One Stranger Things Star May Have Revealed The New Monster’s Name

Mike with a walkie talkie in Season 1

With the summer nearly in full bloom, the time has come for avid TV viewers to gear up for their favorite summer shows to return. And the breakout hit from last year was Netflix's sci-fi period piece Stranger Things. The Duffer Brothers' creation quickly went viral, becoming a pop culture sensation that spawned a giant following and countless Eleven Halloween costumes. Unfortunately, Season 2's release date was pushed back to October, but new information regarding Stranger Things' sophomore season have slowly come to light. And now it appears that one cast member may have dropped the name of the giant creature seen in the show's Super Bowl commercial: The Shadow Monster.

Child actor Finn Wolfhard plays protagonist Mike in Stranger Things, and he recently spoke to TV Guide about the show's second season. While praising the visual affects team on the show, Wolfhard seems to have revealed the name of the giant monster that will be terrorizing Hawkins for the next season or so. He said:

Our visual effects team is so good. Even the first season we were like really, really cool. But the Shadow Monster --- the new one, the big one in the sky --- that was like crazy for us.

Move over, Demogorgon- there's a new monster in town. And the giant creature we've seen in early footage from Season 2 may end up being called the Shadow Monster.

If Finn Wolfhard's off the cuff statement is to be believed, then big monster that is terrorizing the Stranger Things characters may be called The Shadow Monster. This would be a departure for the series, as the terrifying creature in Season 1 was named after a monster from Dungeons and Dragons. Most fans believed that this trend would continue with Season 2, but if the giant monster is the Shadow Monster, then Season 2 will be separating itself from the original season.

Stranger Things Shadow Monster

Then again, it's also completely possible that the new villain won't be called the Shadow Monster at all. Following the massive response from Season 1 of Stranger Things, the cast and crew have presumably been media trained, and are very careful about revealing potential spoilers. So Finn Wolfhard's reference to the "Shadow Monster" may just be because that's how audiences best know the newcomer. "Shadow Monster" may simply be a placeholder until Season 2 is finally released, and we are privy to the creature's actual name.

Alas, we'll just have to wait until more footage and information regarding Stranger Things' second season are revealed. With the Season 2 premiere just a few months away, we should expect a full blown trailer sometime during the summer months.

Stranger Things will release Season 2 in its entirety on October 31st, 2017. In the meantime, check our summer premiere list and plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.