William 'Billy' Hargrove

Disclaimer: Keep in mind this interpretation/portrayal of the character is based on my own research and personal experiences, as well as incorporating elements of my own personality traits.

## History

### Background

Billy was born and raised in California. However, everything he remembers from his childhood is mostly tragedy. Despite this, there were a few instances of joy and happiness in his life. Before his mother left due to his father's abusive behavior toward Billy and herself, she showed him the love and support a mother should to her child. Billy cherishes the memories of his mother encouraging him in his surfing aspirations, reading bedtime stories, and playing with his blond hair to help him sleep. Although she tried to protect him from his father's abuse, it became too much for her to bear. When he was 10, she left without a word. She left him in the hands of his father, resulting in a traumatic childhood filled with hate and abuse.

At the age of twelve, Billy suffered a severe injury after a physical altercation with his father. Neil became angry with him for attempting to sneak out to go surfing on his own and punched him in the head twice, leaving Billy unconscious with a serious brain injury. This incident has since caused Billy to struggle with regulating his emotions and has led to symptoms such as irritability, agitation, impulsiveness, and increased likelihood of angry outbursts or manic episodes. Despite the long-term effects of the trauma on Billy's brain, Neil never acknowledged this and instead told him to "tough it out."

Eventually Neil married another woman; *Susan Mayfield*, who happened to be the mother of Max Mayfield. She was introduced to Billy as his "new sister" which he did not like. He hated the thought of change; the thought of his dad replacing his mom with another women and was now forced to accept that he now had a 'sister'. It went even as far as Neil placing the responsibility of caring for Max on Billy. This also meant that Billy would bear the brunt of the abuse whenever Max caused any trouble. No way Neil was going to abuse Max infront of her mother, right? He wanted to play the perfect suitable husband for Susan and show off how 'good' of a father he is correcting his son whenever he doesn't do what Neil wants him to.

Growing up with this level of abuse caused him to develop a pattern of extreme aggressive behavior. He began to bully others at school and physically attack them. Billy's bullying was not limited to his peers and he even targeted Max, subjecting her to the same mental mistreatment he had faced from his father. Sadly, this cycle of bullying persisted for several years.

#### 1984

##### Moving to Hawkins

In 1984, Billy and his new family moved from California to Hawkins, Indiana (Map). Upon their arrival, Billy was enrolled in Hawkins High School, where he soon became familiar with the school's social structure and its cliques. Determined to rise to the top and surpass the reigning King of the school's social hierarchy, he set out to make a name for himself. It did not take long for Billy to catch the attention of many.

On October 31st, Billy was waiting to pick up Max from school. When she finally arrived, he reprimanded her for being late and warned that if it happened again, she would have to make her way home on her skateboard. During the drive home, Billy noticed that Max appeared to be enjoying their new town in Hawkins which fueled him with anger. When he asked her about it, she denied it it. And so in an attempt to provoke a reaction, Billy asked Max whose fault it was that they had to move there. Max muttered that it was Billy's fault, causing him to become incensed. He began to speed and shout, making threats to run over her newly made 'friends'; Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair as they were cycling home. In response to this dangerous situation, Max grabbed the steering wheel and swerved to the opposite lane.

##### Gaining popularity

On that same evening, he attended Tina's Halloween celebration and made a strong impression on the Hawkins teenagers by winning a drinking contest that was previously held by Steve Harrington, a well-known and highly regarded student at the school (Aka; King Steve). With this impressive feat, Billy quickly gained the loyalty of Tommy H., who then introduced him to Steve. The brief introduction sparked a fierce rivalry between Billy and Steve. *There was just something about him that triggered Billy's desire to assert his dominance and flaunt his superiority..*

A few days later, Billy joined the school basketball team and went head-to-head against Steve, showcasing his superior skill and strength. His team won the game against Steve's team with ease. The following day, during another basketball game against Steve, Billy continued to harass and provoke him. He felt the need to gain the brunets attention again. In the locker room showers, he and Tommy taunted Steve about his struggling relationship with Nancy. Billy also made Steve unnerved/confused by giving him some *questionable* advice; *“Don't take it too hard man, pretty boy like you doesn't have anything to worry about. Plenty of bitches in the sea.”* before turning off the showers behind him and leaving the shower room.

