As Hocus Pocus 2 resurrects the Sanderson sisters yet again, the trailer’s spell hints at replacing the original character Thackery Binx. While Dani, Max, and Allison won’t be returning for Hocus Pocus 2, Winifred (Bette Midler), Mary (Kathy Najimy), and Sarah Sanderson (Sarah Jessica Parker) will all reappear as the trio of witches faces a new generation of Salem teens on Halloween night. In the Hocus Pocus 2 trailer, three teens summon the Sanderson sisters with a black flame candle, while a mysterious black cat appears over a familiar spell from the original movie.
Before Max accidentally resurrected the Sanderson sisters in 1993, Hocus Pocus opened with Thackery Binx attempting to save his younger sister Emily from the witches back in 1693. Thackery was unsuccessful, with his sister’s life being absorbed by the sisters while they used a spell to turn him into an immortal black cat. 300 years later, the talking cat Thackery helps Max, Dani, and Allison put the sisters back in their graves for good, with the Sanderson’s broken spell also meaning that Thackery’s spirit was able to reunite with Emily in the afterlife.
While it doesn’t seem that Thackery Binx’s spirit inhabits a cat yet again, Disney+’s Hocus Pocus 2 trailer hints at the witches turning another human into an immortal black cat. In the background of Hocus Pocus 2’s trailer, the Sanderson sisters can be heard chanting the spell “itch-it-a-cop-it-a-melaka-mystica.” This particular spell was used in the original Hocus Pocus movie to turn the human boy Thackery Binx into a death-defying feline, suggesting that Winifred, Mary, and Sarah’s return will be marked by cursing a new teen with eternal life.
The black cat in the Hocus Pocus 2 trailer doesn’t speak, so it’s unclear who will be the unlucky soul trapped in the animal’s body. However, it’s highly unlikely that the black cat will be Thackery Binx returning, as his soul had already passed over into the afterlife. Hocus Pocus 2’s trailer only showcased the three new teenage cast members who are seemingly replacing Hocus Pocus’ original cast of Max, Dani, and Allison, with it being possible that one of these characters is turned into the cat by the Sanderson sisters’ spell. It won’t be easy to replace the beloved character of Hocus Pocus’ Thackery Binx, but the sequel certainly pays homage to the effective supernatural dynamics of the original. If Hocus Pocus 2 were to bring back an original character from beyond the grave, the best choice would be the zombified Billy Butcherson.
Replacing Thackery Binx with a new character is a much better choice for Hocus Pocus 2 than bringing back the original black cat. Thackery was granted a heartwarming ending, in which Dani was upset at the thought of losing him but ultimately happy that his soul could be at rest and back with his little sister. Hocus Pocus 2 reviving Thackery Binx would undermine the original movie’s bittersweet ending, as Thackery had already lived 300 excruciating years as a black cat while trying to prevent a virgin from lighting the black flame candle. Max, Dani, and Allison thankfully came to his rescue, and Binx’s actions in helping the teens saved numerous Salem children from being given the same early grave as his sister. Hocus Pocus 2’s story is apt to benefit from repeating the original’s immortal talking black cat dynamic, but made the right decision to not have this character be Thackery Binx.
