Overview
- Ross Duffer said the team debated a late change of heart but concluded the character was too committed to reverse course.
- Showrunners emphasized they want audiences to interpret how much sway a greater force held over him.
- Recent episodes recontextualize the power structure behind the series’ antagonists, a shift critics argue was foreshadowed across seasons.
- The Broadway tie-in The First Shadow, developed with the Duffers, is highlighted as canonical background that informs the character’s origin.
- Coverage notes there was no path to absolution because the character’s aims and dependency on the overarching threat remain aligned.