Note: This article contains spoilers for season three of Stranger Things right from the off.
One of the most emotional twists of Stranger Things' third season was Billy Hargrove's heartbreaking arc and eventual "redemptive" death.
We already knew that creators the Duffer Brothers had sealed Billy Hargrove's fate by the end of season two, but it's now been revealed that one of this season's most pivotal moments was actually meant to happen a lot earlier.
Chatting to Entertainment Weekly, Dacre Montgomery – who plays Billy – explained that his character's possession at the hands of the Mind Flayer may well have happened in season two, but a desire to channel his inner Jack Nicholson changed plans.
Related: Stranger Things ending explained: What really happened in the season three finale?
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"We had actually spoken a lot about it in season two and that was something that I was very aware of, but I wasn't really aware of how it was going to pan out," he said.
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Letting fans in on his inspiration for how to portray Billy's troubled past and present, Dacre continued: "Let's talk about Jack Nicholson for a second. I feel like, whether he's playing the archetypal villain or hero or somewhere in between, he gives very unusual acting choices which I think keep the audience on their toes a little bit.
"That was a strategy I wanted to employ this season."
Related: Abandoned Stranger Things plots that almost changed everything
Clearly striking that balance between villain, hero, and everything in between successfully, the actor recently said the ability to "humanize a villain" was his favourite aspect of playing Billy.
Hey, at least someone was happy with Billy's demise.
Stranger Things season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.
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