In the afternoon Billy was waiting to pick up Max from middle school again. He saw her in a heated argument with Lucas Sinclair, which left Max visibly upset and angry. He asked Max if she knew Lucas, but she lied, saying he was just someone from her class. As the two of them got in the car, he asked her what the argument was about, but she claimed it was just about a class assignment. Billy, noticing Max's distress, asked if Lucas was causing her trouble. This caused Max to ask why he was suddenly caring about her feelings, leading him to explain that now that they are family, he has to look after her, much to his dislike. When Max tried to defend herself, Billy grabbed her arm tightly and demanded she stay away from Lucas. After releasing his grip, Max silently cried as they drove home.

The next day, he was working out and listening to music, while Max was repairing her skateboard. Unbeknownst to Billy, it was Lucas at the door. Max lied about it again and later left with Lucas.

Billy's father and stepmother returned home that night to find Max gone and angrily confronted Billy, who responded by saying he didn't know where she was and didn't consider Max to be part of his family. His father became incensed at Billy's behavior and disrespectful attitude towards his stepmother, pushing him against the wall, calling him a 'Faggot', and hitting him. He ordered Billy to cancel his date plans for the night and find Max. Despite his tough exterior, Billy was clearly affected by the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, as a few tears escaped his eyes.

He went to the Sinclair house in the hopes to find his sister, but she wasn't there. He then headed to the Wheeler residence where he met Mike's mother, Karen, who had just gotten out of the bath. Billy flirted with her briefly before getting directions to the Byers residence, which was the hangout for the group. When he arrived, he found Steve and the other kids there. An argument erupted between Steve and Billy when Steve falsely claimed that Max was not in the house. However, Billy saw Max at the window, exposing Steve's lie and then pushed him roughly to the ground. *"I told you to plant your feet."* With Steve out of the way, he was free to barge his way inside the home. He then threatened Lucas to stay away from Max by pushing him against the wall. Steve stepped in to stop him from hurting Lucas and started a fight. Despite getting the upper hand at first, Billy regained control and started viciously beating Steve. Tired of his behavior, Max drugged Billy with a syringe from the lab, likely containing sodium thiopental, and made him promise to leave her and her friends alone.

#### 1985 (change in events)

In the summer of 1985, Billy started working as a lifeguard at Hawkins Community Pool together with his friend Heather Holloway. His athletic physique drew attention from people, including Karen Wheeler. After several weeks of grappling with his sexual orientation and having some *lustful* dreams about Steve, Billy saw an opportunity to prove to himself that these thoughts were insignificant (his denial stage). This led to him trying to win over Karen by offering "private swimming lessons," which she accepted. However, Karen had a change of heart after seeing her husband and daughter asleep on the couch, and backed out of the planned rendezvous to protect her family. Unaware of this, Billy was on his way to their "date" and was practicing his lines.

While driving towards Motel 6, a mysterious object hit his windshield, causing it to shatter. The impact made him lose control of his car, causing it to slide to a stop in front of Brimborn Steel Works. Upon inspection, he noticed the windshield was covered in a strange, slimy substance. Suddenly, he was pulled into the steel mill by his foot and taken to the Upside Down by the Mind Flayer. This is where the horrific creature captured him with its veins (similiar to what happend to Will) and used it's power to create a copy. Billy's conscious mind, was transfered to his copy, causing him to believe he escaped back to his car and was able to make a 911 call from a payphone. But as soon as the call was picked up, he found himself transported back to the Upside Down. He was approached by a group of zombie-like creatures and a duplicate of himself, who told him to "build what you see." Then, he suddenly snapped back to reality, confused about what had happened. In reality, his body was still trapped in the Upside Down while he was now in control of the copy, together with the Mind Flayer.

The following day, Billy arrived at the pool in a disheveled state, unsteady on his feet, sweating profusely, and visibly uncomfortable. He sat on the lifeguard chair completely covered up, which was very unusual for him. Karen, thinking that Billy might be upset about her cancelling their plans the night before, approached him in the locker room and apologized. She explained her concerns about her family and him, warning her to stay away from him. He didn't care for the date nor for Karen. While sitting in the sun on the lifeguard chair, Billy suffered a severe sunburn on his arm. When he went to the shower to touch it, dark veins spread out from the wound, causing him to scream in pain and collapse. Heather came in to check on him after hearing his screams, but Billy attacked and overpowered her. He took her to the steel mill and presented her to the Mind Flayer for possession.

