Scream 7 is bringing three ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters back, among them Matthew Lillard’s Stu Macher, and I agree with his fear about his return – however, this is actually good for the movie. The Scream saga successfully returned to the big screen over a decade after it supposedly ended with Scream 4. The franchise seized the trend of reboots and legacy sequels in the horror genre and brought a fifth movie, simply тιтled Scream, released in 2022. Its success made way for a sequel, Scream 6, the first in the saga not to include Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott in any capacity.

Scream 2022 introduced a new generation of characters, led by sisters Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega), the franchise’s new Final Girls. Sam and Tara returned to lead Scream 6, but after Melissa Barrera’s firing and Jenna Ortega dropping out due to scheduling conflicts, Sam and Tara won’t return for Scream 7. Instead, the next movie will bring Sidney back as the main character, accompanied by Gale (Courteney Cox) and three ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters, one of them Stu – and Lillard is understandably worried about his return, but this is good news for Scream 7.

Matthew Lillard Doesn’t Want To Ruin Stu’s Legacy With His Scream 7 Return

Stu’s Return In Scream 7 Is A Huge Risk

In addition to Barrera and Ortega’s exits, Scream 7 also lost its director when Christopher Landon dropped out. Scream 7 had to go through a full creative rework after all this, bringing Neve Campbell back as the lead and with franchise creator Kevin Williamson serving as director. Scream 7 is also bringing new characters along with the surviving ones from the reboot movies (Chad and Mindy) and legacy characters, both alive and ᴅᴇᴀᴅ.

As mentioned above, Gale Weathers is coming back, making her the only character to appear in all Scream movies, and Scream 7 is also bringing back three ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters: Stu Macher, Roman Bridger (Scott Foley), and Dewey Riley (David Arquette). Stu has been theorized to return for years, as many believe he survived being electrocuted at the end of Scream, so his confirmed appearance in Scream 7 was equal parts exciting, intriguing, and worrying.

My main concern with the return of these ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters is that Scream 7 is already looking like a nostalgia fest, which doesn’t feel right as the concluding chapter of a trilogy – even more so because it’s a trilogy started by characters who aren’t coming back anymore. On top of that, these ᴅᴇᴀᴅ characters, even though two of them only appeared once, have well-established legacies in the saga, and if their return and place in the story of Scream 7 aren’t handled correctly, they could end up ruining their legacies and past stories.

Matthew Lillard has now shared this same concern during an appearance at 90s Con, where he opened up about playing Stu Macher again after all these years. Lillard said he’s excited and terrified at the same time, as he worries about ruining his character’s legacy. Lillard added that his fear is that he will “punish something” that shouldn’t have been touched and was just fine, and hopes to not ruin it for anyone. While I don’t think there’s a way for Lillard to “screw up”, I do worry about how Scream 7 will handle Stu and his return.

Stu Macher Is Still One Of Scream’s Most Terrifying Ghostface Killers

Stu Is One Of The Original Scream Ghostface Killers

Scream 3 changed what we had known about the Woodsboro murders up until then, with Roman revealed to be the real mastermind behind the murder of Maureen Prescott and the first Woodsboro murders. Still, Stu and Billy (Skeet Ulrich) will always be the first ones to put on the Ghostface costume and terrorize Woodsboro. Stu and Billy were best friends, so much so that they planned all those murders together, but they had very different motivations to do all that.

Billy was motivated by anger and revenge, as he learned thanks to Roman that his father was having an affair with Maureen Prescott. This led to Mrs. Loomis abandoning her family, which deeply affected Billy. Further encouraged by Roman, Billy recruited Stu and they killed Maureen, and a year later, they went after Sidney, killing others in the process. Stu, on the other hand, had no connection to the Prescotts aside from being friends with Sidney and thus had no reason to want to kill Maureen or Sidney.

Instead, Stu joined Billy for the thrill of killing. This makes Stu one of the most terrifying Ghostface killers in Scream history, as he wanted to know how it felt to kill, and he did it more than once. Stu showed no remorse and was very confident in his and Billy’s plan to frame Sidney’s father, and his only vulnerable moment was when he was feeling “a little woozy” after being stabbed multiple times. Stu and Billy’s crimes inspired all Ghostface killers that have followed, so their legacy lives on.

Why Matthew Lillard’s Scream 7 Stu Worries Are Good For The Movie

He’s Not Taking It Lightly

While I completely agree with Lillard’s thoughts and fears about his return as Stu Macher in Scream 7, I have to say his worries are a relief and will be good for the movie. Lillard is aware of all the fan theories about Stu’s survival and how fans have been wanting to see him again in a Scream movie. Lillard knows well the legacy of Stu and the impact his character has had in-universe and with fans, which is why his fears are understandable.

However, if Scream 7 didn’t have a good story or a good reason to bring Stu back, it’s unlikely Lillard would have agreed to join. I feel the same can be said for Foley and Arquette, as well, even if they haven’t been as open as Lillard about possible worries and the legacy and impact of their characters. Although I’m definitely worried that Scream 7 will rely too much on nostalgia and fan service, I trust Lillard’s decisions and judgment and hope the movie will know how to handle the return of Stu, Roman, and Dewey.

How Stu Can Return In Scream 7 Without Undoing His Death

There Are Ways In Which Stu Can Believably Return

It’s highly unlikely that Stu will be revealed to be alive in Scream 7, more so after Williamson himself confirmed Stu is ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, so now the challenge is bringing him back without undoing his death. The most popular theory is that Stu will be brought back in a vision similar to those Sam had in Scream 2022 and Scream 6, or in some flashback, though that would require the use of the still controversial de-aging technology. Another theory says Stu will be brought back through AI and deepfakes, as well as Roman and Dewey, which fits the saga’s style and avoids other problems.

Of course, Scream 7 could surprise the audience with something completely unexpected and creative when it comes to the return of Stu, Roman, and Dewey, though the biggest challenge will be making it believable. Scream 7 has many challenges ahead, but after hearing Matthew Lillard’s worries, the movie might be on the right track.