In addition, Grindelwald 'killing' the man Albus once loved to remain embedded in the dark side could even have been a weapon the tyrant used, knowing it'd mess with Albus' mind. Thus, whenever they met each other, fans would have connected with Albus' pain just from how he looked at his ex. That would have gotten the message across in a way that spoke volumes, without even needing any words, while acting as a constant visual indicator on-screen of the fracture that occurred with both men. to hunt the villain down, Grindelwald could have wanted to see a new face every day to help him forget about Albus, all to keep waging his war for power and control over the Wizarding World. Instead of that betrayal and Albus gathering Newt and Co.
This would have been a scathing burn, with him telling Albus that his previous form (the Depp one Albus fell for) reminded him of when he was naive and weak, which culminated in Albus abandoning the mission. But there was an easy out had The Secrets of Dumbledore depicted Grindelwald as a bitter man who altered his look to get away from the past.
