Scream 7 has granted the wish of many fans of the Scream saga by bringing Matthew Lillard back, but there’s only one way Stu’s return can work without undoing his death in the first movie. The Scream franchise has successfully seized the ongoing trend of reboots and legacy sequels, coming back to life in 2022 with a fifth movie simply тιтled Scream. The fifth movie introduced new Final Girls Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), who continued to lead the reboot timeline in the sequel, Scream 6.
However, Sam and Tara’s stories won’t continue in Scream 7 anymore, as Melissa Barrera was fired and Jenna Ortega dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Instead, Scream 7 is bringing Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) back, under the direction of franchise creator Kevin Williamson. Joining Sidney will be Gale (Courteney Cox) and Tara’s friends (and Randy’s niece and nephew) Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad (Mason Gooding). Now, Scream 7 has added another major legacy character with Matthew Lillard’s Stu, but this can only work in one way without retconning the saga.
Scream 7’s Stu Return Is Better As A Flashback
Flashbacks Are The Only Way Stu Could Believably Return
Through a post on his social media accounts, Matthew Lillard teased his return to the Scream saga. The post shows Lillard writing Stu’s line “My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me”, which has been taken as a confirmation of his return. Stu Macher is one of the first Ghostface killers, alongside his friend Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich). Billy had reasons to go after Sidney and her mother, Maureen, as the latter had an affair with Billy’s father, which led his mother to abandon him.
Stu, on the other hand, was in for the thrills, which makes him one of the most terrifying Ghostface killers to date. At the end of Scream, Billy stabs Stu too deep and he bleeds a lot before pᴀssing out. While Billy was unconscious, Stu regained consciousness and went after Sidney, but she attacked him back. Sidney dropped a TV on Stu’s head, electrocuting him to death. Now, thanks to Lillard’s uncredited and sneaky cameo in Scream 2, it has been rumored for years that Stu had survived.
Billy returned in Scream 2022 and Scream 6 thanks to Sam, who had hallucinations of him, but without Sam, neither Billy nor Stu can return that way anymore.
Williamson confirmed years later that Stu is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, but if he’s coming back in Scream 7, the only way to do it is in flashbacks. Billy returned in Scream 2022 and Scream 6 thanks to Sam, who had hallucinations of him, but without Sam, neither Billy nor Stu can return that way anymore. Undoing Stu’s death would be controversial and would change the entire Scream saga, so bringing him back in flashbacks is the safest way.
Scream 7 Is Also Bringing The Franchise’s Most Divisive Ghostface Back
Another ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Ghostface Is Coming Back
Stu isn’t the only Ghostface killer returning in Scream 7, as it seems like Scott Foley’s Roman Bridger, from Scream 3, is also returning. Foley’s casting was confirmed in January 2025, but it wasn’t revealed if he’s playing Roman Bridger again or not, though it’s most likely that he will. Roman is the only Ghostface in Scream history who has acted alone, but what makes him the most divisive killer in the franchise is his connection to Sidney.
Scream 3 revealed that Roman is Sidney’s half-brother and the mastermind behind Maureen’s death and the first Woodsboro murders. Roman was Maureen’s son, who she gave up for adoption so she could continue with her career as an actress. When Roman tried to reconnect with Maureen, she rejected him, so he wanted revenge. Roman was sH๏τ in the head by Dewey at the end of Scream 3, but he’s somehow returning after all these years.
Will Scream 7 Bring Other Ghostface Killers Back?
What Is Scream 7 Going To Do With Its ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Ghostfaces?
Without plot details for Scream 7, it’s hard to say why Stu and Roman will be coming back. At the time of writing, they are the only past Ghostface killers returning, but given that their casting announcements happened on the same day, it wouldn’t be surprising if others were revealed soon. With Sidney back, along with Gale and with Williamson directing, it seems like Scream 7 is relying too much on nostalgia, though how this will be included in the plot is to be seen.
As Scream 7 is expected to end the saga (for real this time), the Ghostface killers could be brought back for a nostalgia-driven montage as Sidney kills the new murderer(s) – or it could happen as Sidney is about to die. Scream 7 has become more confusing, complicated, and worrying with the return of Stu, but hopefully, it will use its past villains in a smart way that doesn’t retcon anything.
