Addams family: any indication that Gomez, his wife and kids are supernatural?

Question

There are cousin Itt and the disembodied hand Thing (I had to look this up, easy to confuse), and they are not human although perhaps human variants or derived from humans. But Gomez, his wife, and kids less clear. Uncle Fester seems to have limited non-human abilities.

The show was based on cartoons which were also related to the Bradbury characters in "The Homecoming," which certainly were actual monsters. The clothing Gomez and his wife wear are sort of antique. Is there any indication in the show that in fact the ostensibly human characters are supernatural?

Note that "The Munsters" seem much closer to the Bradbury characters including the "black sheep" who was human — the human-appearing child in "The Homecoming" is like Marilyn.

I mention their old-fashioned dress because that might imply that the family are themselves much older than they appear. Although this is also a sign that they live isolated lives supported by great wealth which allows Gomez not to work.

NOTE: I was unaware of a cartoon version of the Family but anything from them counts much less. If the cartoon explicitly stated that the Addams were supernatural, okay. But them doing impossible things counts not at all -- all cartoons, Simpsons, etc. have humans doing things that are impossible but it would be wrong to call Simpsons supernatural: they are "Toons" and so of course they are not human. Only the emissary from our world, Frank Grimes was human and he found that out the hard way. (For some reason King of the Hill has human characters, does not use Toon abilities afaik.)

Answer 1

This is probably not considered canon, but in the novelization The Addams Family (1965) by Jack Sharkey there are some supernatural or nonhuman aspects to the Addams family.

For example, Gomez talks like he has lived in the area since the Spanish conquistadores. In one scene Gomez counts off six items on the fingers of one hand.

In one chapter Uncle Fester is drafted into the US army, despite having previously served in the Continental army. He writes on the form that he was born in 1630 or something (I forget the exact year). When it is pointed out that must be a mistake since it would make him over 300 years old Fester changes the birth year - by adding BC to it.

Answer 2

Morticia performs some magic during the series, as does Grandmama Addams, but otherwise Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, and Pugglsey were never indicated to be anything but eccentric humans.

As noted by AJM, there is one scene where Morticia spontaneously emits smoke with no explanation.

Morticia smoking

Answer 3

Morticia

Canonically Morticia is a witch. This has already been mentioned in FuzzyBoots's answer. The connection to witchcraft is never made explicit as far as I remember, though Morticia does magic, and then there is this passage in Season 1, Episode 5 of the original black and white series (MGM made the full episode available in Youtube):

Genealogist: "I've traced Mrs. Addams back to the early colonial days at Salem, Massachusetts. Interesting place, Salem. They burned witches there, you know."
Morticia: "Yes. I'm certainly glad they don't do that today."

Wednesday

Below are some spoilers for recent material on the Addams.

In the 2022 Netflix series Wednesday, both Morticia and Wednesday have visions of past, present and future. Wednesday attempts a séance without success, but at some points she is able to see, communicate and once even physically interact with the spirit of the very first Addams - all through her own powers.

Pubert

In the Addams Family Values movie from 1993, Wednesday tries to decapitate Pubert with a guillotine. Pubert, who is not even one year old at the time, catches the blade with the tips of his finger. This is a display of superhuman strength and agility for his age, and possibly cunning as well.

Gomez

I do not remember a single super human feat from Gomez in any live action media. However, in the 90's cartoon, there was an episode in which he is trying hard to fail at something. He shoots himself from a cannon and manages to knit a sweater during his flight while wearing a helmet two sizes too small. Despite punching a hole through the ground, the only thing he managed to hurt was his own pride.

Fester

Some small spoilers for recent material on the Addams below.

In the Netflix Wednesday series, he claims to have had multiple lobotomies, because they are "like tattoos and you can't get just one", and yet he is still - somewhat - functional. He is also able to produce electricity from his fingertips.

In the 1991 movie, he regains his memory after being electrocuted by a book. This, together with the spoiler above, are references to the original series, in which he claims to be able to produce 110V AC from his body, and proceeds to put his mouth where his money is.

The 1991 Addams movie ends with Fester taking Wednesday and Pugsley to a game of "Wake the Dead". Whether he is actually capable of doing so is left to the audience's imagination, but being the Addams he is, I don't doubt anything at this point.

In the cartoons, he also survived all kinds of hazards that would instantly kill a human. I distinctly remember how he loved to wear a suicide bomber jacket and blow himself up, though he would only get slightly charred from it (and oh boy that joke was horrible and wouldn't fly today).

He is also able to summon gargoyles:

Grandma

I remember her being a witch and making potions here and there, such as in the first movie. Unfortunately I don't have much on her to be able to say anything else.

Lurch

In the Addams Family Reunion movie from 1998, it is stated that Lurch is considered part Addams. This is because his heart came from an Addams, so I had to include him here. He is super strong, and has face of an IT worker (ok this joke is coming from me, not any author nor writer officially involved with the Addams).

Itt

In episode 32, season 1 of the original black and white TV series, Gomez mention that Itt Addams has an IQ score of 320. I simply don't know whether this is meant to be taken with a grain of salt - whether this is true is up to the audience's imagination. If true, however, Itt would be more than 13 standard deviations more intelligent than a regular person. This would make him smarter than anyone who has ever lived in the real world and most every fictional universe, even those with superhero scientists.

Itt is also able to make his gibberish understood sometimes only by his relatives, sometimes by other people as well, but never to the audience.

Answer 4

In the 1991 film Puggsley survives being electrocuted in an electric chair, something Morticia doesn't seem surprised by (she seems unconcerned before the electrocution as well). Even if Wednesday's electric chair is less powerful than those used for executions this definitely seems suggestive of some level of superhuman resistance to electric shocks.

Answer 5

The baby certainly is

In Addams Family Values, not only is baby Pubert born with a full moustache, but he is supernaturally able to survive an explosion which launches him to several thousand feet and the fall back down from that height. He is also clearly aware of what he is doing when he joins the wires to electrocute Debbie, and is not himself electrocuted.

Whilst there may not be clear signs either way for the other children, none of the Addams family seemed surprised by Pubert surviving this. It seems clear that this is normal for Addams children (as also shown by Pugsley surviving Wednesday's electric chair).

Answer 6

In the original black-and-white series episode Fester's Punctured Romance, Fester is described by young Wednesday as using "a spray-on preservative". The toiletries and cosmetics saleswoman tries correcting Wednesday, saying surely it must be a spray-on deodorant. Wednesday insists that it's preservative. The saleswoman suggests that this is "to keep young", and Wednesday replies, "no, just to keep."

In a separate episode Uncle Fester's Illness, we learn that Fester's tongue is usually green, that his temperature is freezing cold, and that he finds glass and mercury thermometers to be both tasty and restorative.

→ From these two episodes, I think we can conclude that Uncle Fester is probably supposed to be some variety of undead.

Answer 7

Quote, Gomez:

We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now, Fester Addams, this Mamushka is for you.

- The Addams Family (1991 movie)

This might mean that their "tribe" danced the Mamushka two thousand years ago, but if it doesn't that would give him (and "them") at least superhuman longevity.

Answer 8

In the Super Nintendo video game Addams Family Values (1994), which is based on the 1993 movie, you play as Uncle Fester. Your main weapon to fight enemies are the electric bolts that Uncle Fester can fire out of his hand.

At the end of the game,

when you finally find the kidnapped baby Pubert, he seems to display superhuman strength, as the ground is shaking when he jumps on the floor. Not only that, he jumps a circle around Debbie, the kidnapper, breaking the wooden floor and dropping her.