Jake T. Austin played Max Russo in the Disney Channel original show ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’

Wizards beyond Waverly Placesaw the return of Selena Gomez and David Henrie like magicians more than 10 years later Wizards of Waverly Place finished, but Jake T. Austin was missing until now.

The revival of the hit 2007 Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place It premiered on October 29. The series revisits Russo’s older brother, Justin Russo (Henrie), who left his job behind and tried to live a normal life with his new family, until his sister Alex (Gomez) shows up asking her brother. to accept a new student, Billie (Janice Lee, Ann Brown).

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The series is executive produced by Gomez, who makes a special appearance, and Henrie, who is a series regular. Meanwhile, Austin’s portrayal of Max, Russo’s younger brother, was absent from the revival’s first episode.

Then Max appears in Wizards beyond Waverly Place? Here’s everything you need to know about how the series addressed his absence from the premiere and whether he plans to appear.

Does Max appear in Wizards beyond Waverly Place?

Despite Austin’s absence as Max in the initial episodes, his return is not ruled out.

In January 2024, Henrie shared a photo. on Instagram with his on-screen family, notably missing younger brother Russo. Although he missed the family affair, Austin reposted the image to his Instagram Stories and added, “Wow! “I’m looking forward to reuniting with my Wizards family.”

After starring Wizards of Waverly Place Austin went on to perform in The adoptive onesfor two seasons before stepping away from the show in 2015 and taking some time away from Hollywood.

He later reflected on his departure in an interview with shine magazine in February 2019, explaining that he had fallen into “the trap of being in Hollywood.” The actor explained that he was “running with the wrong people, making some bad decisions and also not taking the job seriously.”

Related: Wizards of Waverly Location breakdown: where are they now?

Austin went on to say that he had “lost sight of who I was as a person” after years of being “really invested in the characters that I played and connected to them.”

But he still fondly remembers his time on the Disney Channel show and appreciates the “doors they opened for him.”

“It was a great learning experience to be in an innovative and successful program at such a young age,” he told Flaunt. “Probably one of the most educational experiences of my life.”

Austin has since returned to Hollywood, starring inHeemoji movie and Adverse – and possibly making a guest appearance in the future on Wizards beyond Waverly Placealthough nothing is confirmed.

How did he do it? Wizards beyond Waverly Place Explain Max’s absence?

In the first episode of the revival, Max’s absence is briefly discussed when Billie, a young magician, shows up with Alex at Justin’s door and asks if he is the “billionaire” brother who owns all the sandwich shops.

“Uh, no, that would be Max,” Justin told him. “I’m a high school vice principal, which some would say is a lot cooler than being a billionaire.”

This aligns with the way the original Wizards of Waverly Place The series ended: The Russo brothers competed to determine which of them would retain their powers and become the family magician.

In a turn of events, Alex and Justin kept their powers, while Max inherited the family sandwich shop: the Waverly Substation.

“So, Alex and Justin become wizards and I get to keep the Family Substation?” he asked his dad. “That’s amazing!”

What have Selena Gomez and David Henrie said about the return of Jake T. Austin?

When the revival series was first announced in January, Henrie showed a copy of the script in his instagramFans expressed concerns in the comments about whether or not the original cast would return.

Henrie expressed his plans for the series, responding in a comment: “We definitely plan to bring back the original cast for the series .”

While Gomez has not directly commented on Austin’s return, she has shared that she and her on-screen little brother have maintained a friendship over the years.

In September 2024 vanity fair In the video, Gomez joked, “Jake, why don’t you ever answer my texts?”

“He got kind of cute. He had all the girls, I remember,” he continued, before clarifying, “I’m congratulating you.”

What other members of the original cast will be returning for? Wizards beyond Waverly Place?

Although Henrie will be the only series regular, many other original cast members will also return.

David DeLuise, who played Russian patriarch Jerry Russo, appeared in episode 7 of the first season.

Meanwhile, María Canals-Barrera, who played Russian matriarch Teresa, shared a photo on instagram in January with the caption: “You guys are going to LOVE the new Wizards show!”

She told PEOPLE at the series premiere that she was proud of Gomez and Henrie for “passing the wand and keeping it going“.

As for the Russos’ family and friends, Harper Finkle (Jennifer Stone) and Mason Greyback (Gregg Sulkin) has both They teased possible returns.

In September 2024, Henrie shared a photo. in X (formerly Twitter) with Sulkin, with the caption: “Guess who visited setttttttttttt ?”

Meanwhile, DeLuise revealed in a February 2024 episode of Wizards of Waverly Pod – hosted by him and Stone – who had conversations with Henrie about both characters returning and could see Harper joining later.

“I think for a sequel or a revival to be successful, you have to put together the original that people fell in love with and then create something of your own and weave them together, so it will be interesting to see how he does that and I’m excited to see what he does with it.” Stone said.