Stranger Things has a new villain coming in season 2, and he represents something far scarier than any Demogorgon. Not all villains are supernatural. In fact, sometimes the most pervasive antagonists are the ones you encounter every day, or in this case, in Hawkins, IN. So who is this mysterious Billy?
As one of two new, young cast members joining season 2, he won't be joining the ranks of the lovable, monster-hunting gang. Instead, as director Shawn Levy describes this new character as "a mean guy. He has prejudices that are ugly. He treats his younger sister in a mean, controlling, bully-ish, domineering fashion. So he's is just bad," he told TV Guide. As the older step brother of Max, the second teen character to join the new season, Billy poses a threat to Will and his friends in their everyday lives.
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In an interview with TV Guide, series co-creator Ross Duffer said, "It was important to us to have a human villain in there that could disrupt the lives of our characters. And Billy, really, he disrupts the world of the teenagers and stuff." Additionally, the returning season is said to be a lot darker than the inaugural episodes. Actor David Harbour, or Chief Hopper, told E News, "I do think that this season's going to be a lot darker, and a lot bigger, and a lot faster-paced, and there's a lot of scares, and there's a lot of humour, so it's just a very different flavour."
Not to worry, the Upside Down will still be playing a major role in the return of Stranger Things. "I will say that the threat that is introduced this season is something that will carry over for more than just this season, so it will become sort of our main villain, shall we say, for the show," Ross Duffer told E News.
While season 1 of the Netflix instant-hit focused on the villains of the Upside Down, it looks like season 2 will have its fair share of real-world villainy at the hands of Billy who is intent on turning things upside down for the rest of the teens in his way. Stranger Things is set to return this Halloween, so we have some time before we get to see Billy in action.