Summary
Season 1 ofStranger Thingsintroduced Will and Jonathan’s biological father, Lonnie Byers, but aside from a brief run-in with Joyce concerning her youngest son’s disappearance, Lonnie is never seen or mentioned again.Stranger Thingsseems to have forgotten about Lonnie altogether, but as Season 5 intends to wrap up the story, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him again before the show’s conclusion.
Lonnie and Joyce married sometime before Jonathan was born in 1966. They had their second son, Will, in 1971. It was implied in Season 1that Lonnie was an alcoholic and drug addict, as well as an abusive father and husband. Joyce divorced him several years later and Lonnie moved from Hawkins to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he began dating a woman named Cynthia and maintained little interest in visiting his sons.When Will went missing, Joyce made contact with Lonnie to inform him of his son’s apparent abduction.
In the second episode, “The Weirdo on Maple Street,” Jonathan tracks down Lonnie and enters his home unannounced. Lonnie mistakes Jonathan for an intruder, but later introduces him to Cynthia and reassures him that he has no idea where Will is. In episode five, “The Flea and the Acrobat,” Hawkins Lab covers up Will’s disappearance by making it seem as though Will had fallen into the quarry and drowned.Lonnie attends the funeral to confront Joyce, who discovers Lonnie’s true intentions to sue the quarry and profit from Will’s ‘death.‘Lonnie flees the funeral after calling Joyce “a mess” and he’s never heard from again for three more seasons.
Lonnie Byers Could Return to Stranger Things in Season 5
Since Lonnie was estranged from the family in “The Flea and the Acrobat,” it is unknown whether Lonnie is aware of Will’s survival or not.In the original drafts for Season 1, Lonnie was supposed to have a redemption arcand reunite at the Byers’ house to fight the Demogorgon. When the Duffer brothers decided against it,the redemption arc was given to Steve Harrington instead, who swooped in to help Nancy and Jonathan. For the most part, Lonnie has been missing from theStranger Thingsaction. His character seems to have only been included as a motivator for Joyce, a character with a stark contrast to Lonnie in terms of her generous personality and commitment to her children.
While no official word has confirmed Lonnie’s appearance in Season 5, actor Ross Patridge’s official Wikipedia page lists his involvement inStranger Thingsas ‘Seasons 1 and 5’ — a revelation which could hold some significance as the final season approaches. Naturally, Wikipedia isn’t an entirely reliable source of information, so this is all still conjecture. Until Netflix orStranger Thingsmake any announcement, it can be assumed that Lonnie won’t be popping up out of nowhere.Will and Jonathan have a bit of a rocky relationship too, but hopefully, Season 5 will address the Byers dynamic and give their story its full-circle moment.
A lot has happened to Joyce, Will, and Jonathan since Season 1. Joyce has moved through her boyfriend Bob, who lost his life to a Demodog, on to Hopper, whom she seemingly begins officially dating at the end of Season 4. As for Will,he has been a vessel for the Mind Flayerfor a few seasons and even has an unrequited crush on Mike, while Jonathan is in a full-time, committed relationship with Nancy Wheeler. While Joyce and Lonnie are unlikely to reconcile with Hopper in the picture,it would be nice to see Lonnie’s redemption arc play out as it was supposed to in Season 1.
In Season 5,Lonnie could return to Hawkinsafterhearing the news of Vecna’s invasion. There, he would reunite with the Byers clan in an effort to save Hawkins. Although Joyce and Hopper are now an item,nothing is stopping Lonnie from becoming the attentive and compassionate father he was always meant to be. It would be refreshing to see Lonnie and Hopper interact and address their mutual admiration for Joyce, while also accepting that Lonnie lost his chance with her.Lonnie could also reconcile with Will and Jonathan, apologizing for his years of absence while promising to be there for them going forward.
Season 5 will be full of surprises, if the cast’s comments and circulating fan theories are anything to go by.Stranger Thingshas built a reputation for surprising viewers with the unexpected, especially since some of the most shocking moments includethe deaths of fan-favorite characters.While Lonnie isn’t entirely likable as a person, his return would still have an impact on the Byers family to some degree. The likelihood that Lonnie will play a significant part in Season 5 is very slim, but if Karen Wheeler can have a Season 4 poster dedicated to her, viewers keep their wits about them to not underestimate the seemingly trifling side characters going forward. There are no rules in the world ofStranger Thingsand even the most unthinkable scenarios can play out.
