The Scream sequel. The fate of Stu Macher has been debated endlessly by horror fans over the decades. According to Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson, Stu definitively died at the end of Scream courtesy of numerous stab wounds and a television set to the head from Sidney Prescott. However, this has not stopped the Scream franchise fan base from speculating on his fate.

Now, the creators of Scream VI are ing in on the fun by hiding a subtle nod to the popular fan theory that Stu will return to the series in the first poster for the Scream sequel. Scream VI moves the action to NYC and the poster depicts a subway map where every stop is the name of one of Ghostface's victims. Notably, however, Stu's dot is a slightly different color from everyone else’s along his line, fueling more discussions that the character is not truly dead. What is unclear is whether the poster hinting at something or the creators are simply toying with fans.

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Stu's Dot On The Scream 6 Subway Poster Is A Different Color

Stu Billy Scream IV poster close up

Scream VI won't feature Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott due to a pay dispute with the series star, the sequel will be bringing back Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed instead. It is possible that Matthew Lillard could come back as Stu in Scream VI, although this legacy cameo might be ruined by Sidney’s absence. Stu Macher's dot being a different color on the Scream VI poster could be read as tacit confirmation that Stu has been in prison or in hiding all these years, but this twist would have worked better if Sidney (the character with whom Stu had most of his onscreen interaction) was still a part of the sequel.

How Stu Can Still Be Involved In Scream 6 Even If He's Dead

Matthew Lilliard smiling creepily as Stu in Scream
Miramax

It is possible that if Stu is dead (as Williamson insists) he could still be a driving force behind the killings. After all, Skeet Ulrich returned as Billy Loomis in Scream VI makes things easier for Ghostface, planting the villain in the middle of a major city, so a relative of Stu Macher could hunt down the movie’s heroes with a lot more anonymity than Woodsboro would afford them.

However, Scream VI may not end up using this twist, since Scream 2022 already featured a variation on the idea. In that sequel, Kyle Gallner’s underused red herring Vince was revealed to be Stu’s nephew while the group was discussing potential suspects. Since Vince died early on without much fanfare, it seems unlikely that Scream VI would repeat this twist verbatim, meaning the Scream sequel either plans to bring back Stu himself or the poster may just be messing with viewers and their expectations.

Next: Scream 6 Cannot Repeat Scream 2022's Dewey Twist