Billy Hargrove

Billy initially comes across as a classic "bad boy" type but with more sinister, violent undertones. He portrays himself as charming, irresistible, and the new King of Hawkins with a "devil may care" attitude. However due to the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, he has a violent and unpredictable nature. Much like how Neil Hargrove treats his son, Billy reveals his violence only to those closest to him, especially those he's more likely to win in a fight against. He acts antagonistic to Steve and sees him as a rival to overcome. He quickly falls into homicidal outbursts of violence, nearly running over Lucas Sinclair, Mike Wheeler, and Dustin Henderson out of sheer annoyance with Max and later almost beating Steve to death.

Billy is shown to be a misogynist who has no respect for women, calling them "cows" and "bitches". Billy drives a blue Camaro and is a drinking-game pro, immediately becoming keg king in Hawkins. Despite being popular at school, Billy is never shown having any meaningful connection with another person. Billy had a dysfunctional relationship with his abusive father, Neil Hargrove, who physically abused his mother to the point that she left Billy with Neil. Neil then took out his violent tendencies onto his son. Susan was a horrified witness to this abuse, but made no move to protect Billy (other than one verbal comment).

when he was younger, he was a friendly and happy child. He only became violent after his mother left; when she divorced his father, starting to reflect the abuse his father dealt out onto him from a young age. Despite having been abandoned by his mother to endure Neil's abuse, he still deeply loves her and desperately misses her,

Billy did have a few humanizing moments. When the Mind Flayer tried to force him to kill Karen Wheeler, he instead warned her to stay away from him. He later broke down into tears of remorse in the sauna for what the Mind Flayer forced him to do. He also shed a tear when talking to Eleven about the Mind Flayer’s plans to end humanity.

But in 1985, when Eleven enters Billy's mind to find out the location of The Mind Flayer it is seen that when he was younger, he was a friendly and happy child. He only became violent after his mother left; when she divorced his father, starting to reflect the abuse his father dealt out onto him from a young age. Despite having been abandoned by his mother to endure Neil's abuse, he still deeply loves her and desperately misses her, and the strength of that emotion is enough for him to overcome the Mind Flayer's thrall and eventually save the Party.

BORN

March 29, 1967[1]

AGE

20s

RESIDENCE

California (1967 – 1984) Hawkins, Indiana (1984 – 1985)

FAMILY

Unnamed mother Max Mayfield (stepsister) Neil Hargrove (father) Susan Hargrove (stepmother)

OTHER RELATIONS

Steve Harrington (rival/enemy) Lucas Sinclair (enemy) Eleven (former enemy/ally)

OCCUPATION

Lifeguard at Hawkins Community Pool (1985) Student at Hawkins High School (1984-1985)