That rule never really made any sense because it wasn't fair! Alex had a chance against Justin, but Max? I know he was the "stupid sibling" but that's at least partially because he was the youngest! Who knows how much he would've changed if he'd had as much time to learn as his siblings. If the competition were to be fair they'd need to limit Alex and Justin's magic knowledge to what it was when they were Max's age.
I think the reason why Alex won the Wizard competition from a practical standpoint is that she is the only one who uses her magic the most, though irresponsible, she has been able to use magic from a more practical standpoint because she's always using magic, Justin is more of a textbook wizard where he knows the spell in and out but rarely uses magic unless sanctioned, and that's not real practice, Alex is actively using magic unsanctioned and is always learning her lesson after through the consequences other actions
i also think justin would have the best chance at a non magic career. like he is obviously the most studious, he has a good chance of getting into great university. i’m not dissing alex’s tho, she’s smart but just not book smart
But every time Alex got herself in trouble using magic, she looked to Justin to get her out of it a lot of the time. Not saying Alex didn’t deserve to win, but Justin got just as much practical experience as Alex by having to undo whatever she did lol
I feel like what happened to Justin is very similar to what happened to Cody Martin in the Suite Life (more specifically On Deck), in that they started off as nice and likable dorky characters and then the writers character assassinated them by turning them into arrogant insufferable geniuses. It's frustrating when this sort of thing happens.
In Cody's defense, though, he and Zack were tethered since the OG show. In their spin-off, we got to see them develop their own personalities. Yeah he was extremely arrogant and all, but considering that Zack was extremely childish and they were literally on their own without parental supervision, I see why they made him act like that. Between two of them one had to have some morals.
I found Cody to be such an asshole in "On Deck". Like I swear his relationship with Bailey got abusive at least once or twice and it was a nightmare. Zack got so mistreated lol
tbf, I feel it kind of made sense with going from kid to preteen/teen, kids are typically sweeter in their child years and become a bit more of an a-hole when they get into their teens (obviously not everyone; But with hormones and new emotions, it can get a bit hectic)
My issue with Justin is that the show doesn't seem to recognize that he's acting like a douche. Alex is intentionally a jerk, but Justin got flanderized and the show never punishes him for it. I can hardly watch the finale anymore because Justin infuriates me
I always saw Alex as an anti hero. She is someone who is known as the bad girl slacker character, but she has shown that she has a heart. Even though she struggles to do the right thing.While Justin is known as a good kid, he was often self righteous about being a good kid and is very reluctant to admit when he messes up
@@RandomSkyeRoses Yeah, exactly. I like Alex and think she's better than people give her credit for, and I used to like Justin a lot. I think the issue is that while Alex is punished constantly and forced to grow, Justin continues to be treated like the "good sibling"
@@yawninglion1677 ironically, out of all the Disney girls, I thought that Alex was a great role model because she truly wasn't perfect whereas other Disney girls like Miley and Lizzie, it was either that the narrative was going to put them in the right or that it's predictable that they'll do the right thing.
The expected less because that was Alex’s charafter lmfao. Y’all really out here acting like Alex was this upstanding character that was constantly overlooked for no reason
There is definitely more pressure put on Justin which I think is why Justin was pretty mean to Alex because even if he was supposed to be The Golden Child Alex got more grace to mess up. I mean she's the one that got to keep her powers and she didn't even respect the rules nor did she care to actually learn things she was mostly just learning one magic spell and then using it without actually taking into consideration the pros and the cons and how to use it effectively without causing issues
@@BabyGirlTiny They know how hard working Alex is so ideally you'd push her to her potential if you wanted her to succeed. Not leave her to do what she wants and then be surprised when she messes up.
The scene where Justin throws the sandwich at Alex and makes her drop the tray on the customer was insane. It was needlessly aggressive and flat out mean. The biggest show of character comes in defeat and, damn, did he let his true colors show.
@@Im_Julissa When was Alex violent? I know she caused harm, but I never denied that. My problem with Justin is he got violent, or at least physically aggressive with Alex. I don't remember Alex doing the same.
@@Im_Julissahere's the thing though. While Alex may have her moments and fuck ups, she's not a condescending asshole who makes it her mission to belittle her siblings and kick them when they're down every chance she gets like Justin does. At least she knows when she's being an asshole and tries to learn her lesson. Not to mention, she is a teenager, so of course she's going to be irresponsible sometimes. Justin NEVER gets called out for his arrogance by anyone in the show, even when he rightfully deserves it, and he seemingly believes himself to be above such humility. Every time he opened his mouth and said something mean or condescending about Alex as a kid I would just sit in front of the tv in disgust thinking "dude who are you!?" It didn't even register to me as cute sibling rivalry or banter, he just came across as an utter dick. And this is coming from someone who's also the eldest of three siblings. I don't know if the writers did that on purpose for his character or not, but he really made the show hard to watch sometimes. I'm sorry for the rant,but I just can't stand "holier than thou" people like him. If this was real life instead of fiction, somebody would've been given Justin a much needed reality check.
@@Im_Julissa I think the difference is that Alex starts the series making mistakes and causing trouble and Justin starts in the role of the more mature, capable, and responsible one. Alex ends the series being mature, caring, and largely selfless in her actions and Justin ends the series being petty, selfish, and often outright cruel. So functionally Alex's arc is growing up; she starts out as a troublesome child and grows over the series into a reasonable adult and a good person. Justin's arc is the exact opposite. He starts the series as a mature teen who might mess up but generally is the person we the audience and Alex the character turn to for help, and he ends up being more childish and self-involved. Alex's arc is a progression and growth in character whereas Justin regressed. That's why it's a character assassination. They changed the core qualities of his established character and did so to make him worse instead of better.
You know what’s ironic. At first it looks like Justin is more like Jerry cause both were the more responsible wizards and that Alex is more like Meghan cause both were lazy and impulsive. But Jerry in the end valued his family and the people he loved over magic whereas Meghan became so bitter and obsessed with the competition that she completely cut herself off from her family. Now we fast forward to the final season and Justin is the one becoming so obsessed with the competition, that when it appeared that he had lost, he came close to literally destroying his family bond like Meghan Whereas Alex was willing to sacrifice her chance at the wizard competition for the ones she loved like Jerry.
After Peter Murreita left from running the show, it just wasn’t as good as it used to be. And Justin AND Mason’s character derailments were the most infamous examples of this.
Same exact situation as Danny Phantom after Steve Marmel left. Butch Hartman and Todd J. Greenvale might’ve created the concepts but Marmel and Murrieta made the shows what they were.
On The Wizards Podcast with Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise, they talked to the writers of the show apparently the ones that were fired after a production shift. THe ending was supposed to have Alex finding love and being content with having a life outside of being a wizard being with Mason kinda like how Jerry found love and gave up his own powers to be with Teresa, but I think of course because Selena Gomez was a hot commodity back when the show was running, they wanted her to win out of popularity, but honestly damn all that lol
"Alex's Logo" was the episode that did Justin extremely dirty, which is ironic, since David Henrie wrote it himself. It made Justin completely out of character to torment his own sister, and you'd expect that sort of behaviour from Alex. He even said that all of her friends hated her, with a sadistic smile, and even worse, he doesn't receive any comeuppance for his toxic actions.
THIS! This is the episode that starts Justin's downward spiral for me. Alex legitimately earns an award and Justin acts like a child about it and ruins her life out of pettiness. He throws another temper tantrum in season 4 when Alex wins Wizard of the Year. He just can't seem to stand seeing Alex getting recognition over him.
The assassination of Justin’s character was always so bizarre to me because they just took away Justin’s morality. Usually when he made mistakes or let his flaws get the best of him, he eventually realized what he did wrong and felt really bad and guilty about the situation which ultimately leads to him fixing it. But during seasons 3 and 4, Justin would said and do horrible things to his siblings and not even once consider he was in the wrong. There were even episodes where he knew he was in the wrong but due to his flaws, he didn’t want to admit it to Alex but all of that got thrown at the window to the point where bro was about to let Alex DIE caused he was mad at her FOR NO REASON. Its particularly interesting that his assassination came during seasons 3 and 4, because i don’t know if im right, but the Wizards movie takes place right before those seasons, and we see Alex and Justin’s relationship the best it’s ever been written, like their dynamic, their talks, the way they look out for each other was sooo good, and just doing a reset for the new season is just bizarre. Idk I guess they peaked
That's true. I feel like the movie gave us a good insight into Justin's POV and how strong their bond was. But it's also weird that he starts to be antagonistic towards his siblings in the later seasons because obviously they're getting older but he really didn't change (definitely got worse).
I feel the show was also trying to make us WANT Alex to win more, so they ruined Justin’s character. Cuz some stuff Justin blamed her on, I’m like how could he possibly get to that position? Like the finale, they couldn’t possibly have thought Alex was wrong to want to save Harper and Zeke?
yeah i really like all of the siblings dynamic initially. alex and justin’s competitive attitude felt really natural and childish. just classic sibling pettiness. i definitely think they ruined his character. i like the idea of it all being complex and nuanced, like the theme of it being caused by the wizard competition, but i genuinely just think it was poor writing
Something I always hate is how shows demonize/corrupt rule-followers by making them hypocritical, patronizing, or judgemental just do we'll root for the rebel.
Especially when strict, black and white thinking and unflinching belief in the status quo has plenty to criticize if that’s the goal. It also erases the nuance of excessive rule followers who do so with good intent or fear, instead of pure ego.
@@s0ulcode I don't recall it clearly, but did the show ever focus on the source of Justin's psyche, like his father having affection for Alex more than his sons and kind of living vicariously through Justin by seeing him as something he could never be? Plus they could've had him give up his powers for Juliet (if the rules were wizards must marry other wizards) to mirror his parents' marriage and how he was still a valuable asset in the wizarding world for his intelligence. Then they could give more focus to Max and Alex, since he was never seen as a contendor to keep his powers anyway and felt the most underdeveloped.
Suggestion: a video about Max’s treatment. A) became unnecessarily dumb B) his treatment when he turned into Bailey Madison: I saw some interesting videos about that one C) how the dynamics changed between him and his siblings. Sometimes, he was close with Alex. Sometimes he and justin did everything together and than he just became this pest that gets on the way. D) always underestimated and treated like a joke which sucks.
