Stranger Things’ episode titles have teased a reappearance of Billy in season 4, which would be yet another example of the show’s major Barb problem. Although Stranger Things has written a few notable character death fakeouts with Will and Hopper, the show has actually gone through with killing off some important characters. Stranger Things season 1’s first major death was Barb, Nancy’s best friend, followed by Bob in season 2 and Billy in season 3. While Bob and Billy’s death storylines received significant attention in the show, the lack of focus on Barb’s death led fans to begin a trend based on Justice for Barb.
Ahead of Stranger Things season 4’s final teaser trailer, Netflix released a breakdown of the titles for the upcoming installment’s nine episodes. Amongst certain coded titles was “Dear Billy,” which will serve as chapter 4 of season 4. Billy, who served as a key antagonist for Stranger Things seasons 2 and 3, sacrificed himself to the Mind Flayer in season 3’s finale to save Eleven, his step-sister Max, and the rest of Hawkins. Although Billy’s redemptive death seemed to mark the end of Dacre Montgomery’s time on Stranger Things, season 4’s episode titles tease a return of the character in some form, whether that be a flashback, vision, or some other supernatural appearance.
Billy’s Stranger Things season 4 return would be an exciting event for fans, but it also inevitably adds to the idea that Barb is the most ignored substantial character of the series. After Barb’s death in Stranger Things season 1, episode 3, she only reappeared as a corpse in the Upside Down in season 1 or in photographs during seasons 2 and 3. After Nancy and Steve met with Barb’s parents in Stranger Things’ season 2 premiere, the character was effectively removed from the story’s significance. The lack of attention for Barb has been noted since the end of Stranger Things season 1, but it becomes even worse when considering the other two major characters to be killed off have received special recognition in the seasons after their deaths.
After Bob’s tragic death in Stranger Things season 2, Sean Astin returned for season 3 during flashbacks as Joyce remembers their time together. Bob’s presence was still felt in Stranger Things season 3, but the same couldn’t be said for Barb in season 2. With the tease that Dacre Montgomery’s Billy Hargrove is apt to reappear in Stranger Things season 4 for a posthumous cameo that would be more significant than a photo on the news, Stranger Things is repeating its Barb problem by suggesting her character wasn’t important enough to the series to bring her back. Barb may have finally received a funeral in Stranger Things season 2, but the character is still the most underappreciated of the show’s deceased Demogorgon fighters.
It’s not confirmed whether Dacre Montgomery will return for Stranger Things season 4 as Billy, though the notion that Bob came back makes his posthumous cameo all the more likely. If so, his appearance would likely involve Max reckoning with his death, with “Dear Billy” perhaps being a letter of some sort in which she remembers her anti-hero step-brother who finally apologized to her in his last moments. While Barb was influential for about one episode of Stranger Things season 2, Bob was a primary motivator for Joyce’s journey in season 3 and Billy is getting an entire episode dedicated to his memory in season 4. Stranger Things reconciling the deaths of its major characters is important for the rest of the figures to move forward, but it seems the snubbed Barb will still remain without proper justice.