Entertainment TV Scripted TV Shows Selena Gomez Returns as Cheeky Alex Russo for Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Season 1 Finale: Watch! Gomez teased that her character would be back onscreen "sooner" than fans might think after she appeared in the show's premiere episode By Julia Moore Julia Moore Julia Moore is a TV writer-reporter at PEOPLE. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 25, 2025 03:09PM EST Comments Selena Gomez is back for more trouble as Alex Russo. In a clip from the upcoming season finale of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Alex makes a surprise visit to Justin (David Henrie) and his wife Giada (Mimi Gianopulos) to check on Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), the young wizard she dropped off into his care at the start of the show. She claims she's just stopping by to "visit her big brother," but is really there to make sure Billie is okay — which Justin seems to lie about. He tells Alex that Billie is "fine" when she asks, and when Giada reacts to that, Justin instead says Billie is "great." "That is a relief," Alex says. "Not that I, you know, was worried. Why would I be? Cause this is a very normal conversation we're having." Selena Gomez Says ‘the Little Girl in Me Is So Happy' as She Shares BTS Photos from Wizards Beyond Waverly Place When Justin takes Giada into the kitchen, leaving Alex alone in the living room, she makes contact with Minister McFigglehorn (Kirsten Vangsness) and tells her that Billie is "safe" at Justin's house. Alex then says she's going to handle things "on my own" as she's "already put Justin and his family in too much danger" taking care of Billie to begin with. Selena Gomez in 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place'. Disney Channel/YouTube According to the logline, Billie and Justin's son Roman (Alkaio Thiele) are missing in the season 1 finale, which premieres Friday, Feb. 28, leaving Justin and Alex to "work together to rescue them from an evil villain's clutches." Gomez, 32, appeared in the revival series' premiere episode — to drop Billie off into Justin's care — but hasn't returned since. She teased that she'd be back, though, "sooner than you think" in an Instagram Story post celebrating the show's record-breaking premiere viewership on Disney+. David Henrie and Selena Gomez's 'Goal' Was to 'Recreate' the Sense of 'Family' on Wizards Reboot (Exclusive) Mimi Gianopulos and David Henrie in 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place'. Disney Channel/YouTube At the show's premiere in October, Gomez said it's "the best feeling in the whole world to be able to bring this back for you and to all the people who have never seen it before." "This is what gave me everything that I have today, and I'll never forget that this is where I started," she said of Wizards of Waverly Place, which aired from 2007 to 2012. She told PEOPLE that the series "picked up where we left off and it shows a very established Justin and also a very established Alex and you're still curious about what they're going through, but it kind of felt like a rhythm we got back into." David Henrie and Selena Gomez at the 'Wizards Beyond Waverly Place' premiere. John Salangsang/Shutterstock Henrie, 35, agreed, as he told PEOPLE they got back into the rhythm "easily" — and he had a whole new perspective to relate to. "My character's a father now. I have children and I am in real life too, so it was a very organic maturation process in the show." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Wizards Beyond Waverly Place season 1 finale premieres Friday, Feb. 28 on Disney Channel. Close Leave a Comment