WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Scream, now playing in theaters.
In the Scream franchise, it's safe to say Skeet Ulrich's Billy Loomis is one of the nastiest villains around. He began the Woodsboro murders that inspired copycats over the years, which have constantly haunted Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) ever since. However, while it seemed like his ghost was put to bed after four movies, Billy made a shocking return in the "requel," only this time, he was turned into a hero.
Billy was butchered and shot dead by Sid and Gale in the first film, but his legacy is still feared. He got Stu involved, plus his mom, Debbie, ran amok in the second Scream movie, proving he's like a serial killer infection. Well, that changed drastically when he reprised his role here in a secret that was well-kept in trailers and even in casting news.
He first popped up when Sam was in the hospital bathroom after her sister, Tara, got attacked by Ghostface. Sam washed her face but as she looked in the mirror, she hallucinated Billy telling her that the drugs she was taking didn't help and that she needed to reveal the truth -- that she was the child he secretly had in Woodsboro.
Billy was involved in an affair years ago, and when Sam found the truth out in her mom's diary, she accidentally spilled the news in front of her dad and split up the family. It caused Sam to flee, where she found her beau, Richie, only to now return home because someone was imitating her bio dad and gunning for Tara's inner circle.
Billy also appeared later on in Scream when Sam was driving, telling her to accept that she harbored a killer inside. It wasn't made clear if it was mental illness passed down genetically or if years of media and Stab movies had Sam concocting all this, but clearly, the Loomis name was stirring up something dark inside.
It came to a head in Scream's final act, when Richie was revealed to be one of the slashers, along with Tara's friend, Amber. They were toxic fans who wanted the spirit of Billy and Stu to return to mar the town, which led to a brutal fight between Richie and Sam. He confessed that he had been playing her all along, enjoying their passion the same way Billy did when he manipulated and lied to Sid.
But right when Richie was about to finish her off in Stu's living room, Sam saw Billy's apparition once more, guiding her to a knife. It allowed her to grab the weapon and stab up Richie multiple times. As she slit Richie's throat to finish the job, an irate Sam embraced her dad's energy but this time, Billy saved the heroine rather than being a part of her pain.
To see how Billy returns as a hero, Scream is now playing in theaters.