Billy may have always been a bad dude, but his evil antics may be about to kick into overdrive this season. Fans are convinced that Billy is the monster in Stranger Things 3 as the final trailer shows the moody teen acting moodier than usual. That may have something to do with the fact that he's currently acting as a human host for this terrifying creature from the Upside Down. (That's enough to make anyone stressed out.)
Granted, viewers don't know for sure yet whether or not Billy is harboring this creature inside of him, but there's no denying that he's acting very strange in the footage that's been released of Season 3 so far. (Though the series is called Stranger Things, so acting strange should actually seem quite normal, but still!) The latest teaser featured a voiceover that sounded eerily like Billy, saying, "You let us in, and now, you're going to have to let us stay." Could this mean that the monster is using poor Billy as a vessel to communicate with the others? It seems entirely possible, especially after Will poses a question later in the clip, saying, "What if we locked him out here with us? He'd wanna attach himself to someone again."
Could that someone be Billy? Given how much he likes to distance himself from the rest of the gang, he'd be the perfect candidate, allowing the monster to walk around unnoticed, at least at first.
Naturally, the cast is keeping details of Season 3 completely under wraps as to not spoil anything for fans ahead of time. However, Dacre Montgomery, who plays Billy on the series, hinted during an interview with SyFy Wire that his character may remind viewers of an iconic Jack Nicholson role in the new season. "The fans are going to get even more than they bargained for," Montgomery promised, when it comes to Billy playing a much more central role for Season 3. The actor also told the outlet that the Duffer Brothers had him pay particular attention to Jack Nicholson's performance in The Shining in order to prepare for his upcoming story arc.
It's worth noting that Nicholson's character becomes possessed by the hotel he stays in, ultimately causing him spiral into madness. Could this mean that Billy is about to undergo a similar fate except instead of a hotel, he becomes possessed by the monster? The parallels are undeniable and a little too prominent to just be a coincidence.
Furthermore, Montgomery teased Billy's fate to The Wrap during a recent interview and indicated his journey is about to take a very dark turn. “I can’t confirm or deny the Upside Down [connection], but I will say that it gets very dark," he told the outlet. "I am very lucky that my character has this amazing arc that doesn’t just include this antagonizing element, but has some really human qualities built into it and there is a really lovely payoff later in the season." Needless to say, things aren't looking too good for this character moving forward.
Billy didn't make himself any friends last season, but odds are it's going to be impossible not to sympathize with him if he does, in fact, become the monster's new pawn. No one deserves to go through something like that — not even the least liked kid in Hawkins. Let's just hope he's able to reestablish control of his mind and body without meeting a grim fate. Characters with B names don't tend to last very long on this show (RIP Barb and Bob). Perhaps Billy will prove to be the exception to that rule.