Heather teamed up with Billy to kidnap victims for the Mind Flayer's physical form. They started with Heather's parents; Tom and Janet Holloway, who also owned the Hawkins Post. They invited them to dinner and gave them food spiked with drugs. Max and El, who had become suspicious of Billy's involvement in Heather's disappearance, interrupted their dinner, but upon seeing Heather apparently unharmed, they left. Janet ate a cookie and lost consciousness. Heather then knocked out Tom with a champagne bottle, and the two of them took the Holloways to the steel mill for possession.

The party, consisting of Max, El, Mike, Will, and Lucas, suspected that Billy was possessed by the Mind Flayer after observing his strange behavior and noticing similarities to Will's previous possession. They devised a plan to test if their suspicions were true by luring him into the sauna at the Hawkins Community Pool using a dummy and a walkie-talkie. El utilized her powers to trap Billy inside the sauna, barricading the door as he angrily pounded and demanded to be let out. He then broke down in tears and begged for Max to believe him, but moments later, he was taken over again by the Mind Flayer and tried to stab Max with a piece of the shattered wall. After a brief struggle with El and Mike, Billy was thrown outside through a brick wall and fled back to the steel mill where Heather tended to his wounds and acknowledged the growing army of "flayed" individuals they had accumulated.

El visited Billy in the Void to make contact and learn about his life/situation. She managed to access his memories; El was transported to the beach in California where a young Billy was surfing with his mother cheering him on. However, there was a massive storm, which reflected Billy's past of being abused and bullying others. In the eye of the storm was the source, Brimborn Steel Works. When El tried to return, she was in the room alone and the Mind Flayer in Billy's body threatened to kill her and everyone. Upon returning to the real world, El informed her friends of the Mind Flayer's plan. The possessed individuals were gathering in the basement of the steel mill where the Mind Flayer was waiting, merging into a bigger and stronger Spider Monster.

July 4, 1985, Billy set out to find El and tracked her to Starcourt Mall. He removed the ignition cable from Nancy's car to stop the group from escaping. When they realized the cable was missing and tried to leave, Billy confronted them in his car, forcing them to retreat into the mall, He charged towards them but was hit by Steve and Robin in a stolen Cadillac. Jonathan, Nancy, Steve, Robin, and Lucas fled in the station wagon while the Mind Flayer(Spider Monster) chased them. Billy, recovering from the crash, noticed Mike, El, and Max and pursued them as they attempted to flee. He caught up to them, knocked out Mike and Max, and kidnapped El. The Mind Flayer, aware of the distraction, returned and nearly killed El, but the group distracted it with fireworks while Hopper and Joyce tried to close the gate. El talked to Billy about his happy memory with his mother, causing his consious mind to start fighting against the Mind Flayers will. This resulted in him protecting El from an attack which enraged the Mind Flayer. It stabbed Billy's copy multiple times and punched a hole through his chest,, however his real body remained alive in the Upside Down. The connection between his physical copied form and his real body was broken, causing the main vine that controlled his brain to wither. As a result of this event, *Billy woke up.*

##### **Upside Down**

Billy succeeded in freeing himself from the clutches of the vines that had been holding him captive. The portal's closure had left the Mind Flayer weakened, and he was now left to navigate the unfamiliar and oppressive landscape of the Upside Down on his own. The atmosphere was otherworldly and the air was thick with a nauseating stench, and the darkness was oppressive. Billy felt confused and disoriented, trying to piece together what exactly happened ever since the accident at Brimborn Steel Works. Still wearing that same exact outfit.

The weight of his exhaustion, fear, and pain was compounded by a profound sense of loneliness. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had been consigned to a hellish existence, with no hope of escape. As he wandered, he was plagued by haunting visions from his past, each one more disheartening than the last. He felt certain that no one was coming to save him and that he was truly going to die in this hell version of reality.

Despite having caused significant harm upon people in his life, Billy was filled with remorse and a strong desire to make amends. He was consumed by a desperate yearning for someone to come to his rescue, offering him a chance to make things right and *redeem* himself. It felt like weeks passed, without a sign and when all hope felt lost, there was finally some light. A voice.

