If you’ve been watching Wednesday on Netflix and you feel like you’re being reminded of Harry Potter movies, then you’re not alone. There are tons of aspects and details from Wednesday that ring true to the way classic and iconic Harry Potter movies rose in popularity.
Wednesday stars none other than Jenna Ortega in the titular role of an impressively witty teenage girl who gets wrapped up in the supernatural allure of her school. Along the way, she deals with annoying bullies, a stressful family life, and even a few romantic exploits. These are the ways that Wednesday on Netflix totally compares to the Harry Potter movie franchise.
Stressful family life
One of the first comparisons that can be drawn between Wednesday and Harry is the fact that they both deal with stressful family lives to a certain degree. Harry grew up in a home where he was unwanted and disregarded after his own parents were callously murdered by Lord Voldemort.
Wednesday’s family life is nowhere near as messed up, but she has a very strained relationship with her mother. She feels completely disconnected from Morticia Addams and does her best to prove how different she is from her mom. There isn’t any inherent abuse in Wednesday’s family life, but her parents deeply upset her.
Romantic exploits
In Harry Potter, there are several romantic exploits that take place. Harry shared a smooch with Cho Chang underneath some mistletoe before she was forced to snitch on him and the rest of Dumbledore’s army. Ultimately, Harry ends up marrying his best friend Ron Weasley’s little sister, Ginny Weasley. The final movie from the saga reveals that they even started a family together.
Wednesday is similar in the sense that she’s open to pursuing romantic relationships, even though love isn’t the biggest subject on her brain. She showed some interest in Tyler until finding out that he was secretly a monster who is transforming at random to attack people around their local town. She also got caught up in a love triangle with Xavier and his ex-girlfriend Bianca. although the first season of Wednesday ended without her settling down in a relationship with anyone, seeds have certainly been planted.
School competitions
In the first season of Wednesday, she joins a canoe race with her roommate, Enid, in order to fight back against Bianca. The canoe group that Bianca is part of is known for cheating their way to the top every single year. Wednesday takes it upon herself to crush the competition and make things fair again at Nevermore Academy.
The entire episode that focused on the canoe competition was beyond similar to the fourth movie from the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry is forced to engage in competition with other students as he represents Hogwarts. He also plays for his house, Gryffindor, as the seeker on the quidditch team during his school years.
Nevermore Academy is just like Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Nevermore Academy and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are incredibly similar for many reasons. The biggest reason is that both schools allow students who have supernatural powers to attend. Nevermore Academy includes some very thoughtful staff members including Larissa Williams who is the principal. She doubles as a shapeshifter who shows a genuine interest in Wednesday’s academic history on Wednesday’s first day of school.
Marilyn Thornhill is one of the teachers at the school, even though she’s a human. A fun fact about Marilyn is that she’s played by none other than Christina Ricci, the actress who played Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family movie franchise from the 90s. Coach Vlad is also in charge on campus as the fencing instructor. In Harry Potter, the staff on campus is just as interesting to keep up with. Rolanda Hooch is the PE teacher who taught Quidditch and flying lessons to all of the students on campus.
Sybill Trelawney is an eccentric and passionate professor who taught divination. Severus Snape was the creepy professor who taught potions before making the switch to defense against the dark arts. Rubious Hagrid taught care of magical creatures at school, which would be equivalent to zoology or biology. Minerva McGonagall is thought to be one of the most powerful teachers at Hogwarts and is in charge of the transfiguration magic class.
If she was the same age as Harry and his friends, she’d probably get along very well with Hermione Granger. Last but not least, Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster at Hogwarts who once served as a humble professor. Nevermore Academy and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are filled with educators who want to build their students up for success when it comes to their supernatural abilities.
Normies are just like Muggles
In the Harry Potter movie franchise, human beings who don’t have any special powers are called Muggles. It’s a derogatory term that means you’re not special in any way since you don’t have any impressive powers or the ability to cast spells.
In Wednesday, human beings who don’t have special characteristics or traits are called Normies. In Harry Potter, those who have powers are classified as witches and wizards. People with powers have been labeled outsiders.
Supernatural creatures
There are tons of supernatural creatures included in both Harry Potter and Wednesday. In Harry Potter, viewers catch wind of spooky creatures including centaurs, elves, giants, goblins, and ghosts. There was even a werewolf that came into play in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The most daunting supernatural creatures from Harry Potter were definitely the Dementors, though. In Wednesday, the supernatural creatures that spend time roaming around include vampires, sirens, shapeshifters, werewolves, and giants. If you consider Wednesday’s helping hand (Thing) to be a supernatural creature, then he counts as well.
Feeling like an outcast
Harry and Wednesday are comparable due to the fact that they both spent a lot of time feeling like an outcast. It takes Harry a while to find his own kind and settle in with Hermione and Ron Weasley as his friends. Wednesday boasts about loving the idea that other people don’t like her, but she’s also hinted that getting along with people she cares about matters to her.
