From telekinesis and werewolves to underrated Greek mythology.
BY MILAN POLKPUBLISHED: NOV 24, 2022
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Wednesday, Netflix’s new take on The Addams Family—with one particular member at the center— puts the family’s supernatural ties at the forefront. Not only is the family strange and Gothic, but they’re connected to Nevermore Academy, a boarding school which houses “outcasts” (read: any person with supernatural powers). The title character, Wednesday Addams (played with a wonderful deadpan by Jenna Ortega), discovers that she occasionally gets visions from touching objects, and can even talk to a past ancestor to further improve her powers and learn about her family’s past. And while her journey and the school’s surrounding mystery are what drive the show’s main story, Wednesday’s friends, acquaintances, and enemies are also fascinating parts of the story. As each episode unfolds we learn more about characters and their powers, sometimes even getting intriguing side plots that may could become more important in Season 2.
One of the drawbacks of having a sizable cast like on Wednesday, however, is it can quickly become difficult to remember who has which powers and abilities. Most of the time, the teens are simply walking around school in their uniforms, so it’s easy to forget that at any moment, one of them can, say, turn into a werewolf or take off their hat and turn people to stone.
It’s probably because at the end of the day, they’re still teens dealing with very teen things, grappling to understand their powers while handling romance, death threats, and a creepy monster with cartoonishly large eyes lurking in the woods. Without giving any major spoilers away, here are the characters of Wednesday and the powers all of them possess in one handy guide.
1Wednesday – Clairvoyance
Much like Wednesday’s mother, Morticia, Wednesday has visions. They usually come when she touches an important item or person, and her visions often deal with glimpses of the past. Although she tries to keep her powers hidden in the beginning of the show, her visions prove invaluable when she discovers Nevermore is full of deadly secrets.
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2Enid – Werewolf
Wednesday’s roommate and friend, Enid, isn’t a typical werewolf. Unlike her more ferocious counterparts, Enid (as of Season 1) has yet to “wolf out,” as she calls it, so she can’t fully turn into a furry and vicious creature. All she can muster for now are sharp nails, which she keeps regularly painted in bright pastels.
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3Rowan – Telekinesis
Rowan has the ability to move objects and people with his mind at will. We discover his powers when Wednesday follows him into the woods and he reveals his mother saw a vision of Wednesday destroying the school. He throws Wednesday around, but she’s saved by a mysterious creature. Wednesday also sees a vision of Rowan throwing Xavier, his roommate, against a wall.
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4Xavier – Animation
A brooding artist, Xavier has the power to animate his drawings and paintings into the real world—kind of like a 3-D printer power. One of the first times we seem him use the ability is to impress Wednesday by bringing a spider to life. Wednesday quickly finds a limit to Xavier’s creations, however; when harmed, it appears they can turn into dust.
NETFLIX5Ajax – Gorgon
Medusa and her sisters aren’t the only snake-haired creatures in the Wednesday–universe. Ajax is a gorgon and wears a hat so he doesn’t turn any unsuspecting people to stone. Unfortunately, he’s also able to turn himself into stone, as he accidentally ruins a date with Enid by looking into the mirror. It appears, whether it’s due to his power or by design, turning people to stone isn’t permanent though.
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6Bianca – Siren
Another character tied to Greek mythological creatures is Bianca, a siren. The show has altered how the creatures operate somewhat, though. Sirens at Nevermore look entirely human on land, save for their piercing gaze, and only become mermaid-like underwater. Sirens also don’t have to sing to persuade people, but have the power of suggestion at all times. The only way to diminish their powers is through small trinkets, like one Bianca wears around her neck at all times.
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7Uncle Fester – Electricity
Although we don’t see much of him, we get a glimpse of Uncle Fester’s interesting powers in Episode 7. He contains some sort of electric, Emperor Palpatine-esque ability, and can use his fingers to generate shocks and bolts (and, presumably, his signature ability of powering lightbulbs with his mouth).
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