##### **Hawkins Lab**

Several days after the Starcourt events, a remarkable occurrence took place. Initially, it felt like a miracle, but as events unfolded, it became clear that it was not. The Hawkins laboratory(HNL), which appeared to be abandoned and shut down to the people of the town, was actually still in operation. They had not given up on their quest for knowledge about the Upside Down. In secret, they had partnered with the Russians to reopen the mother gate with the intention of capturing some of the creatures from the other dimension for experimentation. During the process of reopening the gate, the team stumbled upon Billy, who was wandering aimlessly in the Upside Down. He was barely clinging to life, but the scientists were able to revive him and bring him back to the Hawkins laboratory.

They were interested in the potential of using/selling the creatures from the Upside Down as bioweapons, and they saw the revival of Billy as an opportunity to study the effects of the other dimension on a human being(for possible new experiments). It was clear that their intentions were not pure, and their actions would have far-reaching consequences for the town of Hawkins and beyond. At first, the scientists at the Hawkins laboratory were focused on nursing Billy back to health after his harrowing experience in the Upside Down. They placed him in a medically induced coma to allow his body to heal from the physical and mental exhaustion he had suffered. Once they deemed him to be in a stable condition, they began the process of waking him up and using him as a test subject. Quickly learning about the fact that Billy still holds onto a part of the Flayed fungus inside his brain.

The scientists were curious about the connection between Billy and the Mind Flayer and hoped that by studying him, they could learn more about his infected his mind. They ran a series of tests and experiments, some of which were painful and mentally draining. He was pushed to his limits, and once he could no longer handle the stress, he was given a few days to recover before the cycle started all over again. It was clear they were not concerned with anyone's well-being and only cared about the results of their experiments. The treatment he received was inhumane, and if the townspeople had known what was going on behind the closed doors of the laboratory, they would have been outraged.

HNL fileBilly HNL files First Report (WIP)Billy HNL files Brainscan
#### 1986 (change in events)

In February 1986, Billy saw an opportunity to break free from the Hawkins Laboratory and made his escape by jumping from a second-story window. However, before he left, he was driven to uncover the secrets and find out what was happening inside the facility. He sought to understand the details of their past experiments and any plans they may have had for similar future experiments, but also why they seemed so determined to explore the mysterious world of the Upside Down. With stealth and cunning, Billy snuck into one of the main offices and obtained several files that were left on a desk. The files he retrieved: 011, 008, 002, an unknown file with the faded numbers '00-', his own file, and various loose papers covering a wide range of subjects. These would later prove to be invaluable in shedding light on the experiments being conducted and the motives of those running the laboratory.

As he landed on the ground after jumping out of the second level window, he knew he had to act fast. With the high fence looming in front of him, he summoned all his strength and leaped over it, landing on the other side with a thud. His next move was crucial - he needed to get to a safe place where he could hide out for a while.

WIP

wip

#### Apocalypse (current)

##### Recovering

Two days after the final battle against Vecna, Billy was at home with Kali, Max, and Murray.

## Personality and Traits

(copied from official wiki, im gon change this soon,, this is a template)

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 High 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 the Lucas Sinclair, Mike Wheeler, and Dustin Henderson out of sheer annoyance with Max and later almost beating Steve to death.

He 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 struggles with problems at home: namely, his abusive dad, who physically abused his mother to the point where she left Billy with Neil, who now reflects that violence onto his son, as well as calling him a 'faggot'. Susan is a horrified witness to this abuse, but makes no move to protect Billy (other than one verbal comment), who is - despite his bravado - still a child.

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.

However, in 1985 when Eleven enters his 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.

**Bad traits**

* **Need for control**: -

* **Possessive behavior**: -

* **Challenging behaviour**: -

## Abilities/Skills

Billy acquired exceptional abilities after falling under the control of the Mind Flayer as one of the Flayed. A portion of the fungus, which was the subject of experimentation by the Hawkins Laboratory, remains within him and was never extracted. This has resulted in his continued connection to the Upside Down.

#### **Abilities**

* **Neck Sense**: As a result of his possession by the Mind Flayer, Billy retained the ability to detect activity within the Upside Down's collective consciousness, experiencing a chillingly eerie feeling at the back of his neck. The sensation was often described as similar to the drop on a rollercoaster ride, only much colder and more frightening. In 1986, Billy's neck-sense alerted him to the presence of Vecna, though he was unclear about the significance of this. To this day, he has never shared this experience with anyone else, although he is aware that he is not the only one who has maintained a lingering connection to the Upside Down.

