There will be justice for Barb in Stranger Things season 2

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

With fashion sense reminiscent of Martha Plimpton in THE GOONIES, the character of Barb (played by Shannon Purser) was not exactly one of the cool kids in season one of Stranger Things… and that's largely why she won her way into the hearts of many viewers during her limited screen time. 

Unfortunately, Barb was snatched by the Demogorgon and taken into the mysterious Upside Down dimension early on in the season, and unlike some other characters who were able to escape the Upside Down after spending some time there, there's no way Barb will be coming back. She is definitely dead.

Barb's death didn't even have a major impact on the season, which is another reason why some viewers are so passionate about her. She was uncool, she was killed, and the show didn't seem to care all that much. Viewers began to demand justice for Barb.

The #JusticeForBarb movement has gotten so big that Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers can't just ignore it. According to David Harbour, who plays police chief Jim Hopper (a name lifted from PREDATOR) on the show, "justice for Barb" is part of the storyline in the upcoming second season.

We had no idea how much (Barb) would take off. I mean, the hair, the glasses, the blouse, the 'is that a new bra,' the judgment — all that, it is so wonderful when it was put together, but we had no idea she would take off in the way she did.

Barb is clearly dead. But as a result, I think, of some of the fandom and also as a result of what we want to explore, justice for Barb is a big thing in Season 2. Barb was not given the justice she deserved in Season 1 because we were focused on Will and saving a child, but so we've realized from the fans that Barb is important, and so we are going to treat her with the respect that she deserves. That does mean, though, that she is definitely very, very dead, and buried, and she will not be coming back. But we will have justice for Barb."

Shannon Purser may not be back for season two, but Harbour is, and will be a surrounded by a cast of fellow returning actors and new additions. That cast includes Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Winona Ryder, Sean Astin, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Paul Reiser, Dacre Montgomery, Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Millie Bobby Brown, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Brett Gelman, and Linnea Berthelsen.

This season is set around Halloween 1984, just under a year after the events of the first season. 

A year after Will’s return, everything seems back to normal… but a darkness lurks just beneath the surface, threatening all of Hawkins.

Stranger Things season two will debut on Netflix this Halloween.

Purser out of character