Does Max Show Up in “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place”? All About Jake T. Austin's Potential Return

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

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place saw the return of Selena Gomez and David Henrie as wizards over 10 years after Wizards of Waverly Place ended, but Jake T. Austin was missing so far.

The revival of Disney Channel's hit 2007 show Wizards of Waverly Place premiered on Oct. 29. The series revisits the eldest Russo sibling, Justin Russo (Henrie), who has left his craft behind and attempted to live a normal life with his new family — until his sister Alex (Gomez) shows up asking her brother to take on a new student, Billie (Janice LeeAnn Brown).

Related: Wizards of Waverly Place Reboot: All About the Disney Show Revival Starring Selena Gomez

The series is executive produced by Gomez, who makes a guest appearance, and Henrie, who is a series regular. Meanwhile, Austin's portrayal of Max, the youngest Russo sibling, was absent in the revival's first episode.

So does Max show up in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place? Here's everything to know about how the series addressed his absence in the premiere and whether he plans to make an appearance.

Does Max show up in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place?

Despite Austin’s absence as Max in the initial episodes, his return hasn’t been ruled out.

In January 2024, Henrie shared a photo on Instagram with his on-screen family, notably missing the youngest Russo sibling. Although he missed the family affair, Austin reposted the image to his Instagram Stories, adding, “Wow! Am looking forward to getting together with my Wizards family."

After starring in Wizards of Waverly Place, Austin went on to act in The Fosters for two seasons before stepping away from the show in 2015 and taking time away from Hollywood.

He later reflected on his exit in an interview with Flaunt magazine in February 2019, explaining that he had fallen into "the trap of being in Hollywood." The actor elaborated that he was "running with the wrong crowd, making some bad choices and also not taking the work seriously.”

Related: Wizards of Waverly Place Cast: Where Are They Now?

Austin continued that he had "lost sight of who I was as a person" after years of being "really enveloped in the characters I was playing and connected to them."

But he still fondly remembers his time on the Disney Channel show and appreciates the "doors it opened for him."

“It was a huge learning experience, getting to be on such a successful groundbreaking show 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 inThe Emoji Movie and Adverse — and possibly making a guest appearance down the line in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, though nothing has been confirmed.

How did Wizards Beyond Waverly Place explain Max's absence?

In the first episode of the revival, Max's absence is briefly addressed when Billie, a young wizard, shows up with Alex on Justin's doorstep and asks him if he is the "billionaire" sibling who owns all of the sandwich shops.

"Uh, no, that would be Max," Justin told her. "I'm a middle school vice principal, which some would say is much cooler than being a billionaire."

This aligns with how the original Wizards of Waverly Place series ended: The Russo siblings competed to determine which one of them would get to keep their powers and become the family wizard.

In a turn of events, Alex and Justin both kept their powers, while Max inherited the family sandwich shop — the Waverly Sub Station.

"So, Alex and Justin get to be wizards, and I get the family Sub Station?" he asked his dad. "That's awesome!"

What have Selena Gomez and David Henrie said about Jake T. Austin's return?

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

Henrie expressed his plans for the series, replying in a comment, "We definitely plan on bringing back the original cast for the series order ????."

While Gomez hasn't commented directly on Austin's return, she's shared that she and her on-screen little brother have kept a friendship over the years.

In a September 2024 Vanity Fair video, Gomez joked, "Jake, why don't you ever answer my texts?"

"He got a little handsome. He had all the girls, I remember that," she continued, before clarifying, "I'm complimenting you."

Which other original cast members will return for Wizards Beyond Waverly Place?

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

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

Meanwhile, Maria Canals-Barrera, who portrayed the Russo matriarch Theresa, shared a photo on Instagram in January with the caption, "You guys are gonna 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) have both teased potential returns.

In September 2024, Henrie shared a photo on X (formerly Twitter) with Sulkin, with the caption, "Guess who visited settttttttttt ???"

Meanwhile, DeLuise revealed on a February 2024 episode of the Wizards of Waverly Pod — hosted by himself and Stone — that he had conversations with Henrie about both of their characters' returns and that he could see Harper joining down the line.

"I think to make a sequel or revival successful, you have to tie in the original that people fell in love with and then create its own thing and kind of interweave those together, so it will be interesting to see how he pulls it off and I’m excited to see what he does with it," Stone said.