She’s macabre, snarky, aloof, and always intriguing. She’s Wednesday Addams, and she’s back! Netflix’s “Wednesday,” starring Jenna Ortega, casts a new light (or pall, as she’d probably prefer”) on the classic character, but it’s far from the first on-screen adaptation of the beloved “Addams Family” stories.
Originally created by cartoonist Charles Adams beginning in the 1930s, the Addams Family has become a well-known part of American pop culture, spanning several movies and TV adaptations — and even one musical! The individual stories change, but the core family remains the same: suave patriarch Gomez, his elegant wife Morticia, death-obsessed daughter Wednesday, and inventive son Pugsley, along with Cousin Itt, Grandmama, Thing, and Uncle Fester.
Among all these iconic characters, though, Wednesday has always stood out, a gleefully gothic inspiration for girls of several generations who wanted to embrace being “different,” whatever that meant to them. To celebrate the latest version of this character, let’s take a quick look back at all the women who have played Wednesday so far.