There are spoilers for "Stranger Things 4" . Of the human antagonists in Stranger Things , Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) may be the most memorable. Billy, the stepbrother of Max (Sadie Sink), was a ruthless bully who tormented the young Hawkins gang and later became the vessel for the monstrous Mind Flayer, luring countless people to their deaths. He's a truly formidable foe, but in the final moments of season three, he breaks free from the Mind Flayer's control and protects Eleven and Max from the monster he helped create.
In 2019, Montgomery told Vulture that he worked to show more of Billy's backstory, which included exploring the abuse Billy suffered from his father. In a pivotal scene in season three, Eleven reaches into Billy's memory and reminds him how happy he was with his mother, who later left him, which is enough for the real Billy to wake up. He was able to briefly stop the mind flayer's attack, but he died as a result. "I really tried to humanize him," Montgomery said, adding that he wanted fans to remember Billy for "what he ended up doing" rather than all of his evil deeds.
When the trailer for Season 4 was released, there was speculation as to whether Billy would return. Since the show faked Hopper's death, the title of episode four, "Dear Billy," made fans wonder if Billy was still alive as well. But Billy isn't alive in Stranger Things 4—at least not literally. Dacre Montgomery did show up, though. Here's everything you need to know.
Billy did die at the end of season three, but the memory of his death still haunts Max heading into season four. Even though they didn't get along well when Billy was alive, Max still missed him and somehow felt like his death was her fault. This guilt makes her a target for Season 4's monster, Vecna, who is essentially an evil wizard from the Upside Down. When she started seeing visions of Vecna, she wrote a letter to Billy and read it tearfully at his gravestone.
"Dear Billy, I don't know if you can hear this... A lot has happened since you left," she began. After Billy's death, their parents began to argue, she said. Billy's dad left and left them with nothing, so Max's mom got a second job, moved them to a trailer park, and started drinking. "Everything has been a complete disaster since you left. The worst part is, I can't tell anyone why you left. I can't tell them you saved El's life. You saved my life, "she says.
She adds that she often replays the moment of his death in her mind, imagining saving him before the Mind Flayer stabbed him. "I think if I had, you'd still be here. Everything would be back to normal. I think we might have become friends. Good friends, like real siblings." She admitted she knew it was "stupid." , because they hate each other. "But I thought maybe we could try again. But that wasn't the case... I think a part of me died that day, too."
It's a touching scene, but it's immediately interrupted by another Vecna hallucination. While Max's body remains in front of Billy's tombstone, her mind is transported to the upside-down world. Suddenly, she heard Billy's voice and saw his bloody body walking towards her. "Max, I've been waiting to hear these words," Vecnabili said. "But that's not the whole truth, is it? I think there's a part of you that wishes I'd died that day. Maybe it's even a relief." She denies this, but he claims she deliberately stood up There, that's why she "felt so guilty" and started pulling away from Lucas, her mom, and other friends. Vecna claimed she wanted to die too, and that he was finally here to "end [her] suffering once and for all."
Vecna ditches Billy's facade and nearly kills Max, but Robin and Nancy's suggestion that music create a spiritual path out of Vecna's realm allows Steve, Dustin and Lucas saves her just in time. They played her favorite song, "Run Up That Hill" by Kate Bush, and she was able to run back to reality. By the end of the first half of the season, Max hasn't found closure about Billy's death, and she's still not safe from the monsters. But we can at least confirm that Billy is indeed gone, even if he did have a brief cameo in season four.
Montgomery said he had no problem with it in 2019, telling Vulture at the time that he was "very happy not to be returning" to the series. "I already have Billy in my heart," he said, adding that while it's been "an amazing journey for this character," he trusts the creators to know "the end is the end."