@shoesinmysoup i think the only reason why we don’t accept the “it’s for kids” is because there are kids’ shows that put care and effort into the stories and the characters. They don’t jeopardize that for a gag. A kid’s show shouldn’t be bad or lazy because it is for kids. I feel a good kid’s show at this point is if adults can appreciate it too while watching it and seeing the themes and characterizations that it comes with.
Max was my favorite from the start. I love wacky, oddball characters and could relate to his way of thinking. But they just turned him into the idiot who hurt people with no remorse sometimes. I wish he was treated more equally with Justin + Alex.
This may be controversial but I feel Alex and Max are closer than Alex and Justin. After rewatching the show she always does the little things that shows that she’s more comfortable with Max. She’s always leaning on his shoulder, interlocking with him, and hugs him tightly which she never really does with Justin. I know Alex and Justin have special moments but personally outside of a few moments and the movie they aren’t really as close
I think Justin really becomes annoying in later seasons. But the final episode where he suddenly doesn't care about his own best friend Zeke possibly dying and being petty and vicious toward his own little sister Alex just because they lost the wizard competition, ALL BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO SAVE ZEKE AND HARPER, made me absolutely loathe Justin. Probably the worst fictional big brother I've ever seen..
There are worse ones, but the last season was a HUGE departure from the intended finale. Justin was way out of character, but then again, look at what they did to Max. It was just plain bad.
Yeah and then the whole "this was part of the test to see if you'd let the competition ruin your sibling bond" and then they passed Justin, when he absolutely should've failed considering he was being absolutely cruel to Alex
I wonder how Justin is going to act like in the new wizards show, especially since he’s now an adult and a father. I really hope that his character is written better
Justin becoming unlikable & selfish made me question why he’s the one who will star in the new Wizards series. It sorta makes sense cuz he’s the secondary main character after Alex, but he’s not the best person. Unless they’re going to point out Justin’s bad behavior and let him grow
@@Jimmsy-54 I knew they wouldn’t🥲but I’m really hoping. I don’t get what’s even the point of doing a spin off series if you’re not gonna fix some things from the original. The whole unfair wizard competition and Justin’s character derailment should be number 1 of priority for the new series
they could always just make the show in the “unreliable narrator” style. like ‘the office’ with michael scott or even like joe goldberg from ‘you’. as a more exaggerated example, i think patrick bateman from (specifically the movie adaptation) ‘american psycho’ also works. we recognize that all of these characters are doing something bad but see them consistently rationalize it from their perspective. i doubt they would go with this direction at all but if they did, i think it would be really cool
I feel the wizard of the year award wasn’t the only time he ruined an award for her. When the happy helper’s club awarded her something, he ruined that for her too because he thought she was lying. I get that he forgot to take the spell off, but he could have just stopped her when he realized he did, remove the spell, and bring her back stage and he reveled in it. Jeez. And the reminder of ruing Max’s restaurant showed that he can’t let any of his siblings have a good thing. He has to be the successful one. I actually did like him in the beginning, but he got annoying as the seasons go on.
I'm really glad Alex's Logo got brought up, I feel as if it doesn't get mentioned enough. Not only is it the worst episode of the show, but to me its Justin at his worst. I remember how in the first two seasons, despite their sibling rivalry, Justin always wanted Alex to use her powers for good, yet when she does something the right way he REFUSES to be apart of it just because he hates having to present her a citizenship award? That's SO out of character for him. Remember in the report card episode in Season 1 where Justin panicked and turned Prof. Crumbs into a hamster just to help Alex? I really miss when they had moments like that. Not only that, but I also think Alex's Logo highlights a point of the show I NEVER liked. What made Alex Russo good is the show NEVER let her get away with her actions, she was different from other Disney sitcom leads in that she didn't go for dates, popularity, music, or any of the typical tropes you'd see in Disney female leads. She's scheming, sarcastic, lazy and artistic. She was her own person. Regardless of how bad or good you think she is, the show made a point to never let her get away with it. But for me the biggest contrast between Alex and Justin in the show is whenever Alex uses her powers for personal gain or takes her antics too far, she is not only shown the consequences, but is genuinely guilty and works to fix the situation. But when Justin does it? He doesn't show any remorse, he keeps things going for his own amusement and doesn't really suffer consequences for his actions. Yet Jerry and Therasa play into Justin's bad behavior, but would continually have NO qualms holding Alex accountable for hers. Like in Alex's Logo, neither of them stop Justin when they realize Alex is still under the truth spell, they just walk away to avoid being put on the spot. Then Theresea makes Alex's pain about being socially outcased at school about herself! Another instance I don't ever feel gets mention that to me was the turning point for Justin's character and showcased this perfect was the Season 3 opener Frankengirl, where yes, Justin is valid in using Frankengirl to teach Alex a lesson about going into his room, but even when Alex has had enough and apologizes to Justin, he doesn't stop, rather he keeps up the act of letting Frankengirl humiliate Alex for his amusement, which leads to Frankengirl's strength being so rough around the cheerleaders that they could've been hurt by her, so Justin was willing to risk people being put in the crossfire simply to revel in his revenge at Alex. Yet if the roles were reversed Alex would regret going to far with Justin. There's even the Dollhouse episode where Justin shows contempt to save Alex. Regardless of what defense Justin has for his behavior, it doesn't excuse how hypocritical everyone is when it comes to Alex. So, it's fine to constantly criticize Alex for HER mistakes, but Justin doesn't get the same treatment? Especially when the entire family just use her as a scapegoat to blame whenever something goes wrong. Like how Alex is blamed for Aunt Megan's actions in Retest, instead of you know the person in control her their actions! It makes Jerry and Thersea bad parents. I DO appreciate how Jerry stands up for Alex in the finale though. For me, I think Cody Martin from Suite Life had a worse decline than Justin, as not only was her even more of a prick than Justin, but how he treats the other characters was awful. Even Bailey, which is a romance, I can't stand and didn't like back then. For me, Cody is in a position of Justin, where he didn't deserve to go to Yale because he became an asshole. And while On Deck was a decline in quality, the ONE element I actually think was nicely done was Zack's development, as he became the more sensible and sympathetic twin, and after learning his inferiority complex to Cody, it makes it hard to sympathize with Cody over him! Especially when Cody just became a G Rated Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory.
I agree with the first half of this post!! Those episodes really highlighted the core of Justin's character. He was a way bigger AH than Alex. The series finale is proof of that. However, I disagree with your perception of Cody. Do I think they made him more arrogant? Yes. But to be fair, Zack stayed doing dumb childish things. SOMEBODY had to be the adult. Zack had some development, but he was still causing trouble. He'd make fun of Cody, and whenever his brother would have a chance at success, he always found a way to ruin it. As for Bailey, well she and Cody wee low-key the same person. It's no wonder they'd be toxic together.
@@rachelmartin5187 This! Bailey was literally the girl version of Cody with some farm girl traits sprinkled in. I'm not surprised that they broke up for awhile as they are too much alike.
You forgot the Franken Girl episode. I don't know why, but it's really where I think Justin's character assassination began. For those who don't know: Justin builds a literal Franken Girl to stop Alex from coming into his room without permission. And it works, but then Alex starts befriending the girl, which is pretty nice to be honest. Then Justin immediately casts a spell to make Franken Girl an insufferable best friend character just to annoy Alex. To my surprise, Alex is actually pretty chill towards FG after the spell, even when FG makes them join the cheerleading team. But in the last scene of the episode, (FG took out all the other cheerleaders prior) FG tosses Alex up into the ceiling and Justin is just laughing and enjoying himself congratulating karma on Alex. Like HUH?! Alex didn't even do anything throughout that whole episode to get karma. And the fact it's mostly just a shit on Alex fest with a shit on Alex ending just left a bad taste in my mouth as a kid and it still does when I rewatch it. Justin's never been a perfect character, but his assassination of character was by far the worst thing that happened in the show. Like it's so hard to imagine this is the same guy who taught Alex how to fly the magic carpet.
i think justin's personality change, might have something to do with the actor. a lot of folks dont know or point out that the actor hates this character and how he was portrayed in earlier seasons. on the wizards podcast, jennifer said how david hated how dorky/ nerdy his character was. i noticed a changed in his appearance, when he started to gain muscle and would wear shirts to show it them off. it didnt match how justin was and in fact, jen said i think thats how his head shot was. of him with muscles. he might have suggested a character change.
Ngl, when he started getting more muscular I wondered (even as a teen) if he was on steroids. Later on (esp the movie) it looked like roid rage in his eyes and line-delivery
I blame the wizarding world for pitting the kids against each other and the parents for enabling it especially Jerry for taking on the role as an educator as apposed to being a parent Edit: on that note I agree about Alex that she maybe rebellious and irresponsible and plays on the role of not taking the wizarding competition seriously and likes to pull pranks on her brothers but she’s still has her limits and would never stooped down to her level of being mean spirited and still wants to help Justin but I think the reason she gets herself in trouble a lot is because she has a habits of crossing boundaries though never intentional but that doesn’t erase them being frustrated with her through out the series
Also, all of Alex’s mess ups were small like accidentally shrinking her room, things with pretty easy reversal spells, all of Justin’s mess ups were putting lives at risk like becoming an angel of darkness
also justin is the one that failed that test when they kidnapped them all. he told the (fake) agency that they were wizards because they appealed to his ego and told him how much of hero he was and how badly they needed his help
Granted that test was completely cruel on the part of the council and technically they also blamed Alex for telling the crowd (out of justified fear). I give him a pass here since that whole thing was just mean. I mean he was stupid but at least that time he thought he was helping.
@@yawninglion1677 the test was super unfair, i remember being really annoyed at it as a kid. i always felt that while they both failed, alex told the press because she thought the other wizards were still locked up and they would be harmed, whereas justin caved first because they played into his big ego about his dumb alien club. when he gets put back in the cell and tells his family he gave up the secret to help them fight aliens they all knew it was fake and justin only fell for it because he wanted to feel heroic. i mean that was kinda how their characters were portrayed the whole show, alex is selfish/self centered on a shallow level but cares deeply for others especially in times of need, where justin considers himself very moral but is usually driven by his ego (sometimes into stupid situations he wouldnt trust otherwise)
alex was always gonna win the competition. i dont think selenas propularity changed anything…what kindve ending would that be for a disney show in the mid 2000s? the buildup for alex to win was always present.
