Not everything is as it seems, even when it comes to what the original “Wizards of Waverly Place” characters are up to in the sequel series. Some of those updates are quite surprising.

“Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” which premiered on Disney Channel on Tuesday night and will air its first nine episodes on Disney+ on Wednesday, centers on Justin Russo (David Henrie), now an adult, who lives a non-magical life, well. . , more or less, more on that for a moment, with his wife and children.

When Alex (Selena Gomez) shows up with a new young wizard who needs help, Justin has to make a decision to help safeguard the entire wizarding world.

Yes, we see Justin and his sister reunited in the premiere episode, and their future may or may not be exactly what you predict.

According to star David Henrie, “it was really easy” for him and Selena Gomez to decide where they would all end up, because they have been casually discussing the topic for years. The most important thing for them was to make sure that the stories for everyone, especially the guest stars on the show, really had weight and depth.

“I don’t want it to just be a mandatory thing like, ‘Hey, here’s so-and-so,’ and they come out right away,” Henrie told TheWrap. “I want them to contribute. “I want it to be meaningful, so that the original fans feel that we really take their love for these characters seriously, because we take it seriously.”

So, this is what the original characters are doing.

Justin Russo (David Henrie)

Justin was named Wiz Tech’s youngest director but was unfortunately fired for something mysteriously known as the “unicorn incident.” After his dismissal, he retired from teaching young magicians and lives a life with his wife and two children, without magic.

But when Alex brings Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) home and begs him to teach her, Justin is reluctantly eager to immerse himself in the world of magic again. We say reluctantly because apparently the fate of the wizarding community is in Billie’s hands/future.

No pressure.

Alex Russo (Selena Gomez)

After becoming the family mage, Alex Russo became part of the court of Wizards, much to the surprise of her older brother.

If you don’t know what exactly the wizard court is, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The court is responsible for addressing offenses against the Wizards Law; Basically, they are law enforcement magicians. So yes, there is quite a bit of irony in Alex growing up enforce norms.

Max Russo (Jake T. Austin)

We don’t actually see Max in the first episode of “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” but we do get an update on where the little brother is in life. Apparently he is very rich. Max now owns his family’s sandwich chain and is a savvy businessman.

“I love the idea of ​​turning things around for Max, of what you expect,” Henrie told TheWrap. “Now he’s like a billionaire, billionaire, who lives on a yacht and has the sub shop franchise. “It’s been fun.”

Jerry and Theresa Russo (David DeLuise and María Canals-Barrera)

The Russo parents also don’t appear in the first two episodes of “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” so we don’t officially know what they’ve been up to since they let Max take over the restaurant chain. But most likely we will find out. David DeLuise will guest star in a later episode.

Of course, “Wizards of Waverly Place” had characters more beloved than just the Russo family. We’ll keep you posted on where everything else ends up, if and when they’re mentioned.

The first nine episodes of “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” arrive on Disney+ on October 30.