Stranger Things has turned out to be one of the most delightful, universally loved and most followed Netflix originals in recent history. It’s also a series notorious for introducing very lovable characters for singular seasons only to kill them off in the most tragic ways possible.
One of these characters, way back in Stranger Things 2, was Bob, and a recent Tweet from the Stranger Things writers room has revealed his demise could have been a lot nastier and could have created some tricky dynamics for relationships within the Byers family.
As we know, Bob was tragically mauled to death by a demodog inside the Hawkins research facility, creating enough of a distraction for the rest of our heroes to escape unscathed. It turns out, an earlier pitch for his arc was to meet his demise at the hands of Will while possessed by the Mindflayer.
Stranger Things 2 introduced its audience to a brand-new villain in the form of the Mind Flayer, which broadened the scope of the story beyond the chittering Demogorgon creature hiding in the Upside Down, and served as our first hint that there were much more malevolent forces at play than initially expected.
Will was in thrall to the Mind Flayer for the majority of Stranger Things 2, so it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch for the monster to lash out and take down Bob had he been present for Will’s (for lack of a better word) exorcism.
Of course, while Will’s actions would not have been his own, it still probably would’ve proved a little bit awkward for the kid to discover he’d just butchered his mom’s new boyfriend. He and Joyce have already been through enough, and now a permanent shadow gets cast on their relationship with Bob’s blood on Will’s hands? Yikes.
With that dark and complex prospect in store for Will and Joyce, I think it’s fair to say that if Bob had to go, we’re glad it went down the way it did.
In the meantime, we continue to patiently stare at the clock and count down the minutes to Stranger Things 5, which will be the final season in the original series, though almost certainly not the final story in the universe.