Warning: Spoilers for Scream 2022.
Matthew Lillard’s iconic comic relief/surprise villain Stu was a highlight of the original Scream, leading many fans to wonder whether he will appear in 2022’s reboot. It has been over twenty-five years since 1996's original meta-slasher Scream arrived in cinemas, and the franchise is soon to return to the big screen for the first time in over a decade. 2022’s Scream reboot will be the first movie in the series since Wes Craven’s final movie, 2011’s Scream 4.
Although the fact that the Scream movies are violent slashers with high body counts — which generally precludes characters from returning in subsequent franchise installments — some fans of the franchise are still hoping against hope that the few survivors left over from earlier outings will return in the highly-anticipated fifth movie. Already Dewey, Gale, and Sidney are returning for the reboot, and a vocal contingent of the Scream franchise’s fanbase have petitioned for Scream 4’s not-technically-dead Kirby to put in an appearance. However, there is one famous face whose potential presence in 2022’s Scream reboot is the biggest cause for fan excitement.
Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher could have returned in Scream 2022, as the actor himself has said that the character survived, and a deleted Scream 3 scene confirmed as much. But despite some fan theories that Stu could potentially been the new reboot’s Ghostface killer, Matthew Lillard's Stu Macher does not return in Scream 2022. There are obviously major ties to the character in the new reboot, but he remains off-screen, with no mention of whether his survival remains canon.
Though Lillard's Stu might have been the best killer theory in Scream’s 2022 reboot, it clearly wasn't meant to be, and the storyline following Richie (Jack Quaid) and Amber (Mikey Madison) as the requel obsessed monsters did serve the movie's higher purpose very well. And there's no reason Stu couldn't return for Scream 6, if it's greenlit. Surely the fact that another spate of killings happened in his own house 25 years after his spree with Billy Loomis would draw his attention? And the fact that his nephew Vince (Kyle Gallner) was one of the victims wouldn't have gone overlooked.
Stu has been a firm fan-favorite since Scream was first released and few new characters could engender the same excitement in fans as his return. For his part, Lillard has been tight-lipped about any involvement in the new Scream reboot and has not hinted at a role in the movie for his character. However, as Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire can attest, this is not proof that Stu won’t make a triumphant return to the franchise despite his actor’s silence on the matter. Ultimately, the question of whether Stu appears in 2022’s Scream reboot will remain unknown until the movie’s release, although many fans are at least certain on the answer they are hoping for.
