The highly-anticipatedWizards of Waverly Placespin-off seriesWizards Beyond Waverly Placehas begun streaming on Disney+, and the show’s first 9 episodes raise many questions, including how protagonist Justin Russo still has his wizard powers.Wizards Beyond Waverly Placeis a brand-new era for the Russo family, and there have been manychanges sinceWizards of Waverly Place. Some of the biggest updates include Justin’s marriage to a mortal woman named Giada and the birth of his two sons, Roman (the older) and Milo (the younger).
Currently,Justin’s sons don’t have magic powers, but Justin does. The latter is particularly surprising based on thefamily wizard rule fromWizards of Waverly Place. Each wizard family participates in the Wizard Competition, which determines the sibling who will remain a wizard. InWizards of Waverly Place, Alex won, meaningAlex should be the sole wizard among the Russo siblings. However, an exception was made for Justin because he became the headmaster of the wizarding school, WizTech. GivenWizards Beyond Waverly Placerevealed Justin was ultimately fired from WizTech, the question remains: how does Justin still have his powers?
Justin Should Have Lost His Powers (Again) After Leaving His Job At WizTech
Because Of The Family Wizard Rule, Justin Shouldn’t Have His Powers Anymore
Wizards Beyond Waverly Placerevealed that Justin still has his magic powers, which seems to contradict several concepts introduced inWizards of Waverly Place. As mentioned,Justin was only able to keep his powers after losing the Wizard Competition because he became the headmaster of WizTech. It seems logical that, once he no longer held this position, he would lose his powers once more, especially in light of his being fired due to a mysterious"unicorn incident."
Wizards of Waverly Placealso suggested that, to marry a mortal, wizards must give up their powers.
Wizards of Waverly Placealso suggested that, to marry a mortal, wizards must give up their powers. This is precisely what happened to the Russo siblings' father, Jerry Russo. Although Jerry won his family’s Wizard Competition, he ultimately fell in love with and married Theresa, a mortal woman. Because of this, he gave up his powers, and his brother, Kelbo, became the sole family wizard.
This only makes Justin’s powers inWizards Beyond Waverly Placeall the more confusing, asJustin also married a mortal woman betweenWizards of Waverly PlaceandWizards Beyond Waverly Place.Wizards Beyond Waverly Placerevealed that he concealed his powers from his wife, Giada, and stopped using them altogether, but that is very different from having to give them up. The show has yet to explain exactly how Justin managed to keep his magical abilities in light of his marriage to Giada and the loss of his job at WizTech.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Cast & Returning Character Guide
The highly anticipated sequel series to Wizards of Waverly Place, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, will see some returning characters and some new ones.
The Magical World May Have Made An Exception For Justin Due To His History At WizTech
Perhaps Justin’s Job Allowed Him To Keep His Powers Even After Letting Him Go
There are a few possible explanations for Justin still having his powers inWizards Beyond Waverly Place. In terms of him losing his job,the exact parameters of Justin being an exception to the family wizard rule were never established. It wasn’t clear whether Justin would lose his powers if he was no longer the headmaster of WizTech. It’s possible that it was a one-time exception that was not contingent upon Justin staying in the role. Perhaps Justin also had such a profound impact that, even with him being let go, he was allowed to keep his abilities.
It’s also conceivable that the rules regarding wizards marrying mortals have changed in the years sinceWizards of Waverly Place. Even at the time, this seemed like an outdated rule, and it would make sense forWizards Beyond Waverly Placeto introduce a more modern approach to wizards and mortals marrying. It’s likely that upcoming episodes ofWizards Beyond Waverly Placewill address this and other questions more directly, but for now, it remains a bit of a mystery how Justin Russo still has his magic powers.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
Cast
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place follows adult Justin Russo, who leads a normal life until his sister Alex asks for help with a young wizard-in-training. Justin must revive his magical skills to mentor the trainee while balancing his family life and safeguarding the Wizard World’s future.
