Wednesday 2: New Characters And Their Powers Explained

Inspired by figures of urban myths and old legends, the coterie of uniquely powered eccentric characters, aka Outcasts, in Netflix’s Wednesday universe, have been the USP of the series. Aside from students and faculty of Nevermore, the Addams Family has been an integral part of the Outcast mythos as well. As our titular heroine returns to Nevermore for the sophomore season of Wednesday with new adventures, the narrative focuses on the Outcast lore by introducing new characters into the fray—which includes core members of the Addams family, as well as new friends and foes Wednesday ends up making. Let’s take a quick look at every new Outcast introduced in the second season and what kind of power they possess. Quite obviously, the article will contain major spoilers, and viewers have been warned.

Spoilers Ahead

Principal Barry Dort

Following the death of Principal Larisa Weems at the hands of Marilyn Thornhill, Barry Dort became the new principal of Nevermore Academy. Unlike Weems, who pushed for Normie-Outcast coexistence with a neutral, tolerant approach, Barry Dort openly advocates for Outcast supremacy. Aside from reviving long-forgotten Outcast traditions in Nevermore, Barry has an affinity for using troublesome methods to strengthen the cause of the Outcasts. Exploiting Bianca’s persuasive powers as a Siren, Dort wants her to convince Morticia Addams to seek donations for Nevermore’s fundraiser for Outcasts from her mother, Hester Frump. Also, it is hinted that Dort is in cahoots with someone significant, as Ajax and Bianca notice him speaking privately with someone over the phone. Portrayed by actor Steve Buscemi, Barry Dort has pyrokinesis powers, which allows him to generate and manipulate fire, as seen during the attack of crows in Nevermore.

Hester Frump

The eldest of the Addams Family, Morticia’s evil, cruel mother, Hester Frump, appears only once in the first part of the second season. In this iteration of the Addams Family, Hester Frump is a successful businesswoman who has made a fortune in the mortuary-funeral business. Hester is revealed to be a cold, manipulative person whose decision to keep her younger daughter, Ophelia, locked in Willow Hill asylum to cure her psychic-power-related afflictions never sat right with Morticia. Using Morticia’s estranged relationship with Hester, Wednesday tries to one-up her mother in order to regain Goody Addams’s book to get a better grip on her psychic powers. It is also shown that Wednesday shares quite the rapport with her grandma, who has taught her a few trade secrets, which she uses in her investigations. 

Even though it is not addressed in the series just yet, Hester Frump possesses the psychic ability of future prediction. We hopefully get to see more of Hester in the second part, as family ties have already been established as a crucial motif in this season—and the maternal bond in the Addams family will gain significance. Actor Joanna Lumley portrays the role of Hester Frump in the series.

Agnes DeMille

Wednesday Addams has become quite a celeb thanks to her exploits of saving Nevermore in the previous season, even though she detests her newfound popularity. Much to her annoyance, adverse effects of her stardom have culminated in Wednesday getting herself an obsessive fangirl in the form of a first-year student of Nevermore, Agnes DeMille. Agnes can go to any length to get a crumb of validation from Wednesday, even if it means putting people close to her in jeopardy. Completely psychotic in her obsession with getting recognized by Wednesday, Agnes can be considered the creators’ way of poking fun at viewers—those who can’t shut up about how much they can relate to a depressed doomer teenage protagonist. Agnes possesses the power of invisibility and puts her ability to dangerous use as an expert sleuth—almost matching the wits of Wednesday herself. It remains to be seen whether this Mini-Me version of Wednesday eventually grows up to be her own person or remains a crazed superfan till the end. Actor Evie Templeton plays the role of Agnes in the series. 

Judi Stonehurst 

Throughout the first part of the second season, an Avian serial killer who uses crows to eliminate their victims turns out to be the prime suspect of Wednesday’s investigation. In the final episode of part one, it is revealed that the killer is none other than Dr. Fairburn’s mild-mannered associate, Judi. Turns out, Judi is the daughter of Augustus Stonehurst, the psychopathic Normie scientist who initiated the LOIS program to extract powers from Outcast patients of Willow Hill asylum in order to imbue himself with unique abilities. Even though Augustus was not able to gain any sort of abilities, Judi became a volunteer of her father’s experiments and gained the power to control birds like Avian Outcasts. To cover up the truth behind the LOIS program and the heinous experimentations that are conducted in Willow Hill asylum, Judi used her crows to murder Bradbury and Galpin. Although it still remains unclear as to why Wednesday’s vision showed Judi to be a threat to Enid’s life. By the end, Judi escapes as chaos breaks out in the asylum, and she will surely return in part two to cause more trouble for Wednesday and co. Actor Heather Matarazzo played the role of Judi in the series. 

Pugsley Addams

Even though Pugsley was present in the first season, it’s in this sophomore chapter of the series the youngest Addams gains his powers. Like his uncle Fester, Pugsley possesses the ability to generate and control electricity, which he uses to resurrect the zombified clockwork heart inventor, aka Slurp. Actor Isaac Ordonez plays the role of Pugsley in the series.

Professor Orloff

After seeing a sentient hand, a severed talking head like Professor Orloff might not feel that surprising to the viewers. In the second season, Professor Orloff, played by Christopher Lloyd, is a strict teacher who doesn’t let his disabilities—in this case, lack of his entire body—stop him from doing his job. It is the second time for the legendary actor to play a role in the Addams Family saga, as previously he had portrayed the role of Uncle Fester in The Addams Family in 1991. 

Bruno Yuson

Among new characters, we also meet Bruno Yuson, Enid’s new boyfriend, who is also a werewolf, just like her. Although his role was pretty limited, the concluding part might explore Enid’s arc through his presence with their werewolf lineage acting as a common link. 

Slurp the Clockwork Heart Zombie.

One of the more exciting additions in the second season has turned out to be Slurp, the zombified form of the inventor who replaced his biological heart with a clockwork one. From the brilliantly done prosthetic appearance, it is quite evident that the decomposing zombie fits perfectly in Burton’s dark, gothic vision. Slurp is surely going to play a major role in the second part, as the character has a past connection with Augustus Stonehurst. 

DaVinci’s

The second season identifies the Outcast species with telekinesis powers as DaVincis. The crazed scientist Augustus Stonehurst wanted to become a DaVinci, which was the sole reason behind his experimentation on Outcast patients in the LOIS program. A number of DaVinci students are seen arranging the raven firewood structure in the first episode of the second season.

Josephine

A shapeshifter friend of Agnes, Josephine, briefly appears in the first part, as she helps Wednesday to unlock Galpin’s phone. 

Ophelia Frump 

This is merely a speculation, but there is a strong chance that we might have already seen Morticia’s troubled psychic sister, Ophelia, in the first part. The last patient whom Wednesday rescues from the basement cells of Willow Hill asylum, supposedly the most dangerous Outcast patient among the ones who were experimented upon by Augustus, is none other than Ophelia. It is already mentioned in the series that Ophelia went missing two decades ago after Hester admitted her to the asylum, and chances are there that Augustus faked her disappearance to use her in his dreadful experiments. However, her identity is not confirmed, as the series has not addressed it just yet. In any case, a month later when the final part of the second season drops, Ophelia is most likely going to have a major role in the narrative. 

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