I think all characters suffer from flanderization at some point (personally, the character I like the least is Teresa, I think she is an insufferable mom hahaha). Alex is a comforting character for me but in my opinion the only character who grew up and had development is Harper (I have a such soft spot for her bc she is one of the few pluz size representation that there was at that time! ❤️🩹🥹). the other characters did not overcome their flaws or remained the same. 🤷♀️
I liked Justin’s character in the first couple of seasons the last season they made Justin so unlikable. Yes he had to constantly clean up Alex’s messes with her magic but you could tell he still loved and cared about her. In season 4 he could care less about helping her I still like Justin but he definitely had some issues in that last season
Justin being a jerk about the competition actually came up in the episode “Retest” when Jerry & his siblings needed to retake the test. The kids go to find Aunt Megan & when they bring her back to do the test she leaves & Justin blames Alex for Megan’s actions. He can’t handle it if loses or can’t compete in the competition. U can kinda see it in the movie as well but he definitely had a better attitude than the “Retest” episode & season 4
My main issue with Justin is that he still gets to win in the end. Honestly, I think he would have made a great villain. You understand his motives, you see him fall into this mindset and toxic pattern. You know why he ended up the way he did, and you know it's wrong, and it's interesting to watch. The problem is that the show never punishes him for being this way. The show still treats him like one of the good guys. Imagine if he had a full on villain arc, ran away, went rogue...and eventually becomes redeemed through doing something heroic for his family, and as a result that's why he also gets to keep his powers alongside Alex. As it stands, it doesn't feel like he earned his victory at all, and that's the problem.
That's what I'm saying. With his arrogant personality, and how mean spirited he is towards Alex, him becoming a dark wizard for the rest of the series would've worked.
My personal least favorite Disney Channel protagonist and one of my least favorite Disney characters period is CeCe Jones. Caitlin Mckillop made a great video about Disney Channel character derailment with CeCe and Mason on the list.
@yawninglion1677 i agree. After like while, they kept making her worst. Like they went from episodes like her dealing with dislaxa and being placed in the smart class to her not knowing how to read a map and other mean spirited things
I’m surprised Rocky didn’t commit to breaking off their friendship in the Japan special considering Cece was perfectly fine with hypnotizing Rocky into doing everything SHE wanted them to do together. “You’re my best friend” can only go so far as an excuse
@@LovelyLivelyV She also got Rocky injured in that one episode, with the broken glass. Not directly her fault but she made Rocky act very irresponsibly
If it helps your understanding of Justin's character assassination, season 4 was headed by an entirely different showrunner that the cast hated. That's why season 4 was extra bad, and Justin and Max were both so horrendously out of character from their previously established care for Alex. I really hope that in the revival, they bring Justin back to the "annoyingly superior but still caring" older brother.
I feel Max was fine. Justin was the one we out of character and narcissistic and egotistical. I’d say Max was even closer with Alex than in the first half of the show. He’s obviously older by that point (and taller) and if you pay attention she is more concerned with him and is always by his side more than Justin
This video made me realize that they didn't really explain why Professor Crumb always messed with the Russo family? Like on two or three separate occasions he tested them for no real reason making them lose their powers or miss the competition. I like Justin's character, but really wish they kept him balanced between being the know it all and having a better relationship with Alex. Also, they just did Max so dirty throughout the series making him a punching bag instead of integrating him in the story.
To me, only one of the kids keeping their powers was an issue for me. They train all these years to use their powers, just to have them taken away as soon as they finish school if they are not the absolute best. It didn’t make sense to me. Just seemed like the dumbest part of the show to me.
As someone who’s never watched a ton of this show, the way you describe Justin would honestly lead me to assume he’s the villain of the final couple seasons
I’m sorry if I was his sibling I wouldn’t talk to him ever again like how is he guna leave Alex inside that waterfall and have his students forcing him to save him and how is he guna let Harper and Felix die and get taken by a griffin and have Alex force him to save there friends I would not talk to him anymore or acknowledge him I would use a spell to forget him
For real! Nobody punishes him for anything and it makes the show very hard to watch. If Justin was real somebody would have already sat him down with a much needed reality check.
Don't forget Jerry fed Justin's ego. I don't remember which episode it was but it was where Jerry gave just the family wizard robe, because Jerry straight up thought Justin would win. I mean yes Alex might've messed up a lot but at least she can admit when she's wrong. Justin on the other hand can't. Like he really thought Alex betrayed them when she "joined" forces with Stevie. But when Alex tricked her, he tried to take credit for stopping Stevie. Justin was a narcissist. Like when Alex won wizard of the year, he felt he should've won instead of her. Mason and Alex were in a fighting, everyone was trying their best to comfort her and what does Justin do? He tries to rush everyone out so they could watch the recording he made..... Like his little sister is upset and he doesn't try one bit to comfort her. Then there was the time she was given the good citizenship award, and he ruined it for her because again he thought he deserved it. But the thing that makes me mad the most about him was during the wizard competition. His best friend was taken by a gargoyle or something and he wanted to finish the competition and not save him. He then blamed Alex for all three of the losing their powers He was really blaming her, for making them "lose" the competition. Like I get you're upset, but that doesn't give you any excuse to be a completely asshole to your little sister.
I'm so glad that you made this video. I always thought that Justin really became kind of mean in season 4 and no one ever seems to talk about it. His character really changed alot from the first season.
Justin was never my favorite of the group growing up: from day one he rubbed it in his siblings faces that he was gonna win the competition and keep his powers His parents practically worshipped the ground he walked on And even times where he was the one who messed up, they still found a way to blame Alex for it (I swear Harper was the only person in Alex’s life that stopped her from becoming evil because she could have sided with Stevie without a second glance otherwise)
its one of those shows where you can obviously tell the writers changed in between seasons and they didnt at all look at the previous material. not to mention, no one wanted to watch these three siblings lose their powers 😭 they’re main characters! let them be the exception!
The general lesson of Wizards of Waverly Place is learning to use magic correctly and responsibly. You would really think that letting go of using magic because of the shenanigans you did when you used magic as a teenager, especially given how much was done under the events of Wizards of Waverly Place, would be a natural extension of “being responsible with magic”.
also the actor, david, has a lil dark side to him. when he was dating lucy hale, there was a vid of him almost getting into a fight with some random folks. its hard to find the vid now but not sure why he almost got into a fight with them. then a few years ago, he was arrested for having a loaded gun at a airport.
Oh yeah, Justin's likeability arc ended the earliest. After his relationship with Juliet ended, that was the beginning of the end of his character arc and end of the Wizards vs Angels storyline cemented that for me.
so i watched wowp with my mom a million times growing up, and we both hate him for these reasons exactly. like alex isnt perfect, but she consistantly chooses to do the right/ kind thing. yes she is "mean" sometimes, well more just snarky, but like. she, when it matters, chooses to save and help people every single time.
I would still blame the parents for this one. They made this choice and forced their kids to figure it out. He may be older, but he is still just a kid.
I remember being so pissed that Alex and Justin both won the wizard competition, they did a pretty good job at making it unclear which of the two was gonna win (we all knew it wasn’t gonna be Max). Having them both keep their powers just made it all feel cheap, like all that build up was for nothing. Plus there’s no way Justin would be okay with getting the participation trophy of being a teacher, especially in the later seasons.
I always thought they would call out the system for being messed up. I don’t think they ever did. Justin strikes me as a person who has borderline personality disorder. Not everyone who has that is a jerk. But it can make them think everyone is out to get them or thwart them and they’re overly focused on that and they might perceive threats and slights from others when there was none.
Justin was written best in the original movie. That whole movie feels completely separate from the show though. It's actually a fantastic family movie, I still rewatch it from time to time His character had so much depth in that movie. He still does go after Alex a lot, though I cant say some of it wasn't justified considering what she did. He cared for her, admitted his faults, and their dynamic really made it seem as if they were equals. Unfortunately that didn't stick in the rest of the show. There was so much character development in that one movie; I don't understand why they ultimately scrapped it all
I literally am that person. He wasn’t my favorite but I related to the older sibling related flaws like his perfectionism. However, in retrospect I only fully watched the first two seasons. I started getting older and very inconsistently watched Wizards after that other than the movie. Honestly turning his character into more of a villain could have worked if the writers’ made it clear that Justin was in the wrong and making everything worse. It seems like they just turned him megalomaniac and somehow thought he was in the right.
when it was airing i watched mostly during the second season and third season i kinda stopped because of it was getting too serious for me as a child. I didn't remember him being that bad but i guess as they were getting closer to the competition he was always sort of narcissistic from the beginning
Do you guys remember when the actor who played Justin got arrested at LAX for having a loaded handgun in his luggage? And his response was like "Oh yeah, I forgot I had that in there"
Late comment, but that happens way more than you think. TSA is notorious for missing certain things in people’s luggage and people often don’t find out until they’re out the airport or are trying to go through TSA again. I didn’t have a gun on me, but I had an item that was way more than 3.4oz. I didn’t get stopped for it when for my departing flight, but when I was trying to get back home, they flagged my bag for it. I didn’t even remember I had it in my bag until her patted it down. Funny enough, when I brought a bear through TSA, the agents were very cautious with my bag thinking I had a weapon until they opened it up and realized the beads in the bear were setting off the machine 😂.
Ohhh I couldn't STAND Justin's stuck up ass as a kid! I can't tell you how happy I was when he finally got severely humbled during/after the Fallen/dark angel arc. He knew how Alex always felt about being compared to him, but always made it a point to rub it in and be an insufferable know it all. I'm glad Alex became the family wizard in the end because he was just SO unlikable to me.
Honestly, yeah you pretty much nailed it on why I also didn’t like Justin. I remember being a teenager watching the show and getting so annoyed by Justin. I was happy he didn’t win the competition.
In hindsight, I'm really glad I stopped watching after the movie. For me, the series ended on the highest note, despite not reaching a finale-type conclusion. I never saw an episode past that, and because of that, the series lays super positively in my memory.
I agree 100%, after first season that’s when I started little by little disliking Justin. Especially in like the last episode where they “lost the competition” & had no powers just for it to turn out to be part of the competition. I was furious with how he treated Alex (max too but this ain’t about him). Even if it’s true that the comp is done why would you let your family business go downhill just to stick it to Alex. Respectfully he was a bitch. I liked when he was a dork, he was likeable.
