Well, I'm back with another proposal on here. I'm still new to doing villain proposals on this wiki, due to only being whitelisted for NPE recently. However, I already have tons of experience and proposals under my belt due to my work on the hero wikis: Pure Good, Inconsistently Admirable, and especially Near Pure Good.
This is only my second NPE proposal on here since being whitelisted, so try not to be too harsh on me.
What's the Work?[]
I've already explained the summary several times, but...
Just Add Magic: Mystery City is a spin-off of the Prime Video original series Just Add Magic. It takes place almost immediately after the original series, where Kelly, Hannah and Darbie had recently ended their era as the Cookbook's protectors, the book moved on to a new trio of protectors, and Zoe Chua and her mother Erin were moving to Bay City to live with Nick Sellitti, Erin's fiancée.
Throughout the franchise, numerous seasons would shed some intel on some of the previous protectors of the cookbook, who tended to use the cookbook's magic for less than ideal purposes. However there aren't a lot of potential keepers who come anywhere close to being Pure Evil. This is because, with a handful of noteworthy exceptions, all of the antagonistic protectors are either too sympathetic (RJ White), too Affably Evil (Caroline Palmer), too complex (Mama P), redeem themselves (Pierce Hamilton), or some combination of the four (Chuck Hankins). Frankly, I'm glad the show went this route, though I'm still okay with the occasional irredeemable monster, as long it's not overdone and they don't outstay their welcome. That's where these two come in:
Who Are the Wesson Brothers?[]
Clint and Folsom Wesson are the overarching antagonists of Just Add Magic: Mystery City. They were a pair a brothers from the Victorian era, who used to be close friends with Ian Maddox and co-partners alongside Ian in protecting the magic cookbook during their adolescence from the late 1860s/early 1870s to 1875 (Ian was 18 years old when the fallout between the two of them officially happened, and the Wessons are around the same age as him). Their protector era occurred shortly after the Peizers siblings' incident involving a mulberry pie and an botched spell to become the permanent protectors in 1868 (long story), which led to all future protectors becoming trios instead of duos. Ian and the Wessons were the first of many trios to become protectors.
Both of them died way before the events of the franchise took place, and yet they still play a pivotal role in the story, making them posthumous characters. Keep reading to find out why...
What Have They Done?[]
Not much is known about the Wesson brothers' past, although what is known as that the two of them (alongside Ian Maddox) were chosen to become protectors of the cookbook, most likely immediately after the Peizer siblings' era had ended. For years, the three of them were close friends toward each other and altruistic young men who protected the book from threats and solved mysteries within Saffron Falls.
That all changed in 1875, when the Wesson brothers discovered gold in the town and got greedy. The two of them created a recipe to attract gold: A sourdough recipe called "Sourd'Au". Every day a little bit of the dough was put aside in a jar to create the next batch of bread, which became "the starter". However, every time a batch was made, the starter got stronger and stronger until eventually it became indestructible. The brothers would continue to use the recipe to attract more gold from underground and other areas, which would soon lead to the Wessons becoming extremely wealthy and powerful, to the point where they got their own estate. However, the brothers also became insensitive to those around them, viewing the less fortunate people as beneath them. Plus, every time they used the Sourd'Au recipe, it would cause disruption and destruction with each usage being stronger and more destructive than the last, to the point where it started to endanger people and Saffron Falls as a whole, and yet despite this, the Wessons' didn't care whether any of their gold attracting harmed any other people, including innocents.
This all came to a head when the starter and the recipe caused an earthquake so powerful, it caused the collapse of the Hasberg Gold Mine, which was described as "a great tragedy", which took Traveler knows how many lives. This was the final straw for Ian Maddox who couldn't forgive himself, knowing that countless people had died thanks to his partners' gold fever. He knew the Wesson brothers would continue to use the recipe regardless of how powerful the earthquakes became, or how many lives were lost (most likely because Ian tried and failed to talk sense into them, and warm then about the damage in the past). He stole the sourdough starter from the brothers and goes to Charles Peizer for help, warning him about about how dangerous the Wessons were, and how they'd stop at nothing to get the starter back. After numerous failed attempts at trying to destroy the starter, Charles suggests hiding the starter in the future where the Wessons could get it. Ian uses a spell to travel to Bay City in the early 2000s and sets up a super complex scavenger hunt, while also ensuring that only a future trio of protectors could find the starter. It takes months for Ian to finish it all with his hiding spot. (I won't go in too much depth or detail about this here. I'll save it for when Ian Maddox eventually gets a Pure Good proposal)
(At some unknown point, the Wessons ripped out the Sourd'Au page from the cookbook and kept it for themselves)
Anyway, with Ian gone and in the future, the Wesson brothers were never able to get their starter back, the coffers ran low and they were unable to cook the Sourd'Au recipe again, forcing the brothers to consider an alternative. They also gained a very strong grudge against Ian, meaning that the bond between the group and former friends, had been permanently and irreparably destroyed. Soon afterwards, the Wessons' estate was was great peril, they were forced to sell off the property and most of their horses, but they tried to continue cooking even without Ian, and Clint discovered a taffy recipe he wanted to try.