* **True Sight**: After his rescue from the Upside Down, Billy began experiencing vivid visions of the alternate dimension and vague memories. This power could be compared to the concept of "True Sight" in Dungeons & Dragons, which is defined as the ability to see into the Ethereal Plane. When these visions occur, Billy finds himself perceiving both the normal world and the Upside Down simultaneously, although he has no control over when they happen and experiences them unpredictably. The frequency of these visions increases whenever Vecna or the Mind Flayer become active.

* **Enhanced Strength**: As a result of being Flayed and still harboring remnants of the Mind Flayer's fungus, Billy is gifted with superhuman strength. This increase in strength is accompanied by an ominous black substance flowing through his body, causing his veins to appear dark and visible just beneath his skin. To this day, the appearance of this strength is unpredictable and has not manifested yet, leaving the timing of its appearance uncertain. Billy is unaware of the presence of the hidden fungus within him.

#### **Skills**

* **Mechanical**: -

* **Intelligence**: -

* **Sports**: -

* **Great cook**: -

## Relationships

### Familial

**Neil Hargrove**

The bond with his father has never been good. Neil has always been abusive towards Billy, both physically and verbally threatening him. His father’s abuse is visibly distressing him and is the source of his violent behavior till this day. After Billy's mother's departure, Neil was free to abuse Billy even more, giving him a violent, abusive nature as well.

**Unnamed Mother**

Unlike his father, Billy seemed to have a good relationship with his biological mother when he was young. She always supported and encouraged Billy's dreams to be a surfer. Billy loved his mother dearly as he tried to protect her from his father's abuse. However, after his mother finally had enough of the abuse and left, Billy was heartbroken and tried to get his mother to come back, but to no avail. When his father remarried, Max became an easy target for his anger. After being reminded of his mother and her beauty by Eleven, Billy cried, showing deep down he still loved his mother. This memory and love for his mother, made Billy sacrifice himself to the Mind Flayer and apologize to Max for abusing her as he died.

**Susan Hargrove**

Susan is Billy's stepmother. Billy shows no warm feelings towards Susan, but she is a horrified witness to the abuse he suffers at Neil's hands. She even lied about Billy giving Max a cigarette to smoke so Neil wouldn’t beat Billy as *Runaway Max* showed.

**Max Mayfield**

Max and Billy were stepsiblings, with Neil introducing them to each other when they were young, with Neil saying Max was Billy's "new sister". The two hated one another out of spite for how broken each of their respective families were. Max had admitted that Billy had always been a "dick", but the straw that broke the camel's back was when Susan and Neil had the family move from California to Hawkins, Indiana, as a way to get away from Max's father. Since Billy couldn't take it out his anger on either of his parents, he used Max as a lightning rod to absorb his bitterness, making her life a living hell.

### Non-Familial

**Steve Harrington**

Soon after he arrived in Hawkins, Billy began a contentious relationship with Steve Harrington. He saw himself as superior and sought to assert his dominance by belittling Steve, trying to intimidate him, and publicly shaming him. There was something about Steve Harrington that sparked a little interest in him. However, Their rivalry became physical when Billy discovered that Steve was trying to keep him from seeing Max. Upon discovering the truth about Steve's lies about Max's whereabouts, Billy broke into the house to find her. The two got into a physical altercation, with Billy emerging victorious due to his greater violence and fighting experience. The fight was eventually stopped when Billy was sedated.

**Tommy Hagan**

When Billy began to outperform Steve back at Hawkins High School, Tommy gladly became Billy’s lackey. It remains to be seen if Billy cares about Tommy in any capacity. He was definitely taken aback when Hagan appeared next to Munson, Hollway, and Cunningham at skull rock.

**Eddie Munson**

## Quotes

* *“That's how you do it Hawkins, that's how you do it!” -1984*
* *"This whole situation, Harrington. I don't know... It's giving me the heebie jeebies." -1984*

## Gallery

A picture of Billy at the age of 15, taken by Susan. Hawkins High yearbook 1984Hawkins Police Department - Alleged to have assaulted Andy - 1985First day in Hawkins