Justin would've been caught hands in the real world from his attitude. You don't go around being an arrogant jerk to everyone and then expect not to get popped for it at some point.
I always hated Justin, his arrogance, his stupidity and his hypocrite. What really sold it for me, was when his up for Student President Alex used her magic to talk to the Justin posters that were placed in the principals office, and asked he did the prank, but they refused because the doer said they vote for him. BUT HOW CAN SHE VOTE FOR JUSTIN IF HE IS KICKED OUT OF THE ELECTION?????? He also complains about when Alex wins the wizard of the year award, saying he deserved it, but then again he is the one who gave away the secret first and helped the Dark Angels when he was controlled by them.
Max was so underrated like that one episode where they try to earn more money by making a wizard world restaurant as week as the human world sun shop and it was all Maxs idea and Jerry and Justin completely destroyed it just like Max said they would and that it was too much for them to handle by themselves and when he said the committee napkin was a health hazard (which was obviously right) in the last episode Justin and Alex got to keep their powers but Max got the sub shop. i’m happy Max actually got the sub shop with his ideas he could make it a popular destination in new york as well as a franchise and in one episode he said that working at the sub shop is something he was good at so at the end it was all good but he was always underrated and was just made to seem like a pest or a thorn in their side. Max was actually smart and also said ‘i always act like i’m dumb so if i slip up they figure eh the kid is dumb’ and he always acted dumb to get attention due to the neglection from his parents.
I’ve always disliked Justin. I don’t care for that smart kid who thinks they’re better than everyone but you’re pretty sure you can beat them up 😂 if Justin was real (and not magic) he’d probably be as mediocre as everybody else because he’d burn himself out.
They unfortunately flanderized Justin. There are rumors that theyre making a new waverly where justin is the dad and he has children. Im not sure how true it is though but we know it would be on disney plus
Alex deseved to win throughout the show she was always the most creative in how she used magic and gradually got better over the show. Justin sucked especially in the finale like if anything he should've been mad at zeke and harper. If i was alex i wouldn't have forgiven justin for that.
While Zeke and Harper could have waited until the Russos were done with their competition, they, or at least Harper, knows about the consequences of the Wizard competition. The ones who don’t win lose their powers. Zeke was spelled and not knowing who the winner will be, they likely assumed that they had go right away or Zeke’s problem might not be solved. Though Zeke shouldn’t have been fiddling around with the Russo’s stuff. Onto Justin, he committed betrayal. He was completely fine with Harper and Zeke dying just so he could have powers. Then gets mad at Alex for wanting to save them. Though we don’t see him speaking to Zeke again, so it’s possible that Zeke decided to cut off ties with Justin.
@kendraroth1276 honestly the magic of the show is inconsistent because they could've just flashed them back as Alex has done in numerous episodes to harper.
@@bentennyson2565 yeah. Even the Wizard competition which was established very early into the show is inconsistent. When Stevie was around, it was implied that the winners gets full wizard powers from the losers losing their powers. However this isn’t the case in either the first movie or the series finale. In the beginning of season 4, Alex and Justin were brought back to the beginning as they attempted to reveal magic. Even though In Alex’s case, she was under stress and didn’t want to leave The Others behind to their fates. (While Justin also had good intentions, he should have seen through the lie because as Alex points out, He’s the one who made up the alien language.) But later, The competition happens BECAUSE Alex learned to care about others without an ulterior motive.
I always thought Justin was an entitled brat! He was just so unlikable, the show writers always made Alex be the bigger person and apologize to Justin. I’m not saying Alex is an angel but she was way more relatable and humble.
I felt the exact same way about this character for years!! I also hated the fact that Jerry and Terresa never called him out on his behaviour . He literally ruined Alex’s award ceremony and almost left his best friend to die in the wizard competition.
Let’s all accept the fact that Justin had first child syndrome. The only thing is that while his parents loved him, he didn’t have the popularity that Alex had and that Max was gaining
I honestly don’t understand why his actor is open for the revival. Dude was made in to basically a comedic villain by the the end of the show and then we’re supposed to buy that he’s so great he gets exempt from the rules and gets to run Wiz Tech? Suck my wand, writers.
Let’s be real, Alex wouldn’t have done have the irresponsible things she did had she not had to feel the need to one up Justin, prove Justin wrong, get even with Justin or Max, or actually got better help from Justin.
The way I see it; Justin is the textbook responsible sibling and Alex and Max are the foolish siblings. Perhaps the reason Justin sucks in the later seasons is that his ego inflated almost as big as his head. His condescending attitude go up several notches that makes him more insufferable and spiteful Alex had always been more street smart and has innovative and creative ways to use magic and solve problems. She values the right thing to be done rather than have innocent people be in danger
i never really liked his character. mostly bc i dont like people who show off and think they know it all, but yeah he was especially insufferable during the last 2 seasons. i wonder what he'll be like in the reboot.
Oh The ways I would have turned villain too in that show. Make a rebellion and dethrone that professor Crumbs after he “Tested them” by putting their friends and family in danger and expect them to Chose keeping the magic world a secret, Over the safety of their loved ones !?!!
I always found it odd that Justin thinks he should have won wizard of the year. I understand the jealousy, but come on. Alex saved the world, all Justin did was teach a bunch of delinquents.
@@Missmagazinebura actually the wizards were supposed to hunt vampires too because they live in a racist caste system, Justin just chose not to because he liked her. It'd be like if a nazi chose not to send to a concentration camo his Jewish gf. Doesn't make it much better
I feel like they could’ve gone the complete opposite route, by making Justin care less about winning the competition, and it would’ve had a better result. Justin would’ve been more likable, but we would also be okay with him losing to Alex. It would make a nice contrast with her caring more about winning, and it would also be more rewarding when Crumbs lets him keep his powers. Of course he had to win to stay with Juliet, but IIRC she only comes back in like the last 2-3 episodes before the wizard competition anyway
Am I the only one who still liked Justin throughout the show. He can be arrogant but is Alex really any better??? At least he was responsible and followed the rules
At first I really liked Justin. I appreciated how hard working and driven he was. I thought that over time, he would realize that there are more important things than the wizard contest, but nope! His obsession just got worse and worse. I can hardly sit through an episode of the last season because of how insufferable he is.
The magic system in the show while kinda making no sense is a breeding ground for resentment. It's later i realize that Stevie was super based to run away from loosing her powers. And in the end it totally favors the oldest siblings, I don't even think max was 18 when the final "battle" had happened. So he's already at a disadvantage of having less time to practice or learn.
I remember an episode where Alex is hit with a truth spell by Justin. And after later admitting that he shouldn't have done it, he doesn't remove the spell before Alex goes to school and humiliates herself. Definitely one of his lowest moments.
Tbh, if i lived in a society where only one sibling would keep their powers, i would have only one kid...
Like there’s the solution
Stevie was right
@@yawninglion1677 I HAVE ALWAYS SAID THAT SHE WAS ON TO SOMETHING The wizard competition is a useless tradition
That rule never really made any sense because it wasn't fair! Alex had a chance against Justin, but Max? I know he was the "stupid sibling" but that's at least partially because he was the youngest! Who knows how much he would've changed if he'd had as much time to learn as his siblings.
If the competition were to be fair they'd need to limit Alex and Justin's magic knowledge to what it was when they were Max's age.
@@athena6832 TRUE. Max was at a severe disadvantage because he got less training. Season 1 even outright said this.
I think the reason why Alex won the Wizard competition from a practical standpoint is that she is the only one who uses her magic the most, though irresponsible, she has been able to use magic from a more practical standpoint because she's always using magic, Justin is more of a textbook wizard where he knows the spell in and out but rarely uses magic unless sanctioned, and that's not real practice, Alex is actively using magic unsanctioned and is always learning her lesson after through the consequences other actions
I agree! She is really strong. In their movie she beat Justin while only using one spell against him repeatedly.
i also think justin would have the best chance at a non magic career. like he is obviously the most studious, he has a good chance of getting into great university. i’m not dissing alex’s tho, she’s smart but just not book smart
I never thought of it that way, and it makes sense. Alex in a way has had more experience with magic
Plus, she's the main protagonist and the show mainly centers around her most of the time, so... yeah.
But every time Alex got herself in trouble using magic, she looked to Justin to get her out of it a lot of the time. Not saying Alex didn’t deserve to win, but Justin got just as much practical experience as Alex by having to undo whatever she did lol
I feel like what happened to Justin is very similar to what happened to Cody Martin in the Suite Life (more specifically On Deck), in that they started off as nice and likable dorky characters and then the writers character assassinated them by turning them into arrogant insufferable geniuses. It's frustrating when this sort of thing happens.
In Cody's defense, though, he and Zack were tethered since the OG show. In their spin-off, we got to see them develop their own personalities. Yeah he was extremely arrogant and all, but considering that Zack was extremely childish and they were literally on their own without parental supervision, I see why they made him act like that. Between two of them one had to have some morals.
I found Cody to be such an asshole in "On Deck". Like I swear his relationship with Bailey got abusive at least once or twice and it was a nightmare. Zack got so mistreated lol
I agree I can't stand him ether
they sheldonified them
tbf, I feel it kind of made sense with going from kid to preteen/teen, kids are typically sweeter in their child years and become a bit more of an a-hole when they get into their teens (obviously not everyone; But with hormones and new emotions, it can get a bit hectic)
My issue with Justin is that the show doesn't seem to recognize that he's acting like a douche. Alex is intentionally a jerk, but Justin got flanderized and the show never punishes him for it. I can hardly watch the finale anymore because Justin infuriates me
I always saw Alex as an anti hero. She is someone who is known as the bad girl slacker character, but she has shown that she has a heart. Even though she struggles to do the right thing.While Justin is known as a good kid, he was often self righteous about being a good kid and is very reluctant to admit when he messes up
@@RandomSkyeRoses Yeah, exactly. I like Alex and think she's better than people give her credit for, and I used to like Justin a lot. I think the issue is that while Alex is punished constantly and forced to grow, Justin continues to be treated like the "good sibling"
@@yawninglion1677 ironically, out of all the Disney girls, I thought that Alex was a great role model because she truly wasn't perfect whereas other Disney girls like Miley and Lizzie, it was either that the narrative was going to put them in the right or that it's predictable that they'll do the right thing.
