Wednesday’s season 1 finale confirms the death of a major character, with the fate of another important Nevermore figure being left ambiguous.

WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for Wednesday’s season 1 finale!The big twists in Wednesday’s season 1 finale give shocking fates to Principal Weems (Gwendoline Christie) and Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates (Christina Ricci), which have massive impacts on the story. Wednesday’s season 1 ending reveals that Nevermore Academy teacher Marilyn Thornhill is actually Laurel Gates, who manipulated Tyler’s Hyde into killing outcasts and normies before Laurel herself attacked Thing, Principal Weems, and Wednesday Addams. While Wednesday is healed by Goody Addams and Thing is resurrected by Uncle Fester, Nevermore Academy still suffers devastating casualties before the bigoted pilgrim Joseph Crackstone’s soul is vanquished and Laurel’s plans are foiled.

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The most significant confirmed death in Wednesday’s season 1 finale is that of Larissa Weems, who was influential to Wednesday’s growth at Nevermore. Laurel fatally injected Weems with nightshade poison after the principal tricked her by shapeshifting into Tyler, which leaves the school without their passionate leader in Wednesday season 2. After Wednesday destroys the resurrected Crackstone and prevents the eradication of Nevermore’s outcasts, Laurel Gates arrives with a gun and attempts to kill Wednesday herself. Eugene steps in and descends his hive of bees on Laurel, effectively immobilizing her before Wednesday kicks her in the face. While Weems is certainly dead, Laurel’s fate is still ambiguous despite the frightening number of bees that stung her.

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Why Principal Weems Had To Die In Wednesday Season 1

Gwendoline Christie was one of the biggest names heading into Wednesday season 1, so her character’s death came as a surprise. However, Principal Weems’ death makes sense when addressing the high stakes of the murder mystery and genocidal plans of pilgrim Joseph Crackstone and the Gates family. While Rowan and Mayor Walker’s deaths were upsetting, their positions as adversaries to Wednesday Addams made their fates less impactful than the tragic demise of her unspoken mentor Principal Weems. Since Weems had long been downplaying the history of Jericho’s bigotry against outcasts and the costly reality of the monster’s attacks on the school, her death was also redeeming as she gave her life for her students.

Wednesday’s season 1 finale needed to demonstrate that Laurel’s plan to kill all outcasts wasn’t something the school and Wednesday could quickly move past, with Weems’ death proving this sinister mission came with terrible costs. The stakes truly were high for Wednesday, and Weems’ death is what effectively drives forth the notion that devastating sacrifices were made in order to stop Miss Thornhill and Crackstone. Principal Weems dying added a necessary upsetting layer to Wednesday season 1’s ending, as she was one of the more complex characters in whom both Wednesday Addams and audiences were emotionally invested.

Is Laurel Gates Really Dead? How She Can Return In Season 2

While Wednesday got revenge by stomping on Laurel’s face, her nemesis may not actually be dead in Wednesday season 1’s ending. The Tim Burton-directed Netflix series doesn’t explicitly reveal what happened to Laurel after she was stung by Eugene’s bees and kicked by Wednesday, so her ambiguous ending likely points to the notion that her injuries led to a hospital stay before being imprisoned. For most supernatural shows, a character isn’t truly dead unless it’s confirmed by the characters or the body is seen, neither of which happened for Laurel Gates in Wednesday. Either way, it’s safe to say that the story of The Addams Family spinoff’s normie character Marilyn Thornhill/Laurel Gates hasn’t concluded.

When Wednesday reflects on her first semester at Nevermore Academy, she begins to wonder whether the plan to kill outcasts was all enacted by Laurel and Tyler or if another figure was influencing their murders. If Laurel Gates is alive in Wednesday season 2, she’s apt to be in prison given she murdered Principal Weems and attempted to massacre outcasts, so she could return by having Wednesday, Tyler, or another figure visit her at the institution. Since Wednesday suspects someone else was behind the plan, Wednesday season 2 could see Jenna Ortega’s unblinking character question Laurel in order to discover who she was working for.

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Larissa & Laurel’s Deaths Would Be Bad For Wednesday’s Cast

Larissa Weems and Laurel Gates were both great characters with integral roles in Wednesday season 1’s story and the Addams family’s history, so losing both of them would present big hurdles for the potential second season. More so, Gwendoline Christie and Christina Ricci failing to return for Wednesday season 2 would mean that the Netflix series is losing two of its most well-known actors. Christie, who played Game of Thrones’ Brienne of Tarth, and Ricci, who played the 1990s Addams Family movies’ Wednesday Addams, added significant star power to Wednesday with their prominent roles, which won’t be easily replaced.

Wednesday season 1’s cast primarily consists of up-and-coming actors as the teens, with notable figures like Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, and Fred Armisen playing supporting roles as iconic Addams Family characters. Aside from Jenna Ortega, the biggest stars in Wednesday’s main cast were Christie, Ricci, and Riki Lindhome (Dr. Valerie Kinbott), the latter three of whom play characters who are potentially or confirmed to be dead. If both Laurel and Larissa are dead in Wednesday season 1’s ending, then season 2 will have the difficult task of recruiting actors who are just as compelling with their own history of playing outcast characters.

Who Will Replace Weems As Nevermore’s Principal

Wednesday season 1 largely focused on the outcast students at Nevermore Academy, so only a few adults were introduced at the school, including Principal Weems and Miss Thornhill. Since both are no longer at Nevermore, there are very few options to choose from for principal when the outcasts return in Wednesday season 2. The only other notable teacher introduced to Wednesday season 1’s cast was Cezar Grumazescu’s Coach Vlad, although it seems unlikely that the fencing coach will take over as principal. As such, it’s more likely that Principal Weems’ replacement will be a Nevermore Academy alumnus, potentially a parent of one of Wednesday season 1’s outcast students.

Considering she was Principal Weems’ former roommate, the queen bee when she was a student, fondly remembers her time at the school, and is the parent of its most influential new student, Morticia Addams could be Nevermore’s new principal. It would give Morticia and Wednesday more opportunities to interact in Wednesday season 2, as well as maintain the impact that the Addams family has on Nevermore’s history. It’s unlikely that Xavier Thorpe’s famous father or Enid’s werewolf parents would take on the role, so if not Morticia, Wednesday season 2 may opt for a completely new character to replace the deceased Larissa Weems.