The Stranger Things writers have gone rogue and shared plot lines that almost made it into the show’s canon but were so batshit they were left to perish in the Upside Down. Rightfully so, because these are not bitchin’.
As we all eagerly await Stranger Things 5 — which is currently in its scripting process — the minds behind the magic have dropped some spicy AF little breadcrumbs to get us through this drought. Except you might choke on them.
#1 Will Byers was nearly a murderer in Stranger Things 2
According to the official Stranger Things writers Twitter account, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) was actually meant to KILL Bob (Sean Astin) in season two. Excuse me?! My sweet baby Will?!
Crazy shit that almost happened #1:
In season 2, a possessed Will was going to kill Bob.— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) October 5, 2022
ICYMI, Bob began dating Will’s mum Joyce (Winona Ryder) in the beginning of the season and he quickly became a fan favourite because of his adorable daggy dad vibes. An angel of a man, and so wonderfully normal during a very not-normal time for this cursed family.
Bob had quite a lovely relationship with Will, who he connected with despite Will’s emotional distance to literally everyone else.
In the final act of the season, when Will among others was trapped in a laboratory, Bob used his nerdy computer skills to save the day and help everyone escape — but he was killed by a demodog in the process. And it was gut-wrenching, literally.
However, it looks like things could have been more brutal: Will was actually meant to kill Bob while he was possessed by the Mind Flayer, which would have been fucking wild considering how traumatised the poor kid already is.
I mean, this is just fkn twisted. I’m very glad they didn’t make Will kill one of the few adults who made him feel genuinely safe and nurtured in the show. Even though that person was killed anyway, just in more indirect means.
But apparently kids murdering their parents or guardians is an ongoing theme in these batshit plot lines!
#2 Eleven was supposed to murder her own mother
The Stranger Things writers also revealed that, in the same season, “Eleven was going to mercy kill her mother”. WHAT.
Crazy shit that almost happened #2:
In season 2, Eleven was going to mercy kill her mother.— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) October 10, 2022
In season two, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) went on a bit of a self-discovery journey and found her birth-mum Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins). She discovers Terry in a state of severe catatonia, after she was tortured with electroshock therapy.
Eleven uses her freaky powers to step into Terry’s mind, because that’s kind of her thing, and discovers Terry is living in a time-loop of when she tried to rescue El from the lab she was raised in.
It’s pretty tragic stuff, but Eleven “mercy” killing her seems absolutely fucked to me. For one thing, it stinks of ableism: just because Terry is mentally ill, does not mean killing her would be merciful? The implication here is that it’s better to be dead than disabled. Sooo, let’s be fkn glad they gave this storyline a miss. What a mess.
#3 Hopper was supposed to create a team of powerhouse dads
In another tweet, the Stranger Things writers wrote: “Crazy shit that almost happened #3: In season 4, Hopper was going to team up with Alexei’s dad”.
Alexei (Alec Utgoff) was a Russian scientist who was forced to work on the dimension destroying “Key” for the Soviet in the third season of Stranger Things. After being kidnapped by Jim Hopper (David Harbour), he defected to the good guys and helped them destroy the key — but this ultimately got him killed.
Crazy shit that almost happened #3:
In season 4, Hopper was going to team up with Alexei’s dad.— stranger writers (@strangerwriters) October 12, 2022
His death was actually super tragic, so I can see how there might have been a revenge plot with his father and Hopper. However, it just seems super random.
I have no idea how that would have even functioned — maybe this plot line was replaced by Russian officer and certified daddy Dmitri Antonov (Tom Wlaschiha)? Since he becomes the other half to Hopper’s hot dad brigrade and ultimately helps our gang because he wants to make the world better for his teenage son Mikhail.
A way better plot IMO, especially because I got to stare at Wlaschiha’s jawline for an entire season.
The Stranger Things writers have been releasing the “crazy shit that almost happened” tweets sporadically over the last week, and there’s no telling how many more there will be. Watch this space!