@@RandomSkyeRoses Miley did often have to apologize for stuff and was in the wrong at least a few times, but yeah she was far less flawed.
and their parents enable Justin's behavior
Also you forgot to mention the times Jerry and Teresa favored Justin while expecting less from Alex and forgetting Max throughout the show's run.
Facts!!! Their favoritism was so visible that you could spot it from the get-go.
I couldn’t understand why they favored such a kiss ass son like Justin…
The expected less because that was Alex’s charafter lmfao. Y’all really out here acting like Alex was this upstanding character that was constantly overlooked for no reason
There is definitely more pressure put on Justin which I think is why Justin was pretty mean to Alex because even if he was supposed to be The Golden Child Alex got more grace to mess up. I mean she's the one that got to keep her powers and she didn't even respect the rules nor did she care to actually learn things she was mostly just learning one magic spell and then using it without actually taking into consideration the pros and the cons and how to use it effectively without causing issues
@@BabyGirlTiny They know how hard working Alex is so ideally you'd push her to her potential if you wanted her to succeed. Not leave her to do what she wants and then be surprised when she messes up.
The scene where Justin throws the sandwich at Alex and makes her drop the tray on the customer was insane. It was needlessly aggressive and flat out mean. The biggest show of character comes in defeat and, damn, did he let his true colors show.
are you going to ignore all the violence and harms Alex does?
@@Im_Julissa When was Alex violent? I know she caused harm, but I never denied that. My problem with Justin is he got violent, or at least physically aggressive with Alex. I don't remember Alex doing the same.
Right violent and intentionally embarrassing her in front of everyone
@@Im_Julissahere's the thing though. While Alex may have her moments and fuck ups, she's not a condescending asshole who makes it her mission to belittle her siblings and kick them when they're down every chance she gets like Justin does. At least she knows when she's being an asshole and tries to learn her lesson. Not to mention, she is a teenager, so of course she's going to be irresponsible sometimes.
Justin NEVER gets called out for his arrogance by anyone in the show, even when he rightfully deserves it, and he seemingly believes himself to be above such humility. Every time he opened his mouth and said something mean or condescending about Alex as a kid I would just sit in front of the tv in disgust thinking "dude who are you!?" It didn't even register to me as cute sibling rivalry or banter, he just came across as an utter dick. And this is coming from someone who's also the eldest of three siblings. I don't know if the writers did that on purpose for his character or not, but he really made the show hard to watch sometimes.
I'm sorry for the rant,but I just can't stand "holier than thou" people like him. If this was real life instead of fiction, somebody would've been given Justin a much needed reality check.
@@Im_Julissa I think the difference is that Alex starts the series making mistakes and causing trouble and Justin starts in the role of the more mature, capable, and responsible one. Alex ends the series being mature, caring, and largely selfless in her actions and Justin ends the series being petty, selfish, and often outright cruel.
So functionally Alex's arc is growing up; she starts out as a troublesome child and grows over the series into a reasonable adult and a good person. Justin's arc is the exact opposite. He starts the series as a mature teen who might mess up but generally is the person we the audience and Alex the character turn to for help, and he ends up being more childish and self-involved. Alex's arc is a progression and growth in character whereas Justin regressed.
That's why it's a character assassination. They changed the core qualities of his established character and did so to make him worse instead of better.
You know what’s ironic. At first it looks like Justin is more like Jerry cause both were the more responsible wizards and that Alex is more like Meghan cause both were lazy and impulsive. But Jerry in the end valued his family and the people he loved over magic whereas Meghan became so bitter and obsessed with the competition that she completely cut herself off from her family.
Now we fast forward to the final season and Justin is the one becoming so obsessed with the competition, that when it appeared that he had lost, he came close to literally destroying his family bond like Meghan Whereas Alex was willing to sacrifice her chance at the wizard competition for the ones she loved like Jerry.
who the fuck is meghan?
After Peter Murreita left from running the show, it just wasn’t as good as it used to be. And Justin AND Mason’s character derailments were the most infamous examples of this.
Justin was never my favorite
Justin in season 3 was already pretty bad, but season 4 he was AWFUL, Mason was just ruined in season 4
Same exact situation as Danny Phantom after Steve Marmel left. Butch Hartman and Todd J. Greenvale might’ve created the concepts but Marmel and Murrieta made the shows what they were.
I disagree it felt exactly the same to me. The Fortune Teller episode is one of my favs and that came from season 4.
@@icecreamhero2375 I didn’t
Like that episode.
He also made Franken girl manipulate her personality and send her to monster jail for life because he made mistake.
On The Wizards Podcast with Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise, they talked to the writers of the show apparently the ones that were fired after a production shift. THe ending was supposed to have Alex finding love and being content with having a life outside of being a wizard being with Mason kinda like how Jerry found love and gave up his own powers to be with Teresa, but I think of course because Selena Gomez was a hot commodity back when the show was running, they wanted her to win out of popularity, but honestly damn all that lol
Honestly I don't really care for that ending I think Justin should have won and gave up his powers for Alex.
@@bentennyson2565isn’t that what happened though?
@scp-507 no they both ended up keeping their powers which that ending wasn't deserved
That would've been a much better ending. A great moral lesson about love and being happy without this fancy magic stuff.
The issue was Mason couldn't be with her as a human. He was going to eat her.
"Alex's Logo" was the episode that did Justin extremely dirty, which is ironic, since David Henrie wrote it himself. It made Justin completely out of character to torment his own sister, and you'd expect that sort of behaviour from Alex. He even said that all of her friends hated her, with a sadistic smile, and even worse, he doesn't receive any comeuppance for his toxic actions.
I was actually so surprised David Henrie wrote that episode, is he just like unaware of how much of a hater Justin seems👀
Did he write it? I thought he just directed it
I hated that episode
@Andolin414 Ah, wow. That's, uh... weird
THIS! This is the episode that starts Justin's downward spiral for me. Alex legitimately earns an award and Justin acts like a child about it and ruins her life out of pettiness. He throws another temper tantrum in season 4 when Alex wins Wizard of the Year. He just can't seem to stand seeing Alex getting recognition over him.
The assassination of Justin’s character was always so bizarre to me because they just took away Justin’s morality. Usually when he made mistakes or let his flaws get the best of him, he eventually realized what he did wrong and felt really bad and guilty about the situation which ultimately leads to him fixing it. But during seasons 3 and 4, Justin would said and do horrible things to his siblings and not even once consider he was in the wrong. There were even episodes where he knew he was in the wrong but due to his flaws, he didn’t want to admit it to Alex but all of that got thrown at the window to the point where bro was about to let Alex DIE caused he was mad at her FOR NO REASON. Its particularly interesting that his assassination came during seasons 3 and 4, because i don’t know if im right, but the Wizards movie takes place right before those seasons, and we see Alex and Justin’s relationship the best it’s ever been written, like their dynamic, their talks, the way they look out for each other was sooo good, and just doing a reset for the new season is just bizarre. Idk I guess they peaked
That's true. I feel like the movie gave us a good insight into Justin's POV and how strong their bond was. But it's also weird that he starts to be antagonistic towards his siblings in the later seasons because obviously they're getting older but he really didn't change (definitely got worse).
I feel the show was also trying to make us WANT Alex to win more, so they ruined Justin’s character. Cuz some stuff Justin blamed her on, I’m like how could he possibly get to that position? Like the finale, they couldn’t possibly have thought Alex was wrong to want to save Harper and Zeke?
yeah i really like all of the siblings dynamic initially. alex and justin’s competitive attitude felt really natural and childish. just classic sibling pettiness. i definitely think they ruined his character. i like the idea of it all being complex and nuanced, like the theme of it being caused by the wizard competition, but i genuinely just think it was poor writing
Agreed 110%
And Zeke never calls him out on how they're supposed to be best friends but he chose this competition over Zeke and his girlfriend's lives
that’s literally what this whole video just said … lmao
@@eminasahovic4112 I typed it before I watched, then later heard him basically say the same thing🙃
Something I always hate is how shows demonize/corrupt rule-followers by making them hypocritical, patronizing, or judgemental just do we'll root for the rebel.
Especially when strict, black and white thinking and unflinching belief in the status quo has plenty to criticize if that’s the goal. It also erases the nuance of excessive rule followers who do so with good intent or fear, instead of pure ego.
@@s0ulcode I don't recall it clearly, but did the show ever focus on the source of Justin's psyche, like his father having affection for Alex more than his sons and kind of living vicariously through Justin by seeing him as something he could never be? Plus they could've had him give up his powers for Juliet (if the rules were wizards must marry other wizards) to mirror his parents' marriage and how he was still a valuable asset in the wizarding world for his intelligence. Then they could give more focus to Max and Alex, since he was never seen as a contendor to keep his powers anyway and felt the most underdeveloped.
Suggestion: a video about Max’s treatment.
A) became unnecessarily dumb
B) his treatment when he turned into Bailey Madison: I saw some interesting videos about that one
C) how the dynamics changed between him and his siblings. Sometimes, he was close with Alex. Sometimes he and justin did everything together and than he just became this pest that gets on the way.
D) always underestimated and treated like a joke which sucks.
@shoesinmysoup i think the only reason why we don’t accept the “it’s for kids” is because there are kids’ shows that put care and effort into the stories and the characters. They don’t jeopardize that for a gag.
A kid’s show shouldn’t be bad or lazy because it is for kids.
I feel a good kid’s show at this point is if adults can appreciate it too while watching it and seeing the themes and characterizations that it comes with.
Max was my favorite from the start. I love wacky, oddball characters and could relate to his way of thinking. But they just turned him into the idiot who hurt people with no remorse sometimes. I wish he was treated more equally with Justin + Alex.
@@yawninglion1677 I always knew my favorites were Max and Alex for a reason; they were more fun than Justin.
They wrote the character like they regretted ever adding them to the series
This may be controversial but I feel Alex and Max are closer than Alex and Justin. After rewatching the show she always does the little things that shows that she’s more comfortable with Max. She’s always leaning on his shoulder, interlocking with him, and hugs him tightly which she never really does with Justin. I know Alex and Justin have special moments but personally outside of a few moments and the movie they aren’t really as close
I think Justin really becomes annoying in later seasons. But the final episode where he suddenly doesn't care about his own best friend Zeke possibly dying and being petty and vicious toward his own little sister Alex just because they lost the wizard competition, ALL BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO SAVE ZEKE AND HARPER, made me absolutely loathe Justin. Probably the worst fictional big brother I've ever seen..
