The highly anticipated Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, the spin-off and sequel to the beloved comedy TV series Wizards of Waverly Place, arrived on Disney+ on October 29, 2024, and continues to captivate fans with its magical charm. The original series starred pop sensation Selena Gomez, David Henrie, and Jake T. Austin in the titular roles of the Russo siblings.
Wizards of Waverly Place ran for four successful seasons and finished with the long-awaited wizard competition among the Russo siblings—Max, Alex, and Justin. The finale, "Who Will Be the Family Wizard," decided the fate of the three young wizards, as only one of the three siblings can retain their magical abilities.
As the competition ended, Alex was declared the winner, and Justin managed to retain his magical abilities, but Max's fate was slightly different. While Alex and Justin still have their powers in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Max becomes a mortal and inherits the family sandwich shop, the Sub Station. Read below to explore more about Max.
Max became a regular mortal before Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
After the competition between the Russo siblings ended in Wizards of Waverly Place, Alex, and Justin retained their powers while Max accepted his fate as a regular mortal. He took on the responsibility of running the family sandwich shop, and this was also acknowledged by Justin in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
As seen in the original series, Max is a fun-loving character who often uses his magic for pranks and mischief. Interestingly, Max didn't feel sad after losing his magical abilities but expressed excitement for enjoying a simple life without magic.
Max's journey in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place: Does Jake T. Austin appear in the spin-off?
Though Max didn't appear in the initial episodes of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, his presence isn't actually off the table. He was mentioned in the first episode of the spin-off when the young wizard Billie assumed Justin was the billionaire Russo sibling.
Upon hearing Billie's misunderstanding, Justin quickly replied with:
"Uh, no, that would be Max. I’m a middle school vice principal, which some would say is much cooler than being a billionaire."
Explaining that Jake T. Austin's Max has now transitioned into a billionaire who has been running the family sandwich shop. Being the youngest and most hilarious Russo sibling, Max turns out to be a successful human, while Alex is now a member of the Wizard World Tribunal, and Justin is happy being a vice principal, husband, and father of two adorable sons.
Selena Gomez and David Henrie's thoughts on bringing back Jake T. Austin as Max
Among the three Russo siblings, Max alone hasn't appeared in the spin-off despite being one of the main cast members from the original series. However, when Henrie first took to his Instagram, fans became excited about the return of the Russo family. He also hinted at the arrival of the main cast members.
Replying to a comment, the actor wrote:
"We definitely plan on bringing back the original cast for the series order 🙌❤️"
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His comments hinted at the return of all three Russon siblings, and fans are still hopeful about Max's return, at least in a cameo like Selena Gomez's Alex in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. In an interview with Vanity Fair, the Lose You to Love Me hitmaker jokingly called out Jake T. Austin for ignoring her texts.
Not only this, but Gomez also mentioned Austin's charm and popularity as he transitioned into an acclaimed actor in the industry. Even though Austin hasn't appeared in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place yet, fans can watch him in other TV series and films - The Valley (2017) and Adverse (2020), in which the actor played the role of a character named Lars.
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