Who is Billy in Stranger Things?

Billy Hargrove is Max's stepbrother in Stranger Things.

Stranger Things is a super hit American sci-fi series made by the Duffer brothers - Matt and Ross Duffer - for Netflix. It was first aired in 2016 and currently has 4 seasons with the 5th and final season in the making. The show is set in the town of Hawkins in the 1980s. The show is about the lives of a group of young friends - Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Max, and Eleven. Their lives change when they witness supernatural forces and government conspiracies taking place in their town. The cast of the show includes Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and others.

Billy, played by Dacre Montgomery, is one of the main characters of Stranger Things. He was introduced in the 2nd season. His performance in the show was praised by the critics.

Who is Billy Hargrove from Stranger Things?

William Billy Hargrove, also known as Billy, was first introduced in season 2, episode 1, titled “Chapter One: MADMAX” as a new student at Hawkins High School. He is portrayed as a typical bad boy who is arrogant, rebellious, and aggressive in nature. He moved to the town of Hawkins from California after his father got married to Susan. He was the stepbrother of Max Mayfield. He was shown as a bully who bullied his classmates and his sister.

Later, it was revealed that the reason behind his behavior was his traumatic past when his father used to physically abuse him. His relationship was strained with his father because of this reason. His journey takes a dark turn when he becomes a host for the Mind Flayer. In the end, he sacrifices himself to save Eleven and apologizes to Max for all the mistakes he had made. He dies in her arms. His sacrifice in the end was a redemption arc for his character in the show.

After his death in season 3, he appeared in the hallucinations of Max when she was possessed by Vecna in season 4. In her hallucinations, he blames her for his death to manipulate her mind.

Billy and Max’s Relationship

Billy and Max’s relationship was complex, as they hated each other at first due to their complicated family backgrounds. Billy used to behave badly with Max and treated her like a burden. After they had to move from California to Hawkins to escape Max's father, he took out his anger on Max. He used to interfere in her life and didn’t like that she was dating Lucas because of his race. He even tried to beat him up, but Max saved Lucas from him.

In season 3, their relationship takes a turn when Max gets to know about his troubled past. Max was one of the few people who saw the softer side of Billy. Even though they hated each other at first, they became closer to each other. Billy’s life came to a tragic end when he sacrificed himself to save Eleven. In the end, he apologizes to Max for his behavior towards her and dies in her arms. His death left Max heartbroken, and she isolated herself from others for a long time to mourn the loss of her brother. She revealed that she cared about him and loved him.

Related: Who is billy in stranger things

Who acted as Billy in Stranger Things?

Dacre Kayd Montgomery-Harvey is an Australian actor, born on 22 November 1994 in Perth, Australia. He is best known for his role as Billy in Stranger Things and gained worldwide popularity for this role. At the age of 9, he started doing stage performances in Australia. He started his acting career in 2010 with a minor role in the film Betrand the Terrible. In 2015, he graduated from Edith Cowan University where he completed his acting course.

In 2019, he starred in the film Power Rangers as Red Ranger. In the same year, he joined the cast of Stranger Things and was introduced in season 2 of the show. His performance was critically acclaimed and received several nominations from awards like the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and MTV Movie & TV Awards. Apart from Stranger Things, he acted in many projects including A Few Less Men (2017), Better Watch Out (2017), The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020), Elvis (2022), and Went Up the Hill (2024).

In 2019, he started his podcast called DKMH where he features poetry. He started dating model Liv Pollock in 2017 and after dating for 6 years they got engaged in December 2023.