Warning: spoilers ahead for the season 3 finale of Stranger Things. Read on at your own risk!
Whether you loved him or hated him, you can’t deny that Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) left his mark on Stranger Things.
Introduced in season 2 before fully exploring both his backstory and influence on the world of Hawkins in season 3, the mysterious hunk went full villain this season. After he initially tried to resist the Mind Flayer, the Upside Down creature took over his body and Billy went on to “flay”/feed hundreds of innocent people to the Mind Flayer’s weapon. He almost succeeded in helping the Mind Flayer take over the world until Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the rest of the Hawkins crew held him off long enough for him to find the strength to finally resist the Mind Flayer, giving Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) the time they needed to close the gate to the Upside Down.
But does one heroic moment make up for a season full of villainy? Montgomery hosted a Reddit AMA on Thursday to answer that (along with other fan questions), and while the actor’s responses were short, they were surprisingly revealing. When asked whether Billy’s final act made up for all the awful things he had done, Montgomery responds, “I think it was redemptive and I do view him as a hero.”
And while Billy’s dynamic with his younger step-sister Max (Sadie Sink) was always incredibly toxic, violent and angry, the actor truly believes that “he really loves his sister.”
That’s some serious stuff. And Montgomery also took time to cover other serious topics, like where the decision to always keep his top two buttons of his shirt undone. “That’s definitely an element of Dacre,” the actor says.
The conversation changed gears when a fan asked if more Power Rangers movies were coming in the future (as Montgomery starred in the 2017 live-action reboot film). “I think there is a movie in the works but it’s not with me and the cast,” the actor reveals. “So yes but not with us.”
Bringing things full circle, Montgomery ended things by revealing what he took from the set. “I actually took Billy’s tank top and a pack of Marlboro red cigarettes,” he says. Billy would be so proud.
Related content:
- Dacre Montgomery discusses Billy’s evolution in Stranger Things 3
- Meet Maya Hawke, the breakout star of Stranger Things 3
- A Stranger Things first: Make sure you watch past the season 3 final credits
Created by the Duffer Brothers, Netflix’s hit sci-fi series follows a group of kids in the ’80s battling supernatural forces in Hawkins, Ind.
