This 'Stranger Things' 3 Monster Theory Is Incredi-Billy Convincing

Stranger Things found itself with a bit of a problem at the end of Season 1. Their original jerky jock, Steve Harrington, had grown so likable over the course of the season, they'd wound up rehabilitating him, and making him a good guy for the coming season. To fill the now-open slot of the cliche blockheaded basketball star, the show cast Dacre Montgomery as Billy, Max's abusive older brother, who is not allowed to join in the fight at the end of the season. However, this Stranger Things 3 monster theory suggests Billy will get in on the horror action this season. It just might not be on the terms he would have chosen.

The series has a slightly different problem going into this season when it comes to Billy. One of the things audiences liked about the first season was Steve's about-face; in fact, he's become one of the most popular characters in the show. Meanwhile, Billy's over the top '80s styling (which, I am here to tell you is *accurate AF* for the period) is a turn off to modern eyes, as is his terrible behavior, even if the show did throw it in a reason for it.

So how do you solve a problem like Billy? Fans think he'll be turned into a monster; specifically, the one fans see in the trailer.

Consider the following images from the trailer, starting with Billy, the Hot Lifeguard, walking by bathrooms which are blue-walled.

Next image: Billy in a blue-walled shower, looking down in his arm in horror.

And the shot of Billy's arm.

And then the monster:

In the trailer, the monster grows out of something on the floor in this institutional-looking hallway. Is it a school? Is it the old Hawkins Lab? No, it's here, at the ER.

When I first saw this picture, I was worried about who the group was looking at, as both Dustin and Steve are not in the image. However, adding things together, it makes way more sense if the group is looking at Billy.

Fans have reasoned the chain of events begins when Billy gets infected by the Upside Down. How exactly, no one knows, though my guess is it's going to happen at the Starcourt Mall. At the end of his Lifeguard shift, it begins to break through his skin. He takes himself to the hospital to get it looked at, only to transform into this season's version of a Demogorgon. (Demo-Billy? Billy-gorgon?)

This also explains how there's a monster that isn't the Mind Flayer as part of this season's antics. As fans are aware, the promotional materials released last fall heavily hinted the Mind Flayer would be a significant factor this season as it tries to break through from the Upside Down to this world. It would make sense, and explain the creature in this trailer, if there are two antagonists the group is dealing with, the first being a monsterized version of Max's abusive brother, and then at the end of the season coming together to defeat the Mind Flayer.

Stranger Things 3 arrives on July 4, 2019, on Netflix.