InWizards of Waverly Placeand its sequel,Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, only one wizard is allowed per family, leading many to wonder why this is the case. Thecast ofWizards Beyond Waverly Placereunites several members of the original Disney Channel show over a decade after it concluded, meaning many aspects of its predecessor are involved in the sequel’s story. After Selena Gomez’s Alex Russo became the family wizard in the original show,Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’s storysees her handing off a rebellious teen to her brother Justin for training.
As one of thebest original Disney Channel shows,Wizards of Waverly Placeis held in high regard. This is a large factor as to why the sequel is so anticipated, as is the potential for a deeper exploration of the wizarding world. One element many are curious to see further explored is the idea that only one wizard per family can keep their powers. TheoriginalWizards of Waverly Placecast memberswere affected by this too, with the question of why this rule is in place being one that holds a mysterious lack of answers.
The Wizard Competition Determines Who Will Be The Family Wizard In Wizards Of Waverly Place
The Wizard Competition Was Always Billed As The Endgame
Although many adventures happened inWizards of Waverly Place, the show also had a well-established endgame: the Wizard Competition. At the beginning of the show, it was mentioned thatthe Wizard Competition is exactly what the name suggests: a contest between the wizards of any one family to decide which keeps their powers. For example, the father of the Russo siblings, Jerry, won his Wizard Competition as a teenager, meaning he got to keep his powers forever while his brother, Kelbo, lost them. However, Jerry decided to live a mortal life, passing the mantle of the family wizard to his brother.
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In the final episode ofWizards of Waverly Place,the Wizard Competition between Alex, Justin, and their younger sibling Max takes place. After a series of tasks and trials, Justin wins the tournament. That said,Justin admits that Alex’s decision to help him earlier allowed him to win, meaning Alex is chosen as the family wizard. Alex keeps her powers as a result, meaning Max and Justin become powerless like regular mortals. Naturally, the biggest question stemming from this rule is why it is not permitted for every Russo child, or those of any magical family, to keep their powers.
Jerry Can’t Use Magic In Wizards Of Waverly Place, But Justin Can In Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
Justin Found A Lucky Loophole
Stemming from the concept of only one wizard in the family keeping their powers is the somewhat inconsistency of it; InWizards of Waverly Place, Jerry could not use magic due to his brother becoming the family wizard, yet Justin continues using his powers inWizards Beyond Waverly Place.While this may seem like a plot hole, the original show’s ending - and the setup of its sequel - explain why this is the case. After Alex becomes the family wizard thanks to Justin’s honesty, the adjudicator of the Wizard Competition, Professor Crumbs, retires from his other post as the Headmaster of WizTech.
WizTech is a wizard school based on Hogwarts, with Professor Crumbs also sharing similarities with Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter franchise,
As a reward for Justin’s integrity, Crumbs offers the position to the oldest Russo sibling.Justin accepts and, as a result, has his magical powers reinstatedas he cannot teach the next generation of wizards without them. This explains why Justin can use magic inWizards Beyond Waverly Place, as his occupation required his abilities to return and, despiteWizards Beyond Waverly Placerevealing Justin was fired from WizTech, his powers remained. Jerry, on the other hand, lived life in the mortal world, meaning he lost his magical powers for good.
There Was A Rebellion In Wizards Of Waverly Place To Overturn The One Family Wizard Rule
A Big Wizards Of Waverly Place Story Centered Around Abolishing The Rule
In season 3, a newcharacter was introduced toWizards of Waverly Place:Stevie Nichols. Stevie was shown as very similar to Alex, also possessing a somewhat rebellious nature. Eventually,it was revealed that Stevie had ulterior motives and sought to enlist Alex in her quest to overturn the rule that states only one family wizard can exist. This storyline raised even more questions about why this rule was in place, as it was clearly upsetting enough to turn wizards against the institution in-universe.
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Interestingly, Stevie was depicted as an evil character. However, many audience members at the time ofWizards of Waverly Place’s airing sympathized with Stevie over her wish to abolish this rule. Furthermore, it was never explicitly outlined what Stevie stood for, with her reasons for wishing to overturn this rule not outlined beyond a surface level. If the show had inclined to do so, it could have provided answers to the one burning question that has long lingered over the franchise: why can only one wizard per family keep their powers?
The Ultimate Unanswered Question Of Wizards Of Waverly Place: Why Can’t All The Russos BeWizards?
Many Theories Have Been Crafted To Explain Why Only One Wizard Can Exist Per Family
Given that the franchise has never provided a definitive answer as to why only one magic user can become the family wizard, it has been left to theories to try and explain the rule. One potential reason is thatonly having one wizard per family reduces the risk of magic users abusing their powers. If one wizard becomes knowledgeable and skilled enough to win the Wizard Competition, it can be assumed that they will not abuse their powers going forward and will respect the abilities they continue to possess.
In less functional families, the losers of the Wizard Competition could seek revenge against the winners or the magical world…
Another added benefit of this is lessening the risk of revenge or anger. In less functional families, the losers of the Wizard Competition could seek revenge against the winners or the magical world as a whole. However, if they do not keep their powers, the risks are lessened. Another commonly raised theory is that having one wizard per family makes it easier to keep the wizarding world a secret. If only one person per family lives in the wizarding world, there is less of a chance of it being exposed to the mortal world.
Stemming from this, it could also be the case that the Wizard Competition serves as a form of population control. If multiple people from multiple wizard-based families kept their powers and had their own children, it could eventually be the case that wizards outnumber mortals. This would likely cause problems, meaning one wizard per family keeps the population of magic users under control. Regardless of what the reason is, the Wizard Competition stands in the universe, leading many to hopeWizards Beyond Waverly Placewill answer the franchise’s biggest question with a definitive, uncontested reason.
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.
