Why Are Justin Russo's Kids Not Wizards? 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place' Sparks Questions

Wizards of Waverly Place ended 12 years ago, leaving fans hungry for more. They had their greatest wishes met this year with the release of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, a sequel series that returns to the Russo family and their exploits now as a new generation.

The show starts by introducing the kids of family wizard Justin Russo (David Henrie). And they appear to be completely bereft of magical powers.

Fans of the show are wondering: why are Justin's kids not wizards? In the series opener, it quickly becomes apparent that they not only aren't wizards, but don't even know wizards exist. So what's up with that? Here's what we know.

When Wizards Beyond Episode 1 starts, it shows Justin's children Milo and Roman in their room, each on their individual bunk bed. The younger brother Milo (Max Matenko), asks his older brother Roman (Alkaio Thiele) if the monster is gone.

An exasperated Roman doesn't look up from his phone as he responds that the monster isn't real. But Milo peeks down at Roman's bed with a monster head on, and startles his brother who then storms out and demands his parents give him his own room.

While Roman is off pleading his case, young wizard Billie (Janice Leann Brown) steps through his mirror and asks if this is the Russo house. Milo is absolutely stunned, and completely skeptical when Billie explains that she's a wizard, demanding to know where her pointy hat is.

After Billie leaves, Roman returns, and promises he won't move out of their shared bedroom as long as Milo stops with the made-up stories. This, of course, leads Milo to reveal that wizards just walked through his mirror.

So how is it possible that Justin Russo's own children don't know about wizards? Justin was granted his powers at the end of the original series, which means his kids should be competing to see which one of them inherits the family powers, right?

Wrong, apparently. It's not entirely clear why only one wizard per family is allowed to keep their powers. Speculation among fans includes that this is an effort to limit wizard power and ensure that they can keep a low profile from outsiders.

But since Justin's family is separate from Alex's now, that should mean that each of them can raise one wizard on their own, in theory. Yet it doesn't seem to be panning out that way. Alex (Selena Gomez) appears briefly in the show to hand her young charge Billie over to her brother in the hopes that he will train the headstrong teen.

As the series unfolds, it may become apparent why the boys were raised without magic and why it appears they don't have powers of their own. Yet, anyway.

For now, Billie's powers will take center stage as she learns her skills and the Russo family revolves around this new generation of kids and their challenges, struggles, and triumphs.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is now streaming on Disney+.