Gregg Sulkin returned to the role of Mason Greyback for the “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” series finale, only to learn his character had died sometime between the original Disney Channel series and its sequel. The four-part finale event, titled “One Last Spell,” aired August 4 on Disney Channel and arrived on Disney+ the following day, closing out a three-season run that began as a continuation of the 2007-2012 hit “Wizards of Waverly Place.”
The story centers on Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), who spends the final season searching for her mother, Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), after Alex vanished into an alternate dimension at the close of Season 2. To bring her back, Billie must reconnect with her estranged father, Damien Penwulf (Brandon Micheal Hall), and unite the Russo family against his father, Nicodemus. Along the way, Alex encounters dimensional versions of her old friend Harper Finkle (Jennifer Stone) and former boyfriend Mason, who reveals he cannot propose to her because he is dead.
Sulkin told Deadline the reunion with Gomez came together almost instantly. “All I had to do was look at Selena, and it was like, ‘Okay, cool, we’re back,’” he said, adding that working with longtime collaborators made slipping back into Mason’s skin effortless. He also described the character’s bond with Alex as permanent regardless of what the scripts show. “I think, in my heart, Alex and Mason are always endgame,” Sulkin said.
The show never specifies how Mason died. Executive producer David Henrie, who plays Justin Russo, offered a loose explanation to TVLine, joking that werewolves eventually pass on and speculating Mason simply “didn’t get enough moonlight.” Henrie said keeping the character alive in the sequel series would have complicated the story fans needed to accept.
Gomez, who also serves as an executive producer, directed the finale’s opening episode, marking her first time behind the camera. Mason’s farewell to Alex closed with a line meant to reassure viewers who grew up on the original pairing: he would always be watching over her, even from wherever werewolves go.