There are worse ones, but the last season was a HUGE departure from the intended finale.
Justin was way out of character, but then again, look at what they did to Max. It was just plain bad.
I was actively against him in the finale.
Yeah and then the whole "this was part of the test to see if you'd let the competition ruin your sibling bond" and then they passed Justin, when he absolutely should've failed considering he was being absolutely cruel to Alex
There are possibly worse ones not just in fiction, but also in reality.
Still, I understand that he was no good, especially in later seasons.
I wonder how Justin is going to act like in the new wizards show, especially since he’s now an adult and a father. I really hope that his character is written better
Justin becoming unlikable & selfish made me question why he’s the one who will star in the new Wizards series. It sorta makes sense cuz he’s the secondary main character after Alex, but he’s not the best person. Unless they’re going to point out Justin’s bad behavior and let him grow
They won’t I feel like they’re guna forget all of it and maybe change his character
@@Jimmsy-54 I knew they wouldn’t🥲but I’m really hoping. I don’t get what’s even the point of doing a spin off series if you’re not gonna fix some things from the original. The whole unfair wizard competition and Justin’s character derailment should be number 1 of priority for the new series
they could always just make the show in the “unreliable narrator” style. like ‘the office’ with michael scott or even like joe goldberg from ‘you’. as a more exaggerated example, i think patrick bateman from (specifically the movie adaptation) ‘american psycho’ also works. we recognize that all of these characters are doing something bad but see them consistently rationalize it from their perspective. i doubt they would go with this direction at all but if they did, i think it would be really cool
@rach3092 yes, they’re filming season 1 as we speak
Justin was supposed to be the lead not Selena
I feel the wizard of the year award wasn’t the only time he ruined an award for her.
When the happy helper’s club awarded her something, he ruined that for her too because he thought she was lying. I get that he forgot to take the spell off, but he could have just stopped her when he realized he did, remove the spell, and bring her back stage and he reveled in it. Jeez.
And the reminder of ruing Max’s restaurant showed that he can’t let any of his siblings have a good thing. He has to be the successful one.
I actually did like him in the beginning, but he got annoying as the seasons go on.
I'm really glad Alex's Logo got brought up, I feel as if it doesn't get mentioned enough. Not only is it the worst episode of the show, but to me its Justin at his worst. I remember how in the first two seasons, despite their sibling rivalry, Justin always wanted Alex to use her powers for good, yet when she does something the right way he REFUSES to be apart of it just because he hates having to present her a citizenship award? That's SO out of character for him. Remember in the report card episode in Season 1 where Justin panicked and turned Prof. Crumbs into a hamster just to help Alex? I really miss when they had moments like that. Not only that, but I also think Alex's Logo highlights a point of the show I NEVER liked. What made Alex Russo good is the show NEVER let her get away with her actions, she was different from other Disney sitcom leads in that she didn't go for dates, popularity, music, or any of the typical tropes you'd see in Disney female leads. She's scheming, sarcastic, lazy and artistic. She was her own person. Regardless of how bad or good you think she is, the show made a point to never let her get away with it. But for me the biggest contrast between Alex and Justin in the show is whenever Alex uses her powers for personal gain or takes her antics too far, she is not only shown the consequences, but is genuinely guilty and works to fix the situation. But when Justin does it? He doesn't show any remorse, he keeps things going for his own amusement and doesn't really suffer consequences for his actions. Yet Jerry and Therasa play into Justin's bad behavior, but would continually have NO qualms holding Alex accountable for hers. Like in Alex's Logo, neither of them stop Justin when they realize Alex is still under the truth spell, they just walk away to avoid being put on the spot. Then Theresea makes Alex's pain about being socially outcased at school about herself!
Another instance I don't ever feel gets mention that to me was the turning point for Justin's character and showcased this perfect was the Season 3 opener Frankengirl, where yes, Justin is valid in using Frankengirl to teach Alex a lesson about going into his room, but even when Alex has had enough and apologizes to Justin, he doesn't stop, rather he keeps up the act of letting Frankengirl humiliate Alex for his amusement, which leads to Frankengirl's strength being so rough around the cheerleaders that they could've been hurt by her, so Justin was willing to risk people being put in the crossfire simply to revel in his revenge at Alex. Yet if the roles were reversed Alex would regret going to far with Justin. There's even the Dollhouse episode where Justin shows contempt to save Alex. Regardless of what defense Justin has for his behavior, it doesn't excuse how hypocritical everyone is when it comes to Alex. So, it's fine to constantly criticize Alex for HER mistakes, but Justin doesn't get the same treatment? Especially when the entire family just use her as a scapegoat to blame whenever something goes wrong. Like how Alex is blamed for Aunt Megan's actions in Retest, instead of you know the person in control her their actions! It makes Jerry and Thersea bad parents. I DO appreciate how Jerry stands up for Alex in the finale though.
For me, I think Cody Martin from Suite Life had a worse decline than Justin, as not only was her even more of a prick than Justin, but how he treats the other characters was awful. Even Bailey, which is a romance, I can't stand and didn't like back then. For me, Cody is in a position of Justin, where he didn't deserve to go to Yale because he became an asshole. And while On Deck was a decline in quality, the ONE element I actually think was nicely done was Zack's development, as he became the more sensible and sympathetic twin, and after learning his inferiority complex to Cody, it makes it hard to sympathize with Cody over him! Especially when Cody just became a G Rated Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory.
I agree with the first half of this post!! Those episodes really highlighted the core of Justin's character. He was a way bigger AH than Alex. The series finale is proof of that.
However, I disagree with your perception of Cody. Do I think they made him more arrogant? Yes. But to be fair, Zack stayed doing dumb childish things. SOMEBODY had to be the adult. Zack had some development, but he was still causing trouble. He'd make fun of Cody, and whenever his brother would have a chance at success, he always found a way to ruin it. As for Bailey, well she and Cody wee low-key the same person. It's no wonder they'd be toxic together.
@@rachelmartin5187 This! Bailey was literally the girl version of Cody with some farm girl traits sprinkled in. I'm not surprised that they broke up for awhile as they are too much alike.
Justin did learn his lesson in the baseball episode in season 1
You forgot the Franken Girl episode. I don't know why, but it's really where I think Justin's character assassination began.
For those who don't know: Justin builds a literal Franken Girl to stop Alex from coming into his room without permission. And it works, but then Alex starts befriending the girl, which is pretty nice to be honest. Then Justin immediately casts a spell to make Franken Girl an insufferable best friend character just to annoy Alex. To my surprise, Alex is actually pretty chill towards FG after the spell, even when FG makes them join the cheerleading team. But in the last scene of the episode, (FG took out all the other cheerleaders prior) FG tosses Alex up into the ceiling and Justin is just laughing and enjoying himself congratulating karma on Alex.
Like HUH?! Alex didn't even do anything throughout that whole episode to get karma. And the fact it's mostly just a shit on Alex fest with a shit on Alex ending just left a bad taste in my mouth as a kid and it still does when I rewatch it.
Justin's never been a perfect character, but his assassination of character was by far the worst thing that happened in the show. Like it's so hard to imagine this is the same guy who taught Alex how to fly the magic carpet.
i think justin's personality change, might have something to do with the actor. a lot of folks dont know or point out that the actor hates this character and how he was portrayed in earlier seasons. on the wizards podcast, jennifer said how david hated how dorky/ nerdy his character was. i noticed a changed in his appearance, when he started to gain muscle and would wear shirts to show it them off. it didnt match how justin was and in fact, jen said i think thats how his head shot was. of him with muscles. he might have suggested a character change.
Ngl, when he started getting more muscular I wondered (even as a teen) if he was on steroids. Later on (esp the movie) it looked like roid rage in his eyes and line-delivery
Omg, that makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't be surprised if he was using steroids back then
Back in the day Steve Urkel was ripped in later seasons of Family Matters! Laura Winslow was an idiot!
I blame the wizarding world for pitting the kids against each other and the parents for enabling it especially Jerry for taking on the role as an educator as apposed to being a parent
Edit: on that note I agree about Alex that she maybe rebellious and irresponsible and plays on the role of not taking the wizarding competition seriously and likes to pull pranks on her brothers but she’s still has her limits and would never stooped down to her level of being mean spirited and still wants to help Justin but I think the reason she gets herself in trouble a lot is because she has a habits of crossing boundaries though never intentional but that doesn’t erase them being frustrated with her through out the series
Also, all of Alex’s mess ups were small like accidentally shrinking her room, things with pretty easy reversal spells, all of Justin’s mess ups were putting lives at risk like becoming an angel of darkness
also justin is the one that failed that test when they kidnapped them all. he told the (fake) agency that they were wizards because they appealed to his ego and told him how much of hero he was and how badly they needed his help
Yesss!!!
Granted that test was completely cruel on the part of the council and technically they also blamed Alex for telling the crowd (out of justified fear). I give him a pass here since that whole thing was just mean. I mean he was stupid but at least that time he thought he was helping.
@@yawninglion1677 the test was super unfair, i remember being really annoyed at it as a kid. i always felt that while they both failed, alex told the press because she thought the other wizards were still locked up and they would be harmed, whereas justin caved first because they played into his big ego about his dumb alien club. when he gets put back in the cell and tells his family he gave up the secret to help them fight aliens they all knew it was fake and justin only fell for it because he wanted to feel heroic. i mean that was kinda how their characters were portrayed the whole show, alex is selfish/self centered on a shallow level but cares deeply for others especially in times of need, where justin considers himself very moral but is usually driven by his ego (sometimes into stupid situations he wouldnt trust otherwise)
@@skunkskiestink6620 I've noticed that in season 1 too.
the episode when he put the truth spell on Alex has always sat so wrong with me, she was bullied so bad and he didn’t even apologize
The journal episode too!!
alex was always gonna win the competition. i dont think selenas propularity changed anything…what kindve ending would that be for a disney show in the mid 2000s? the buildup for alex to win was always present.
THANK YOU!
It's nice to see someone else hate Justin Russo as much as I do.
