Every Disney child fan’s favorite show from the early 2000s has finally made its return. Similar to the reboot of iCarly on Paramount, which follows Carly, Spencer, and Freddie as they navigate their lives in adulthood, Wizards of Waverly Placehas been rebooted as Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. This is an exciting return to the Russo family, but unlike its predecessor, the show now follows Justin as he trains young wizard Billie to control her powers.
Of course, as a new show that takes place almost two decades after the original, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is expected to be quite different from the original. That is to say, some characters won’t be making appearances, some characters will be quite different now, and there might be some plotholes that will be uncovered in an attempt to revive the original series. Is the new show as exciting as its predecessor, though? And what exactly are the differences between them? Let’s check out the 10 differences between Wizards Beyond Waverly place, and it’s more famous predesessor.
10 Alex Russo Is Not the Star of the Show
Older fans of Wizards of Waverly Place remember when Selena Gomez was in her prime at Disney; after all, she was the star of the hit television show, Wizards of Waverly Place as sly and mischievous Alex Russo, who fans loved; and the series became a vehicle for Gomez’s quick rise to stardom. So it may come as a bit of a surprise that Gomez’s Alex is not the centerpiece of the reboot.
Like most remakes and reboots, the previous star of the show is likely not the star of its modern or current iteration. In the case of iCarly, Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) remains the lead of the show in the reboot, and the series follows the adult life of the original cast. This could be a sad thing for old fans of Wizards of Waverly Place; Selena Gomez as Alex Russo was extremely well-liked, but it seems as though the new main character Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) will play a similar role as the next mischievous wizard, which may be better for advancing the Beyond Waverly Place’s storyline past the old cast.
9 Justin Russo Is the Only Russo Sibling the Show Centers on
Out of the three Russo siblings, the show Wizards Beyond Wizardly Place has decided to focus on Justin Russo (David Henrie), who was the oldest Russo sibling and also the most mature. This is a shocking difference from the original show, as Alex was always much more fun to watch due to her crazy antics. As one may remember, in the parant series’ finale, while Alex was crowned the winner, and deemed the Family Wizard, Justin was able to keep his powers by becoming the head of WizTech.
With his maturity and adult-like outlook on magic, it makes a lot of sense that Justin would be the primary focus of the siblings, as he is the most mature and disciplined in terms of magic, and he could likely train and help Billie with her growing powers. It allows Justin to step into his father’s shoes, which he does very well, we must say.
8 Alex Russo Has Grown Up
Of course, it’s to be expected that Alex Russo has grown up both figuratively and literally. But there was a certain edge to her character when she was originally the irresponsible wizard who acted out of selfishness, which caused so many issues with the Russo family.
Now that she has matured, this is probably one of the biggest changes from the original show, because the Alex that fans have all known and loved is different. Fortunately, remnants of her old self remain, but it is a nice change to see Alex grow into the independent woman she was always meant to be.
7 Harper Is Not on the Show
Harper Finkle (Jennifer Stone), Alex’s best friend and everyone’s favorite fashionista, has not yet made an appearance on the show and will likely not make one. This is a disappointing factor, as Harper was just as beloved as other characters, maybe even more so. One would think that Harper would play, at the very least, a recurring character on the show, but, nope.
Her absence on the show is disappointing, but this can be expected, since the show does not revolve around Alex, there is less of a need to have Harper appear unless the episode features a reunion. Still, it’s disappointing not to have Harper on the show.
6 The Third Generation of Russos Does Not Have Magical Powers
In Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Justin Russo married and had two sons, Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko). It turns out, however, that Roman and Milo have no magical powers whatsoever, which is a radical depature from the parent series.
It’s possible that perhaps they haven’t developed their powers, but it’s a little odd that they haven’t shown any remnants of power at their ages. After all, if Jerry Russo’s (David DeLuise) three children from the second generation of Russos developed powers, why don’t the Russo brothers from the third generation? Perhaps this will be explained later on.
5 Max Is the Most Successful Sibling?
Another surprising difference between Wizards Beyond Waverly Place and its predecessor series is the fact that Max (Jake T. Austin) appears to be the most successful Russo sibling. Currently though, in the show, even though he has not exactly made an appearance, he is mentioned to be a millionaire who successfully turned the family business into a franchise.
This came as a surprise to fans, as Max, while a smart kid, never really showed exceptional promise as a wizard. No one expected him to fail, but of the three siblings, Justin Russo was always expected to be more successful than the other two. While this may be a surprising change for the original trio, it does make a little sense considering he no longer has wizard powers.
4 The Plot Shifts Focus
Though in the original story of Wizards of Waverly Place Jerry Russo attempts to make his children independent of their powers, the plot in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has shifted to training Billie’s magical power and helping her learn to control it.
This shift in plot is not a bad thing; it creates an interesting plot. Originally, Justin was disciplined to not use his magic as often and to be independent of it. However, now Justin has to train a similar discipline to Billie, though it’s not to stop her from using her magic, but rather to help her control it. Undoubtedly, this proves to be an interesting concept, and it’s a good change of pace for the series.
3 Justin Is the Least Successful Sibling
Another surprising difference between the new show and its predecessor is the fact that Justin is the least successful sibling. Despite doing everything right in life, Justin somehow managed to lose his job and has retired from teaching at WizTech.
It’s mostly a surprise that Justin even got fired, considering that he has always been the one least likely to get fired from a job. But somehow Max manages to become a billionaire and Alex Russo works with young magical children. It’s an interesting change, to say the least, and it will be worth a watch to see how the trio’s dynamic develops.
2 No Appearance From Theresa
Another difference between the original and this new show is the fact that Theresa Russo (Maria Canals-Barrera), everyone’s favorite Disney mom, has not made an appearance on the show yet. Jerry Russo had already made an appearance as Justin’s father, yet no appearance from his mother.
There’s a good chance Theresa will show, just as Jerry did, but it’s a little odd that the entire family made an appearance and she didn’t. Perhaps it’s because her role remains a small one, but that doesn’t change the fact that her presence is sorely missed.
1 Justin Got to Keep His powers
Another odd difference between this show and the original is the fact that Justin Russo got to keep his powers. He was able to keep his powers thanks to his career at WizTech, and so was Alex thanks to her winning the wizard’s competition. But since Justin got fired and married a mortal woman, he should have been forced to give up his powers.
This is questionable because, in the original series, Jerry had to give up his powers despite winning the tournament; this is because he married a mortal woman named Theresa. After that, Jerry gave up his powers to his brother. However, despite Justin making the same decisions as his dad, he still managed to keep his powers.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place can be streamed on Disney+ in the U.S.
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