Who's The Kid in Castle Rock? Character details and identity, explored

Modified Dec 18, 2025 00:36 ET

Bill Skarsgard as The Kid in Castle Rock (Image via Instagram / castlerockhulu)

Castle Rock Season 1 introduces the audience to one of its more mysterious and unsettling characters in ‘The Kid’. The show, which is set in Maine, follows Henry Deaver (played by Andre Holland), who comes back to town after a long absence to meet a mysterious person being held at the Shawshank State Penitentiary. Played by Bill Skarsgard, The Kid is an ageless person imprisoned by Warden Dale Lacy (played by Terry O’Quinn), who was certain that the individual had some dark unexplainable powers.

Castle Rock is a Hulu horror series that is adapted from the literary world of Stephen King. Created by Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason, the first season of the series brings the viewers face-to-face with the enigma that is ‘The Kid’. The series, however, leaves the truth behind the character to the imagination of the audience.

Who's The Kid in Castle Rock?

In Castle Rock Season 1, the viewers are introduced to Henry Deaver, a death-row attorney from Texas. Henry used to live in Castle Rock and was adopted by Ruth and Reverand Matthew Deaver, who lost their firstborn. When Henry was slightly older, he suddenly disappeared and was found after 11 days. Soon after, Matthew was found dead.

Henry decides to return to the small town in Maine when he learns about a nameless kid being imprisoned at the basement of the Shawshank prison. The Kid is far from normal and possesses some unknown dark powers. Warden Dale Lacy imprisoned him, believing that he is the manifestation of evil or the Devil himself. But after Lacy killed himself, a guard comes across The Kid, who whispered the name ‘Henry Deaver’.

After The Kid gets released, chaos follows him around the town. People are obviously wary of him and his abilities that can affect people and places. While speaking to Molly (played by Melanie Lynskey), The Kid will reveal that he is the real ‘Henry Deaver’, the biological son of Ruth and Matthew from a parallel universe. The Kid as Henry was a well-known scientist and lived a content life with his pregnant wife. Ruth had left his father and lived with Alan Pangborn (played by Scott Glenn).

The Kid’s Henry learns that Matthew had killed himself. He will go back to Castle Rock and finds a boy locked in a cage in the basement of his father’s house, who is the younger version of the Henry Deaver that the audience were first introduced to. That young boy had approached Matthew after he had heard some noises. He told Matthew that he found himself suddenly in the forest and appeared unstable. Matthew believes that the child is Devil and thus locks him up, where he did not age for 27 years.

The young boy and The Kid’s Henry get to the portal to the parallel universe in the forest. A sudden wave of energy transports Henry to the other reality, where he finds the young boy meeting Sheriff Alan. The Kid’s Henry keeps looking for the young boy when Warden Lacy found him and imprisoned him, believing that he is evil.

As the season comes to a close, The Kid and Henry Deaver find themselves in the forest. The Kid had a gun with him, but Henry manages to take control over him. Henry is taken aback when The Kid’s face unexpectedly turns monstrous for a second. Believing that he is indeed the devil, he locks up The Kid.

When Henry comes to see him in the cage to give him food, The Kid will ask him how long he plans to do this, to which Henry responds that he doesn’t know. The Kid will forewarn him about how Warden Lacy’s life ended with a spine-chilling smile.

Whether The Kid is the devil or not is one of the more discussed topics about Castle Rock Season 1. While some debate that The Kid’s story of being the real Henry Deaver from the other universe could be real and happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, many state that he could be a devil manipulating through his devious ways.

Though Castle Rock is an anthology series, Season 2 mentions that The Kid had appeared to a woman in New Jerusalem in 1619 and was indeed centuries old. Referred to as the ‘angel’, he was known to have caused much chaos and death during this timeline too. While the show does not explicitly state the truth about the character, it is implied that The Kid is an immortal, manipulative entity.

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