Stranger Things has become a much bigger thing since its debut last summer on Netflix. Now it’s a full-fledged culture phenomena, and it’s coming back for a second season later this year. Later this week, Entertainment Weekly will get a jump on its fall preview by placing the young cast of Stranger Things on its cover. But the stories from the issue have already shed some light on what to expect from season 2.
First up is the fact that Will Byers will actually have a major role this season. In the first season, Will was trapped in the Upside Down alternate world for an extended period, and it may have physically and emotionally changed him. While speaking to EW, co-creator Matt Duffer said “[Will] seems to be seeing images from the Upside Down—the question is whether they’re real or not. So it seems like he’s having some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Co-creator Ross Duffer added that Mike and Nancy Wheeler will also be greatly changed by their grief for Eleven and Barb, in part because Police Chief Hopper has participated in the cover up as part of the deal to save Will. “[Nancy] and Mike are both the most screwed-up because they’re the ones who both lost someone. They’re both grappling with that, and we see the effects.”
Matt Duffer also touched upon two of the new characters joining the series this season: a young girl named Max (Sadie Sink), and her older step-brother, Billy (Dacre Montgomery). While Max will befriend Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will, Billy will turn out to be an antagonist to all of them. “Stephen King always has really great human villains,” said Duffer. “The evil in the real world is often as bad or worse than the supernatural evil, so we wanted to introduce a character like that.”
Also: The Cast of ‘Stranger Things’ Makes the Cover of EW
Of course, Eleven will be back in a big way. Matt Duffer told EW that “I want people to know that she’s back and she’s a major part of the season and not know how or why. We do get into her story and backstory. We learn about where she came from and how she came into the world and the program that resulted in her.”
The second season of Stranger Things is expected to drop on October 31.
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