Yeeessss
I think all characters suffer from flanderization at some point (personally, the character I like the least is Teresa, I think she is an insufferable mom hahaha). Alex is a comforting character for me but in my opinion the only character who grew up and had development is Harper (I have a such soft spot for her bc she is one of the few pluz size representation that there was at that time! ❤️🩹🥹). the other characters did not overcome their flaws or remained the same. 🤷♀️
Absolutely!
I liked Justin’s character in the first couple of seasons the last season they made Justin so unlikable. Yes he had to constantly clean up Alex’s messes with her magic but you could tell he still loved and cared about her. In season 4 he could care less about helping her I still like Justin but he definitely had some issues in that last season
The "villains" of this series weren't even that bad. All they really wanted was to create a wizard society where everyone can keep their powers
Justin being a jerk about the competition actually came up in the episode “Retest” when Jerry & his siblings needed to retake the test. The kids go to find Aunt Megan & when they bring her back to do the test she leaves & Justin blames Alex for Megan’s actions. He can’t handle it if loses or can’t compete in the competition. U can kinda see it in the movie as well but he definitely had a better attitude than the “Retest” episode & season 4
My main issue with Justin is that he still gets to win in the end. Honestly, I think he would have made a great villain. You understand his motives, you see him fall into this mindset and toxic pattern. You know why he ended up the way he did, and you know it's wrong, and it's interesting to watch. The problem is that the show never punishes him for being this way. The show still treats him like one of the good guys. Imagine if he had a full on villain arc, ran away, went rogue...and eventually becomes redeemed through doing something heroic for his family, and as a result that's why he also gets to keep his powers alongside Alex. As it stands, it doesn't feel like he earned his victory at all, and that's the problem.
That's what I'm saying. With his arrogant personality, and how mean spirited he is towards Alex, him becoming a dark wizard for the rest of the series would've worked.
I think the show treats like one of bad guys in the last season.
@@ennalabe3.0 No it does not
My personal least favorite Disney Channel protagonist and one of my least favorite Disney characters period is CeCe Jones. Caitlin Mckillop made a great video about Disney Channel character derailment with CeCe and Mason on the list.
CeCe was so much smarter and kinder in the first season
CeCe made me hate Shake It Up. She was always so weird and mean-spirited. I only watched for Gunter and Tinka
@yawninglion1677 i agree. After like while, they kept making her worst. Like they went from episodes like her dealing with dislaxa and being placed in the smart class to her not knowing how to read a map and other mean spirited things
I’m surprised Rocky didn’t commit to breaking off their friendship in the Japan special considering Cece was perfectly fine with hypnotizing Rocky into doing everything SHE wanted them to do together. “You’re my best friend” can only go so far as an excuse
@@LovelyLivelyV She also got Rocky injured in that one episode, with the broken glass. Not directly her fault but she made Rocky act very irresponsibly
If it helps your understanding of Justin's character assassination, season 4 was headed by an entirely different showrunner that the cast hated. That's why season 4 was extra bad, and Justin and Max were both so horrendously out of character from their previously established care for Alex. I really hope that in the revival, they bring Justin back to the "annoyingly superior but still caring" older brother.
I feel Max was fine. Justin was the one we out of character and narcissistic and egotistical. I’d say Max was even closer with Alex than in the first half of the show. He’s obviously older by that point (and taller) and if you pay attention she is more concerned with him and is always by his side more than Justin
This video made me realize that they didn't really explain why Professor Crumb always messed with the Russo family? Like on two or three separate occasions he tested them for no real reason making them lose their powers or miss the competition.
I like Justin's character, but really wish they kept him balanced between being the know it all and having a better relationship with Alex. Also, they just did Max so dirty throughout the series making him a punching bag instead of integrating him in the story.
To me, only one of the kids keeping their powers was an issue for me. They train all these years to use their powers, just to have them taken away as soon as they finish school if they are not the absolute best. It didn’t make sense to me. Just seemed like the dumbest part of the show to me.
As someone who’s never watched a ton of this show, the way you describe Justin would honestly lead me to assume he’s the villain of the final couple seasons
I’m sorry if I was his sibling I wouldn’t talk to him ever again like how is he guna leave Alex inside that waterfall and have his students forcing him to save him and how is he guna let Harper and Felix die and get taken by a griffin and have Alex force him to save there friends I would not talk to him anymore or acknowledge him I would use a spell to forget him
It was Harper and Zeke who were kidnapped by the Griffin
@@incrediblekeenan1751 that’s what I just said.??
@@Jimmsy-54 you said Harper and Felix
@@incrediblekeenan1751 okay? My bad
Justin literally almost destroyed the entire world, Alex saved it. I dont get it. He can admit no fault.
For real! Nobody punishes him for anything and it makes the show very hard to watch. If Justin was real somebody would have already sat him down with a much needed reality check.
Don't forget Jerry fed Justin's ego. I don't remember which episode it was but it was where Jerry gave just the family wizard robe, because Jerry straight up thought Justin would win. I mean yes Alex might've messed up a lot but at least she can admit when she's wrong. Justin on the other hand can't. Like he really thought Alex betrayed them when she "joined" forces with Stevie. But when Alex tricked her, he tried to take credit for stopping Stevie. Justin was a narcissist. Like when Alex won wizard of the year, he felt he should've won instead of her. Mason and Alex were in a fighting, everyone was trying their best to comfort her and what does Justin do? He tries to rush everyone out so they could watch the recording he made..... Like his little sister is upset and he doesn't try one bit to comfort her. Then there was the time she was given the good citizenship award, and he ruined it for her because again he thought he deserved it. But the thing that makes me mad the most about him was during the wizard competition. His best friend was taken by a gargoyle or something and he wanted to finish the competition and not save him. He then blamed Alex for all three of the losing their powers He was really blaming her, for making them "lose" the competition. Like I get you're upset, but that doesn't give you any excuse to be a completely asshole to your little sister.
I'm so glad that you made this video. I always thought that Justin really became kind of mean in season 4 and no one ever seems to talk about it. His character really changed alot from the first season.
Justin was never my favorite of the group growing up:
from day one he rubbed it in his siblings faces that he was gonna win the competition and keep his powers
His parents practically worshipped the ground he walked on
And even times where he was the one who messed up, they still found a way to blame Alex for it
(I swear Harper was the only person in Alex’s life that stopped her from becoming evil because she could have sided with Stevie without a second glance otherwise)
its one of those shows where you can obviously tell the writers changed in between seasons and they didnt at all look at the previous material.
not to mention, no one wanted to watch these three siblings lose their powers 😭 they’re main characters! let them be the exception!
The general lesson of Wizards of Waverly Place is learning to use magic correctly and responsibly. You would really think that letting go of using magic because of the shenanigans you did when you used magic as a teenager, especially given how much was done under the events of Wizards of Waverly Place, would be a natural extension of “being responsible with magic”.
also the actor, david, has a lil dark side to him. when he was dating lucy hale, there was a vid of him almost getting into a fight with some random folks. its hard to find the vid now but not sure why he almost got into a fight with them. then a few years ago, he was arrested for having a loaded gun at a airport.
Oh my gosh! I didn't know any of that
Oh yeah, Justin's likeability arc ended the earliest.
After his relationship with Juliet ended, that was the beginning of the end of his character arc and end of the Wizards vs Angels storyline cemented that for me.
Professor Crumbs was the villain
He is a parody of Dumbledore so that makes a lot of sense.
so i watched wowp with my mom a million times growing up, and we both hate him for these reasons exactly. like alex isnt perfect, but she consistantly chooses to do the right/ kind thing. yes she is "mean" sometimes, well more just snarky, but like. she, when it matters, chooses to save and help people every single time.
i literally sent her this video too lol
I would still blame the parents for this one. They made this choice and forced their kids to figure it out. He may be older, but he is still just a kid.
I remember being so pissed that Alex and Justin both won the wizard competition, they did a pretty good job at making it unclear which of the two was gonna win (we all knew it wasn’t gonna be Max). Having them both keep their powers just made it all feel cheap, like all that build up was for nothing. Plus there’s no way Justin would be okay with getting the participation trophy of being a teacher, especially in the later seasons.
Honestly max did deserve to win. I love Max and i feel like he deserved so much better than the shop.
I always thought they would call out the system for being messed up. I don’t think they ever did. Justin strikes me as a person who has borderline personality disorder. Not everyone who has that is a jerk. But it can make them think everyone is out to get them or thwart them and they’re overly focused on that and they might perceive threats and slights from others when there was none.
Justin was written best in the original movie. That whole movie feels completely separate from the show though. It's actually a fantastic family movie, I still rewatch it from time to time
His character had so much depth in that movie. He still does go after Alex a lot, though I cant say some of it wasn't justified considering what she did. He cared for her, admitted his faults, and their dynamic really made it seem as if they were equals.
Unfortunately that didn't stick in the rest of the show. There was so much character development in that one movie; I don't understand why they ultimately scrapped it all
Honeslty after s3 Justin and Mason both became my least favorite characters like justin didn't deserve to win.
Justin was horrible monster hunter
That rant he did when Alex beat him for the award is icing on the cake of his ego
Justin was the selfish one more than alex 🤷🏾♀️
I feel like a good chunk of people who have him as a favorite, usually didn’t watch the show all of the way through. This was a stellar video!
hes not my favorite but looking back i dont remember much of the last season i just really remember the good stuff
I literally am that person. He wasn’t my favorite but I related to the older sibling related flaws like his perfectionism.
However, in retrospect I only fully watched the first two seasons.
I started getting older and very inconsistently watched Wizards after that other than the movie.
Honestly turning his character into more of a villain could have worked if the writers’ made it clear that Justin was in the wrong and making everything worse.
It seems like they just turned him megalomaniac and somehow thought he was in the right.
when it was airing i watched mostly during the second season and third season i kinda stopped because of it was getting too serious for me as a child. I didn't remember him being that bad but i guess as they were getting closer to the competition he was always sort of narcissistic from the beginning
Do you guys remember when the actor who played Justin got arrested at LAX for having a loaded handgun in his luggage? And his response was like "Oh yeah, I forgot I had that in there"
I mean in all honesty, how else are you gonna respond?
I remember that.
Late comment, but that happens way more than you think. TSA is notorious for missing certain things in people’s luggage and people often don’t find out until they’re out the airport or are trying to go through TSA again. I didn’t have a gun on me, but I had an item that was way more than 3.4oz. I didn’t get stopped for it when for my departing flight, but when I was trying to get back home, they flagged my bag for it. I didn’t even remember I had it in my bag until her patted it down. Funny enough, when I brought a bear through TSA, the agents were very cautious with my bag thinking I had a weapon until they opened it up and realized the beads in the bear were setting off the machine 😂.
