Did "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" just kill off Alex Russo?

The original "Wizards of Waverly Place" series, which aired on Disney Channel from 2007-2012, starred Selena Gomez as Alex. Gomez has made several guest appearances on the sequel series, including in the dramatic season 2 finale.

The two-part season 2 conclusion revealed that the show's protagonist, Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), is Alex's long-lost daughter. Billie's memories of her family had to be wiped to protect her from her evil paternal grandfather, Lord Morsus, a.k.a. Nicodemus Pennwolf. In a flashback, Alex tearfully dropped Billie off at the magical school WizTech when she was just a little girl.

The revelation came just before Alex sacrificed herself to save Billie, her brother Justin (David Henrie), and her nephews Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko). In order to close Lord Morsus' portal to the world of dark magic, Alex jumped inside of it with the villainous wizard, disappearing.

But is Alex gone for good, just when she'd finally reconnected with Billie? Not necessarily. The season 2 finale ended with Justin telling Billie, "I don't know how, but we are going to find Alex."

"I know. Russos always have each other's backs," Billie replied.

Despite the glimmer of hope, the episode was emotional for the cast.

"At the beginning of every week, not at the main table read, the kids get together and read the script first -- as we were reading it, Alkaio looked over to me and he said, 'Are you crying?' I was like, 'Yeah, man, I'm crying. This is emotional!'" Brown told TVLine. "It was hitting me!"

Henrie, who also starred in the original series, said that "everyone cried at the table read," including all the executives.

"Everyone was just deeply moved and touched," he said. "It was exactly what I had hoped for."

READ MORE: Step inside the world of 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' at this NYC experience

"Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" has not officially been renewed for season 3, but Henrie has already hinted at what's next for the show.

"We end this season on the biggest cliffhanger the wizards universe has ever known. So what energizes me is to explore the questions that we provoke at the end of the season -- very big ones, some questions that really speak to the overarching lore of the show, especially Selena's character," he said during an interview with Deadline.

Henrie also teased that season 3 will explore themes of "identity, belonging, [and] legacy."