ENTERTAINMENTSelena Gomez's 'Wizards of Waverly Place' Costar David DeLuise Calls Revival a 'Missed Opportunity' After Emotional Series Finale
Selena Gomez’s Former Costar David DeLuise Says 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place' Finale Missed the Mark.
Aug. 5 2026, Updated 3:24 p.m. ET
This article contains spoilers from Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’s final season.
David DeLuise took issue with Wizards Beyond Waverly Place after the revival series ended with an emotional finale on Tuesday.
In an Instagram comment, he wrote, "It would not be over if the OG wizards were really there. Missed opportunity."
The comment was liked by more than 1,100 people, per Entertainment Weekly.
David DeLuise reprised Jerry Russo in 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place' after starring alongside Selena Gomez in the original series.
The actor played Jerry Russo, the father of Selena Gomez's Alex Russo, on all four seasons of the original show, from 2007 to 2012.
He also reprised his role in two episodes of the sequel series, which dropped in 2024 and 2025.
Meanwhile, the sequel did feature some legacy actors, including Jennifer Stone as Harper Finkle and Gregg Sulkin as Mason Greyback.
'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place' Ended on an Emotional Note
Selena Gomez's Alex Russo discovered Mason Greyback's fate in the emotional finale of 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.'
The four-part final season ended with an emotional twist, revealing that Alex's boyfriend, Mason, had died before the events of the sequel.
The reveal came after Alex returned from a magical portal and found herself living with her childhood best friend, Harper, on the day her boyfriend was supposed to propose.
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Selena Gomez's Alex Russo reunited with Gregg Sulkin's Mason Greyback in an emotional 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place' twist.
The boyfriend is revealed to be Mason, who appears at her front door. Alex gets excited and demands that he get down on one knee to propose.
But instead of proposing, he asked her, "I can’t propose to you. And you know why. Think about it. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Why can’t I propose to you?"
To this, Alex replied, "Because you’re dead."
This shakes her back to reality, with her worried that it means she's dead too.
But Mason said, "When you went through the rift, you ended up somewhere in between. And I came here to help you get back."
Selena Gomez's Alex Russo said goodbye to Mason Greyback after he helped her return from the rift.
"You have a whole other life, Alex," he continued. "You got married. You have a beautiful daughter. And she needs you. That’s the life that you’re meant to live. You have to go back."
A shaken Alex then told him how she "can't believe" he came back to help her, to which he confessed, "I’ll always love you, Alex Russo. And I’ll always be watching over you."
As for the Russo family, they defeated Morsus after he tracked them to Staten Island and reunited at the substation.
Selena Gomez Said It Felt 'Surreal' To Bid Alex Goodbye
Selena Gomez said it's 'really surreal' that she is done playing Alex in the 'Wizards of Waverly Place' franchise.
While DeLuise called it a missed opportunity, Gomez had a different reaction to the end of Wizards of Waverly Place.
Talking to Entertainment Tonight, she admitted, "This is it. This is the end of Wizards of Waverly Place, the end of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place... It's really surreal to say that I'm done playing this character."
"I did my last scene as Alex, and [Stone] did her last scene as Harper together, which could not have been better," she concluded.