Many years later, the Wesson brothers would get married and have kids, sharing their knowledge of magic with them, and several powerful recipes the brothers both found in the book and invented, in addition to telling fabricated stories to the kids where they essentially played the victim card: Explaining how they used to be extremely powerful before Ian Maddox "brought them misfortune", conveniently leaving out the parts were they endangered people and caused mass destruction and countless deaths. Even after the Wesson brothers eventually died, their stories and family propaganda would continue to live on for several generations (about 5 or 6), with numerous descendants trying to find the starter, and finish what Clint and Folsom started. Fast forward over a century later, and Pierce Hamilton and his kids Cody and Lexi, are the latest descendants to try getting the starter, under the false assumption their family were the good guys.
What Makes Them Close to Pure Evil?[]
In my last write-up from the franchise, I had stated that, with a handful of noteworthy exceptions, nearly all of the antagonistic protectors are sympathetic anti-villains who ultimately mean well. Well, these two are HUGE exceptions to that clause. They're quite possibly the only major villains in the franchise who end their storylines completely unredeemed, and lack ANY sort of Freudian Excuse for their actions.
For context, it's briefly explained that Clint and Folsom were once great loyal friends of Ian Maddox, and altruistic protectors who worked with him to use the cookbook and its power responsibly. Then several years later, the two of them discovered gold in the town, got greedy, and everything went downhill downMOUNTAIN from there. Keep in mind that this took place during the 1860s and 1870s. Back then, gold rushes were extremely common, especially in the western United States. These two are textbook examples of just how severe gold rush can get if you're desperate enough and how it can blind you to all reason.
As previously mentioned, the brothers created "the starter" using the dough from a Sourd'Au recipe they invented. They ate the bread numerous times, which would attract more gold with each usage of the recipe, but it could also cause shakes in the ground and in the area, which get stronger more powerful with each usage and could cause mass destruction when used carelessly. I'm sure that Ian tried to warn the Wessons about this and talk sense into them, but they were likely too far gone to be reasoned with. They continually used the bread to attract gold, and those little shakes in the ground grew bigger and bigger and began to turn into severe earthquakes, with one in particular becoming powerful enough to cause the collapse of a gold mine, and cause what was described as "a great tragedy". This makes Clint and Folsom Wesson likely the most dangerous villains who were ever featured on the show, as they're the only villains with a confirmed body count. (Which is likely in the dozens, or even hundreds)
And as for their friendship with Ian Maddox... it's safe to say that ship as has sailed, and it's been gone for several years with no chance of ever coming back. They continually disregarded Ian's concerns about the starter, to the point where he had to steal it from them and hide it in the future. Even after he disappeared and didn't return, they continued trying to cook different recipes, and would blame Ian for a lot of the problems that bestowed them, refusing to take ownership of their actions. Whatever friendship they once had with Ian is long dead. It's basically an Optimus Prime and Megatron situation. Ian Maddox is the Optimus Prime... guess who the Megatron is.
And if that's not bad enough, the brothers would share a bunch of letters and stories with their families about their time as a protectors, sharing their knowledge of magic with them, and painting Ian Maddox as a family enemy who ruined their lives for no reason, and made them lose nearly all of their riches. This would led to their descendants growing up to think they were victims and that they deserved to get the starter back to reclaim their family legacy. This continued even after the Wesson brothers died, all the way up to Pierce Hamilton (Mystery City's main antagonist) and his kids, who are ultimately more victims of the Wessons' lies. If Pierce went back in time, and saw first hand just how evil the Wesson brothers really were, he NEVER would have tried to find that starter and finish their work. Pierce has several standards, plus he's a family man.
What Prevents Them From Being Pure Evil?[]
In spite of all of the brothers' atrocities and the fact that they definitely pass the Heinous Standard, there's still one key reason why Clint and Folsom can't be Pure Evil. The reason being that neither of them have enough of a defined personality. You sure, in spite of their over looming influence and importance to the story, we only ever see these two in pictures and photographs, and via mentions from other characters. We never see them in flashbacks or time travel scenes. We don't even get to see much of their relationship with Ian Maddox, either before or after he steals the starter.
Also, we know that the brothers started a family and told them stories about their family legacy. We never get to see the relationships between their families either, leaving it unclear whether the brothers simply saw them as extensions of themselves to carry on their plan, or whether they (or at least one of them) genuinely loved their wives and/or kids. And that's another reason they can't be Pure Evil.
Final Thoughts[]
It's up to you guys now. It's the first time I'm doing a villain proposal for Just Add Magic, so please don't be to rash or explicit about your votes.