The New 'Stranger Things' Mayor Is Already Looking Like A Villain Thanks To These New Details

There's a new character coming to Hawkins this summer, but he's one who seemingly has been in the background all along. Because of his status as the town's most prominent politician, it's hard not to wonder if the mayor in Stranger Things Season 3 is evil. After all, Mayor Kline has to know that something weird was going on at Hawkins Lab, and he definitely knows about the sudden disappearances of multiple people in his town. But in a new interview with The Wrap, actor Cary Elwes makes a pretty good case for his character simply being too self-obsessed to notice all of the weirdness in the town.

When asked if Mayor Kline knows what's up in Hawkins, Elwes artfully dodged the question. However, he did share that his character's main priority seems to be self-promotion. From doing the voice-over for the Starcourt Mall commercial to taking over the planning of the town's Fourth of July bash, he's all about keeping himself front and center. "It's the first time we're meeting the mayor of Hawkins and it turns out he’s a rather self-centered individual," The Princess Bride actor told The Wrap. "And he's one of these politicians that seems to be very full of himself and not always honest, and a little bit demeaning of others, perhaps. Like I said, he's a bit smarmy."

Smarmy isn't exactly a winning quality, but it doesn't automatically make the mayor evil. Being possessed by or even controlling the Mind Flayer definitely would, though. HelloGiggles suggested both of those theories shortly after the new trailer for the series dropped earlier this week, and if either of them turns out to be true, Hawkins is in big trouble.

The fan theory notes that the voice of the Mind Flayer in the trailer is strikingly similar to Elwes'. It's possible that the mayor could be the monster's new host, or maybe he's from the Upside Down. Even if he's just a regular human with an ego problem, his obliviousness to what's been going on in Hawkins is alarming.

For now, the only thing that's known for sure about the mysterious character is that he's committed to throwing a huge July 4 celebration. "Turns out [the Duffer Brothers] wrote that he takes over the Fourth of July celebrations — this is long before the president decided to do that — but this character, in this season, decides to take over the Fourth of July celebrations for himself because he thinks he can run it better than anybody else," Elwes explained.

Of course, that celebration will bring the entire town together for the Fun Fair — which is basically an invitation for Upside Down drama. Evil or not, Mayor Kline is already in the running for worst '80s politician ever. His desire to throw a major bash is almost certainly going to put Eleven, Hopper, and every other Hawkins resident in danger. And from what little Netflix has shown of the character so far, he doesn't appear to be the kind of person who will fight alongside the kids.

Major Kline is sure to show his true colors when Season 3 premieres on July 4. Until then, go ahead and brace yourself for an explosive Independence Day celebration in Hawkins.