When Wednesday Season 2 rolled around, fans quickly noticed something was… off. One of the most talked-about characters from Season 1 — the brooding artist and Wednesday Addams’ love interest, Xavier Thorpe — was nowhere to be found. Played by Percy Hynes White, Xavier was a fan favorite, a key emotional anchor for Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday. So what happened? Why did Netflix and the showrunners decide to write him out completely?
The Season 2 Shake-Up: Who’s Missing and Why?
Before Season 2 premiered, Netflix confirmed that Percy Hynes White wouldn’t be returning as a series regular. Alongside him, two other familiar faces — Jamie McShane (Sheriff Donovan Galpin) and Naomi J Ogawa (Yoko Tanaka) — were also cut from the main cast. White, ever the professional, posted a sweet farewell on Instagram with a Season 1 cast photo and wished his co-stars good luck.
But that still left a big question mark: what about Xavier in the story? How does a character so central to Season 1 just vanish?
How the Show Explained Xavier’s Vanishing Act
Fans didn’t have to wait long for an in-universe explanation. In the very first episode of Season 2, Principal Barry Dort (played by Steve Buscemi) delivers some heavy news to Morticia Addams (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Turns out, Vincent Thorpe — Xavier’s father — pulled the family’s financial support and removed Xavier from Nevermore Academy following the fallout of a false murder accusation from last season. This scandal wasn’t Xavier’s fault, but the consequences were real.
Instead of Nevermore, Xavier is now attending Reichenbach Academy in Switzerland — a fancy private school that also happens to have been an alma mater of Gomez Addams (Luis Guzmán). Talk about family ties!
Not Quite Gone: Xavier’s Lingering Presence
Just because Xavier isn’t physically on screen doesn’t mean his story disappeared completely. In a haunting callback, Enid Sinclair delivers a letter from Xavier to Wednesday in the dorm room. In it, he describes a creepy vision: a crow with a cloudy eye wrapped in raw red skin. He even left behind a painting of the ominous bird perched on a gravestone, clutching a white flower in its beak.
By the end of that first episode, the creepy crow imagery ties into a chilling vision Wednesday has — one that suggests she will be responsible for the death of her friend Enid. It’s a heavy emotional thread that underscores Xavier’s ongoing influence, even from afar.
Showrunner Alfred Gough confirmed in an interview with TVLine that Xavier Thorpe’s storyline has officially come to a close.
The Real Story: Allegations and Fallout
Here’s where things get messy. The reason Percy Hynes White was written off the show stems from serious, though unproven, allegations made against him in early 2023. In January, a now-deleted anonymous post accused White of sexual assault at a party in Toronto, alleging he intentionally intoxicated women to take advantage of them.
The allegations were never substantiated, no charges were filed, and the post vanished from social media — yet Netflix reportedly acted swiftly, choosing to cut ties with the actor.
A source told the Daily Mail UK, “Percy is a wonderful young man; that’s the truth. He never took part in any of the false claims against him, which were on Twitter and never followed up or substantiated.”
Percy Hynes White also publicly denied all allegations, calling them “misinformation.” Despite the controversy, he’s been busy with other projects like the 2024 film My Old Ass alongside Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella, and the indie flick Spring, Winter, Summer or Fall, where he reunited with Jenna Ortega.
Wrapping Up Other Storylines
Jamie McShane’s character Sheriff Donovan Galpin also met a grim end early in Season 2, closing out a storyline that many fans wondered about after his absence was announced. Galpin’s death in Episode 2 adds a dark tone to the early season, and Netflix gave him a definitive exit.
Wednesday: What You Need to Know
Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and boasting Tim Burton’s directorial debut in live-action television, Wednesday follows the iconic gothic teen as she attends Nevermore Academy — a boarding school for misfit outcasts. Jenna Ortega shines as the sardonic Wednesday Addams, with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán as her iconic parents Morticia and Gomez. The show even gives a shout-out to original ‘90s Wednesday star Christina Ricci, who appears in a guest role.
The story starts with Wednesday’s expulsion from her previous school after a piranha incident and her transfer to Nevermore, located in Jericho, Vermont. It’s a clever mix of supernatural mystery, gothic moodiness, and dark comedy that quickly made waves on Netflix.
What Does Xavier’s Absence Mean for the Show?
With Xavier gone, fans are left wondering how Wednesday will handle her romantic and emotional development moving forward. The controversy behind White’s exit cast a shadow, but the series remains a hit, with Season 2 deepening its eerie storytelling and character arcs.
Only time will tell how Wednesday’s love life and friendships evolve without Xavier, but one thing is clear: the drama isn’t just on screen — it’s also behind the scenes.
