AtaraxiaNowadays, it’s hard not to know or recognize this distinctive name. And for a good reason—when we talk about Wednesday, we think of only one person: the iconic Wednesday Addams. But how did a comic book character have such an impact on modern society? And how did she become so indispensable?
First Appearance: The Addams Family
The Addams Family, created by Charles Addams, was first published in 1938 in The New Yorker. Originally a comic strip, The Addams Family quickly became adapted into various formats: films, animated movies, TV series… It featured Morticia and Gomez Addams, their two children, Pugsley and Wednesday, along with Uncle Fester, Grandmama Addams, and their butler Lurch.
What a peculiar family, standing in stark contrast to societal expectations! The Addams family continues to live in black and white, as they are allergic to color and to all social norms. They become increasingly outcast, so much so that in the animated film released in 2019, they are driven out of their town and end up living in an abandoned mental asylum, which becomes the Addams mansion.
Wednesday becomes an icon of this family and asserts herself as a very important character. Although not particularly old, Wednesday is arguably the most intelligent character in the family, to the point where she wonders if she was adopted. Her attraction to the macabre becomes morbidly hilarious, as she spends her time playing with ancient torture devices and conducting deadly experiments on her brother Pugsley.
Christina Ricci’s Iconic Performance
Christina Ricci joined the Addams Family as a young actress, brilliantly portraying the iconic Wednesday. Her absolutely incredible performance catapulted Wednesday to the top tier of fictional characters. Her love for oddities and her dark soul is hilariously entertaining, and her unbreakable seriousness quickly became a defining trait of the character.
She inhabited the role of Wednesday with such talent that it became almost impossible to separate the two. Ricci’s portrayal entered the annals of pop culture, and she became the official face of Wednesday for many years.
However, after the Addams Family was always portrayed as a unit, in 2022 a new series emerged on Netflix, definitively changing the game for Wednesday’s character and bringing the famous Addams family back into the spotlight: Wednesday.
This time, Christina Ricci returns in this new opus but in a different role from that of the young Wednesday, a remarkable homage to her iconic film portrayal of the character.
Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday: A New Icon
In Wednesday, where the character takes center stage, we dive deeper into her personality and what defines her. This time, the outstanding Jenna Ortega takes on the role and delivers an incredibly accurate portrayal. Throughout the series, she maintains a stoic and neutral expression, never cracking a smile. Her dance quickly goes viral on TikTok. Recently, Netflix announced the continuation of the series, set to release in 2025, something fans eagerly await.
Why Has Wednesday Become So Unstoppable?
Wednesday refuses to let anyone influence her and believes only in herself. She is fiercely loyal in friendship and despises injustice. Rejecting fashion trends, she sticks to her black wardrobe, finding joy in what brings her happiness while remaining true to her dark nature. A fan of murder mysteries and serial killers, she doesn’t hesitate to do what she believes is right, even at the risk of her own life. But Wednesday has never feared death, and nothing deters her from making the right choices when necessary.
Wednesday has been an icon for many years, and she shows no signs of fading into obscurity anytime soon. If there’s one other member of the Addams Family who deserves a series of her own, it’s her mother, Morticia. But Wednesday pays tribute to her family with such brilliance that it’s hard to match her.
So get ready for the next season of this timeless icon’s series, and see you in 2025 to learn more about the dark Wednesday Addams, portrayed by Jenna Ortega, in Wednesday Season 2 on Netflix.
