of loving Newt. No, in fact nothing in the movie even seemed to show that anything about Newt/Leta was even on his mind nor anything he worried about. His conflict with Newt was more about his worries over Newt getting into trouble, and even then, Theseus is the one who warns Newt that the Ministry has people watching him, and he didn’t have to do that. What we were presented with instead was a man confident in his relationship with his fiancee and also cares very much about his younger brother, and as indicated by some of the photos at Newt’s book signing, clearly very proud of his brother’s new achievements instead of having any prideful issues about being overshadowed or something by his little brother.
Then if we look at the whole scene at Dumbledore’s class room - first of all, Dumbledore could have addressed anyone to speak to as the aurors were leaving but he instead reaches out to Theseus. Secondly, Theseus could have behaved like Travers and simply left and not listened, but he stayed and took what Dumbledore said to heart. While everyone seemed to distrust Dumbledore, Theseus didn’t just distrust or dismiss what Dumbledore said. Instead of running in spoiling for a fight as a traditional masculine hero might have done, Theseus instead tries to talk Travers out of going in guns blazing as it were. And then when he and his aurors arrive at the tombs, he again tells them that it isn’t illegal for people to be here so they were to use minimal force because “we mustn’t be what he says we are”. And once inside the rally and exposed to the crowd, Theseus again reiterates to his aurors that they were to use no force and do nothing. Yes someone didn’t listen to him, but he tried very much to keep things as calm as they could instead of picking a fight. He exhibited a calm leadership that makes sense given his war hero status, there is experience and wisdom in what he was trying to ensure his aurors would follow.
And when everything was over in the aftermath, after losing the woman he loves, after fighting by his brother’s side - he isn’t afraid to show emotion, to hug his brother and cry. There is no stoic-macho-man-no-tears sort of situation as he tries to tough it out. No, he’s a human being who just lost someone he loves and he will exhibit those human emotions of grief and sadness and tears instead of pretending they somehow don’t exist. The Scamander brothers hugging in that moment is so very important, not only to their relationship, but also showing that it is okay for men to be affectionate and to show vulnerabilities and that’s not weakness but simply part of being human.
We love Newt for all that he is, but seeing the older brother he’s grown up with, maybe it shouldn’t be such a shock that Newt grew up to be the kind of person he was, after all, he had a good role model to look up to.
And Newt’s rebellious not-good-at-following-orders side? Well, let’s not forget that Theseus Scamander ran into the first world war against the orders of the very Ministry he would have been working at. The Minister specifically forbade wizard involvement in World War 1 and Theseus went and fought anyways. So maybe that’s why despite Newt and Tina causing trouble at the French Ministry and tying him up when he tried to stop them, he didn’t seem to be all that upset at what happened. Like older brother, like little brother.
Newt is a great Hufflepuff hero, but let’s not forget that Theseus is a great Hufflepuff hero too. Hufflepuff House is lucky to have two great Scamander brothers making it proud!
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