Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is the long-awaited sequel to the hit Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Placewhich launched the careers of Selena Gomez and Jake T. Austin, who play two of the Russo brothers alongside David Henrie. Austin’s character, Max Russo, was the mischievous younger brother of the group, and the brother who ended up losing his son. powers in the family wizard competition at the end of the original show, inheriting the family business. Now Alex is a member of the World Wizarding Court and Justin is a high school vice principal husband and father of two in Staten Island, New York.
The original show followed the Italian-Mexican Russo family who lived in New York’s East Village and ran a subway car-inspired diner while living double lives as wizards. While the Wizards of Waverly Place In the end, Alex and Justin managed to reach a unique agreement that allowed them both to keep their powers, Max went on to live his life as a mortal. At the premiere of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Max reveals himself to be a billionaire after successfully franchising the family business.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place reveals that Max Russo is now a billionaire
Max was a slacker who preferred the simplicity of mortal life.
All over Wizards of Waverly Place, Max is Russo’s younger brother and often serves as the family’s comic relief. A mischievous boy who often uses magic as the easiest way to escape life’s daily trials and tribulations, Max often uses his magic for pranks and to impress his crushes. As is evident throughout the show, Max’s eccentricities are still rife outside of his magic, and he is not devastated when he loses the family wizarding competition.
Jerry and Teresa Russo (David DeLuise and Maria Canals-Barrera) planned to leave the family sub sandwich shop to their son who lost the competition. Max eventually inherited the family business and seemed happy to do so as he worked there as a teenager and Overall, I enjoyed mortal life despite the complications of being a wizard. In Wizards beyond Waverly Place, it is revealed that Max managed to successfully expand the business and became a wealthy restaurant owner.
Is Jake T. Austin returning as Max in the Wizards Of Waverly Place reboot?
His return remains unconfirmed
So far, the first four episodes of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place are streaming on Disney+, and Jake T. Austin has yet to reprise his role as Max. Following his time in Wizards of Waverly PlaceAustin starred as Jesus in The Fostersbefore taking a break from acting in 2015. The actor stated that he needed a break because he was “running with the wrong people, making some bad choices and also not taking the job seriously” (through boast).
Austin returned to acting in the 2017 independent film The Valley opposite Hill of a tree and Northern Exposure stars Barry Corbin, and later in the 2020 crime thriller Adverse, where he starred alongside Sean Astin, Mickey Rourke and more. Austin hasn’t returned to acting in the last four years and it’s still unclear whether he will guest star in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. However, Henrie confirmed via Instagram that she hopes to reunite as many of the original cast members as possible (via PEOPLE).