I hope the reboot calls Justin out for his douch bag ways.
It won’t, the actor would never agree to that
Ohhh I couldn't STAND Justin's stuck up ass as a kid! I can't tell you how happy I was when he finally got severely humbled during/after the Fallen/dark angel arc. He knew how Alex always felt about being compared to him, but always made it a point to rub it in and be an insufferable know it all. I'm glad Alex became the family wizard in the end because he was just SO unlikable to me.
I hated Justin for this exact reason. His actions towards Alex were uncalled for. She deserved so much better.😔😔😔
Honestly, yeah you pretty much nailed it on why I also didn’t like Justin. I remember being a teenager watching the show and getting so annoyed by Justin. I was happy he didn’t win the competition.
I thought he was the main character. Dealing with a hard life and having to live with a sister who wins with luck and a dumb brother.
I never liked him because he reminded me of my own smug little shit of an older brother
If Justin Russo has no haters, I’m dead.
In hindsight, I'm really glad I stopped watching after the movie. For me, the series ended on the highest note, despite not reaching a finale-type conclusion. I never saw an episode past that, and because of that, the series lays super positively in my memory.
I agree 100%, after first season that’s when I started little by little disliking Justin. Especially in like the last episode where they “lost the competition” & had no powers just for it to turn out to be part of the competition. I was furious with how he treated Alex (max too but this ain’t about him). Even if it’s true that the comp is done why would you let your family business go downhill just to stick it to Alex. Respectfully he was a bitch. I liked when he was a dork, he was likeable.
It's so hard to watch the finale because that whole segment is just so painful
Not gonna lie I think Max should have won I don't like Alex and I fell off Justin
@@StarKaiser2 I thought for a second Max was gonna have a villain arc after the comp.
Justin was always annoying to me 😭 he was so fckin dramatic sometimes but towards the end ??? He was almost unbearable.
Justin would've been caught hands in the real world from his attitude. You don't go around being an arrogant jerk to everyone and then expect not to get popped for it at some point.
No fr 😂 stank attitude fr
@@sissysovereign1294 Nah bro Justin would knock you out.
THANK YOU! ive been a justin hater for years !!! im glad people are seeing the light !!
I always hated Justin, his arrogance, his stupidity and his hypocrite.
What really sold it for me, was when his up for Student President Alex used her magic to talk to the Justin posters that were placed in the principals office, and asked he did the prank, but they refused because the doer said they vote for him. BUT HOW CAN SHE VOTE FOR JUSTIN IF HE IS KICKED OUT OF THE ELECTION??????
He also complains about when Alex wins the wizard of the year award, saying he deserved it, but then again he is the one who gave away the secret first and helped the Dark Angels when he was controlled by them.
I met David Henrie at a Comic Con 6 months ago. One of the nicest guys I've ever met in my life
Max was so underrated like that one episode where they try to earn more money by making a wizard world restaurant as week as the human world sun shop and it was all Maxs idea and Jerry and Justin completely destroyed it just like Max said they would and that it was too much for them to handle by themselves and when he said the committee napkin was a health hazard (which was obviously right) in the last episode Justin and Alex got to keep their powers but Max got the sub shop. i’m happy Max actually got the sub shop with his ideas he could make it a popular destination in new york as well as a franchise and in one episode he said that working at the sub shop is something he was good at so at the end it was all good but he was always underrated and was just made to seem like a pest or a thorn in their side. Max was actually smart and also said ‘i always act like i’m dumb so if i slip up they figure eh the kid is dumb’ and he always acted dumb to get attention due to the neglection from his parents.
It's bad writing to assassinate a character to bring another up.
I’ve always disliked Justin. I don’t care for that smart kid who thinks they’re better than everyone but you’re pretty sure you can beat them up 😂 if Justin was real (and not magic) he’d probably be as mediocre as everybody else because he’d burn himself out.
I mean, the poor guy waited on a sofa for 9 years to know how his parents met so I don't blame him lol.
They unfortunately flanderized Justin. There are rumors that theyre making a new waverly where justin is the dad and he has children. Im not sure how true it is though but we know it would be on disney plus
Alex deseved to win throughout the show she was always the most creative in how she used magic and gradually got better over the show.
Justin sucked especially in the finale like if anything he should've been mad at zeke and harper. If i was alex i wouldn't have forgiven justin for that.
While Zeke and Harper could have waited until the Russos were done with their competition, they, or at least Harper, knows about the consequences of the Wizard competition. The ones who don’t win lose their powers.
Zeke was spelled and not knowing who the winner will be, they likely assumed that they had go right away or Zeke’s problem might not be solved. Though Zeke shouldn’t have been fiddling around with the Russo’s stuff.
Onto Justin, he committed betrayal. He was completely fine with Harper and Zeke dying just so he could have powers. Then gets mad at Alex for wanting to save them. Though we don’t see him speaking to Zeke again, so it’s possible that Zeke decided to cut off ties with Justin.
@kendraroth1276 honestly the magic of the show is inconsistent because they could've just flashed them back as Alex has done in numerous episodes to harper.
@@bentennyson2565 yeah.
Even the Wizard competition which was established very early into the show is inconsistent.
When Stevie was around, it was implied that the winners gets full wizard powers from the losers losing their powers. However this isn’t the case in either the first movie or the series finale.
In the beginning of season 4, Alex and Justin were brought back to the beginning as they attempted to reveal magic. Even though In Alex’s case, she was under stress and didn’t want to leave The Others behind to their fates. (While Justin also had good intentions, he should have seen through the lie because as Alex points out, He’s the one who made up the alien language.)
But later, The competition happens BECAUSE Alex learned to care about others without an ulterior motive.
@kendraroth1276 yeah as mucb as I love this show the magic and wizard competition is so inconsistent like the writers really didn't care.
I always thought Justin was an entitled brat! He was just so unlikable, the show writers always made Alex be the bigger person and apologize to Justin. I’m not saying Alex is an angel but she was way more relatable and humble.
FINALLY! It wasn’t just ME who saw it too.
Dude I thought I was crazy for hating Justin's character! Turns out the hate is justified
I felt the exact same way about this character for years!! I also hated the fact that Jerry and Terresa never called him out on his behaviour . He literally ruined Alex’s award ceremony and almost left his best friend to die in the wizard competition.
Let’s all accept the fact that Justin had first child syndrome. The only thing is that while his parents loved him, he didn’t have the popularity that Alex had and that Max was gaining
I honestly don’t understand why his actor is open for the revival. Dude was made in to basically a comedic villain by the the end of the show and then we’re supposed to buy that he’s so great he gets exempt from the rules and gets to run Wiz Tech? Suck my wand, writers.
Finding out that a lot of my childhood crushes are terrible horrible and freaking deplorable people actually hurts my heart 💔💔💔
sometimes older siblings are just like that :)) they secretly hate you for being born
Let’s be real, Alex wouldn’t have done have the irresponsible things she did had she not had to feel the need to one up Justin, prove Justin wrong, get even with Justin or Max, or actually got better help from Justin.
The way I see it; Justin is the textbook responsible sibling and Alex and Max are the foolish siblings.
Perhaps the reason Justin sucks in the later seasons is that his ego inflated almost as big as his head. His condescending attitude go up several notches that makes him more insufferable and spiteful
Alex had always been more street smart and has innovative and creative ways to use magic and solve problems. She values the right thing to be done rather than have innocent people be in danger
The guy that played the jerkface is a great actor bc it still gives me the ick to rewatch the show 😂
I love your hatred of him lol you never fail to throw shade his way in any of your videos. It cracks me up
i never really liked his character. mostly bc i dont like people who show off and think they know it all, but yeah he was especially insufferable during the last 2 seasons. i wonder what he'll be like in the reboot.
Let's not forget he exposed Wizards to the government when they played to his ego
3:55 and the few seconds after have an editing mistake in the voiceover! hope u see this so u can fix it. good video!
Oh The ways I would have turned villain too in that show.
Make a rebellion and dethrone that professor Crumbs after he “Tested them” by putting their friends and family in danger and expect them to Chose keeping the magic world a secret, Over the safety of their loved ones !?!!
I always found it odd that Justin thinks he should have won wizard of the year. I understand the jealousy, but come on. Alex saved the world, all Justin did was teach a bunch of delinquents.
Also the wizards in general are all racist in a caste system where they actually hunt vampires
Except for Juliet
@@Missmagazinebura actually the wizards were supposed to hunt vampires too because they live in a racist caste system, Justin just chose not to because he liked her. It'd be like if a nazi chose not to send to a concentration camo his Jewish gf. Doesn't make it much better
@@Missmagazinebura and Juliet is a p3do. Justin was 17, she was over 2000 years old
Wizards also apparently use Leprechaun as slaves
Didnt think of it like that, wow
I feel like they could’ve gone the complete opposite route, by making Justin care less about winning the competition, and it would’ve had a better result. Justin would’ve been more likable, but we would also be okay with him losing to Alex. It would make a nice contrast with her caring more about winning, and it would also be more rewarding when Crumbs lets him keep his powers. Of course he had to win to stay with Juliet, but IIRC she only comes back in like the last 2-3 episodes before the wizard competition anyway
Am I the only one who still liked Justin throughout the show. He can be arrogant but is Alex really any better??? At least he was responsible and followed the rules
At first I really liked Justin. I appreciated how hard working and driven he was. I thought that over time, he would realize that there are more important things than the wizard contest, but nope! His obsession just got worse and worse. I can hardly sit through an episode of the last season because of how insufferable he is.
The magic system in the show while kinda making no sense is a breeding ground for resentment. It's later i realize that Stevie was super based to run away from loosing her powers. And in the end it totally favors the oldest siblings, I don't even think max was 18 when the final "battle" had happened. So he's already at a disadvantage of having less time to practice or learn.
I don't approve of what Justin did but he does love his sister Alex and they probably only turned him like that just to make Alex look better
I remember an episode where Alex is hit with a truth spell by Justin. And after later admitting that he shouldn't have done it, he doesn't remove the spell before Alex goes to school and humiliates herself. Definitely one of his lowest moments.