This Stranger Things 4 Episode Title Has Fans Convinced A Fan-Fave Will Return

There’s a ton of mystery surrounding Season 4 of Stranger Things, but fans finally got a good chunk of information about the long-awaited season on Netflix’s Stranger Things Day on Saturday, Nov. 6. For the big celebration, Netflix not only dropped a new teaser focusing on Eleven’s new life in California, but even more excitingly, the streamer revealed all the episode titles for the new season. True to form, the titles are all cryptic and incredibly creepy-sounding, but one definitely stands out among the rest, as it has prompted fans to wonder whether beloved villain Billy Hargrove will be in Stranger Things 4.

After the game-changing Season 3 finale, pretty much nobody expected Hawkins hotshot Billy Hargrove to reappear in Season 4. Max’s aggressive step-brother went from a violent high school bully in Season 2 to a straight-up supernatural evil in Season 3 after being possessed by the Mind Flayer. But on the inside, he was really just a scared little kid who lashed out because of the deep pain he experienced at the hands of his abusive father. That’s the part of him that managed to overcome the Mind Flayer in the final moments of Season 3, when Billy sacrificed himself to save everyone.

Although he perished in the season finale, A teaser revealed Season 4, Episode 4 will be titled “Dear Billy.”

“Dear Billy” quickly began trending on Twitter after the episodes were announced, as Stranger Things fans theorized what the Billy mention could mean. Could Billy still be alive in the Upside Down, or will the episode focus on Max’s grief over losing her brother?

Since all fans have to go off at this point is two words, it’s totally up in the air whether Dacre Montgomery will reprise his role of Billy in Season 4 or not, but the episode title does seem to confirm that at least the memory of his character will play a pivotal role in the story.

Billy isn’t the only unexpected character to get a shoutout in the new episode titles. Another title of interest is Episode 8, “Papa.” This is a clear reference to Dr. Brenner, the scientist who raised Eleven in the Hawkins Lab to try to hone her telekinetic abilities. Eleven only refers to Brenner as “Papa,” and although it seemed like the Demogorgon destroyed him in the Season 1 finale, a former Hawkins Lab worker suggested to Eleven that he was still alive in Season 2. If that’s the case, then “Papa” may feature a tense family reunion episode between Eleven and Brenner.

Stranger Things 4 is slated to premiere on Netflix in the summer of 2022.