Principal Larissa Weems was killed by Laurel Gates (Miss Thornhill) in the Season 1 finale—but she returns in Season 2 as a ghost/spirit who guides Wednesday. Gwendoline Christie reprises her role, appearing to Wednesday during crucial moments and providing information from beyond the grave.
Death, it seems, is not the end at Nevermore.
How Weems Died
For those who need a refresher on Season 1:
- Weems discovered Laurel Gates' true identity
- Laurel (Miss Thornhill) injected her with nightshade
- The poison was specifically deadly to shapeshifters
- Weems died protecting Nevermore's students
Why It Mattered: Weems was the first major death in the series and established that Wednesday's world has real stakes. Her death was a gut-punch for viewers who'd grown to appreciate the complicated principal.
Her Ghost Appearance in Season 2
Season 2 brings Weems back in spectral form:
- Manifests to Wednesday during visions
- Can communicate directly with Wednesday's psychic abilities
- Exists in a liminal space between life and death
- Unfinished business with Nevermore
- Information Wednesday needs
- Continued care for the school she led
- Her connection to the Addams family (she roomed with Morticia)
The show handles her return tastefully—she's not completely back, but she's not completely gone either.
Weems as Spirit Guide
Weems' ghost serves a specific narrative purpose:
- Historical knowledge about Nevermore
- Insights into Morticia's past
- Guidance during Wednesday's investigations
- Emotional moments that remind Wednesday of loss
The Relationship Evolution: In life, Weems and Wednesday had a contentious relationship. In death, there's a strange respect. Weems no longer needs to discipline Wednesday—she can simply help her.
What Her Return Means
Weems' continued presence has implications:
- Death isn't always permanent for outcasts
- Spirits can linger with unfinished business
- Wednesday's powers allow communion with the dead
- A reminder that her actions have consequences
- Someone who knew Morticia as a peer
- A different perspective from living characters
For Season 3: Will Weems continue appearing? Can she ever truly move on? These questions may drive future storylines.
Gwendoline Christie brings the same gravitas to ghost Weems as she did to living Weems—proof that great characters transcend death.