Beetlejuice 2: Original Characters Left Unsolved and Replaced
The 2022 sequel to the 1988 Tim Burton classic, Beetlejuice, brought back some original characters, but also introduced new ones, leaving some mysteries unsolved. Michael Keaton’s Betelgeuse, Winona Ryder’s Lydia Deetz, and Catherine O’Hara’s Delia Deetz returned, while Charles Deetz and Little Jane Butterfield were played by new actors. However, the majority of the original characters were ignored or written out of the sequel.
The 1988 movie’s main characters, Adam (Alec Baldwin) and Barbara Maitland (Geena Davis), are absent in Beetlejuice 2, with Lydia explaining that they found a “loophole” in their 125-year sentence and “moved on.” New characters, such as Rory and Wolf Jackson, replace Otho and Juno respectively.
The sequel also replaced the original Wedding Preacher with Father Damien, played by Burn Gorman, who presides over Lydia and Rory’s wedding. The name is speculated to be a reference to the 1976 horror movie The Omen. The character’s introduction eliminated the need to explain the mysterious afterlife creature that performed the wedding ceremony in the original movie.
The replacement of the original minister, known as “Judge Skullface” in promotional materials, with Father Damien meant that the sequel failed to address what exactly the original officiant was. The character’s extraterrestrial appearance and sci-fi-like voice hinted at an otherworldly species, but Beetlejuice never hinted at the existence of aliens or non-human souls.
Despite some original characters’ returns, 11 others remain missing from the sequel. The character “Judge Skullface” was given time and effort in the original movie, but his species and role in the afterlife remained unaddressed in Beetlejuice 2. The sequel’s failure to address these mysteries leaves fans with unanswered questions.
