Johnny Depp Surprises Comic-Con in Full 'Fantastic Beasts' Character

Johnny Depp surprised the Hall H audience for the “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” panel at San Diego Comic-Com Saturday morning, delivering an in-character lecture that was part villain rant and part fascist speech.

That was appropriate for a character who, in the “Harry Potter” universe, is essentially a magical cross between Hitler and Mussolini. Depp-as-Grindelwald lectured that he doesn’t want to destroy muggles (aka humans), it’s just that he thinks they’re “different” worth than wizards. Notably, he didn’t quite adopt the speech inflections and accent seen onscreen in the “Fantastic Beasts 2” trailer that debuted Saturday — instead he sort of mumbled haltingly, occasionally leaning into drawling Shakespearean intonations.

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The surprise appearance was especially unexpected given Depp’s recent personal troubles. A recent Rolling Stone profile presented him as frequently inebriated and bedeviled by financial issues, some of them related to his divorce from Amber Heard, who accused the actor of abuse. Awkwardly, Heard took to the Hall H stage to promote “Aquaman” soon after the “Fantastic Beasts” presentation. But it was unclear whether Depp and Heard’s paths crossed.

The audience at Comic-Con didn’t seem to care about all that. Though there was a social media backlash against Depp’s casting, inside Hall H it was all cheers.

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Last year, after Depp and Heard’s divorce, “Fantastic Beasts” creator JK Rowling issued a statement saying: “Based on our understanding of the circumstances, the film-makers and I are not only comfortable sticking with our original casting but genuinely happy to have Johnny playing a major character in the movies.”

17 TV Shows That Live on in Comics: From 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' to 'Battlestar Galactica' (Photos)

San Diego Comic-Con is upon us once more, and that means a chance to nerd out about movies, comic books and TV shows. So TheWrap thought we'd take this opportunity to combine two of those mediums and look at several series that became comics. Click through our gallery to get a glimpse at programs that lived on after their small screen finales, thanks to a little help from some talented artists.

Also Read: San Diego Comic-Con 2019: TV Is the King of This Con – But Will It Be a Long Reign?
Dark Horse Comics
1. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- We can tell you right now Joss Whedon's name will show up on this list more than any other showrunner's, as the guy loves to keep canon going for all of his series in comic book form with Dark Horse Comics. And of course that includes his pride and joy, "Buffy."

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Dark Horse Comics
2. "The X-Files" -- Yes, we know that "The X-Files" actually did get revived a couple years ago (and then died again), however, the Fox series first picked back up in issues brought to fans by IDW Publishing.

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IDW Publishing
3. "Charmed" -- Here is another one that came back to the small screen, only The CW rebooted the franchise with a different cast; whereas these Zenescope Entertainment comics fill in what's been happening with the OG sisters, played by Hollie Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano, Shannen Doherty and Rose McGowan, since the 2006 series finale.

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Zenescope Entertainment
4. "Firefly" -- Another Whedonverse series that got a canonical continuation in comics, only this one was way more short-lived than "Buffy." The one-season wonder led by Nathan Fillion carries on in the "Serenity" comics, named after the spaceship the crew travels on.
Dark Horse Comics
5. "Dollhouse" -- Same as "Firefly," but with Eliza Dushku.
Dark Horse Comics
6. "Jericho" -- This CBS sci-fi series got just two seasons on air, but two more in print.
IDW Publishing
7. "Star Trek: The Original Series" -- The Star Trek franchise has been adapted for almost every medium, and comics is no exception, with this IDW series continuing the story of the USS Enterprise.
IDW Publishing
8. "Xena: Warrior Princess" -- Xena kept kicking ass in 55 issues of a Dynamite comic series that ran from 1997-2009.
Dynamite Entertainment
9. "Smallville" -- This series published by DC Comics maintains the continuity of the WB's "Smallville" and follows Clark Kent's (Tom Welling) story after the on-screen Season 10 finale.

DC Comics
10. "Angel" -- The spinoff to "Buffy" (and a show some fans say may be Joss' real masterpiece) got its own series of stories a few years after cancellation. Those comics constantly crossover with the Scooby Gang's storylines in the "Buffy" series, so plenty of fun for fans of the Buffyverse as a whole. But the core story now focuses on Angel and Faith's relationship -- in a series called "Angel & Faith."

Dark Horse
11. "Farscape" -- This Sci Fi (now Syfy) network show wasn't appreciated in its own time, but got a series of comics following its cancellation after Season 4, thanks to a strong cult following.
BOOM! Studios
12. "Battlestar Galactica" --
The acclaimed reimagining went out with a truly baffling bang in 2009, but the 2018 Dynamite Entertainment series "BSG vs BSG" tops it. The comic sees the crew of the 2003-2009 SYFY series encounters the crew of the 1978 series.
Dynamite Comics
13. "Grimm" -- NBC's dark fairytale-centric drama got six seasons and a comic book.
Dynamite Comics
14. "Doctor Who" -- Are the "Doctor Who" comics canon? Well, because some of them were published by Titan before the show's revival, some fans say yes. And others will give an emphatic no.
Titan Comics
15. "Babylon 5" -- Almost every "Babylon 5" comic that's been written since the TV series ended is considered part of the franchise, having been based on outlines written directly by creator Joseph Michael Straczynski.

DC Comics
16. "Married... With Children" -- Yeah, this one may seem like a weird show to adapt into comic book form until you find out that...

NOW Comics
17. "Alf" -- ... this one was too.
Marvel Comics

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As Comic-Con kicks off, nerd-out with TheWrap over series that jumped from the small screen to the illustrated page

San Diego Comic-Con is upon us once more, and that means a chance to nerd out about movies, comic books and TV shows. So TheWrap thought we'd take this opportunity to combine two of those mediums and look at several series that became comics. Click through our gallery to get a glimpse at programs that lived on after their small screen finales, thanks to a little help from some talented artists.

Also Read: San Diego Comic-Con 2019: TV Is the King of This Con – But Will It Be a Long Reign?

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17 TV Shows That Live on in Comics: From 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' to 'Battlestar Galactica' (Photos)

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