New Stranger Things Fan Theory Argues This Surprising Character Is ‘The American’

*Warning: Spoilers for all aired episodes of Stranger Things*

While Stranger Things season 3 ended on a particularly bittersweet note, the sneaky post-credits scene gave us all a little bit of hope for what’s to come. The now-heavily analyzed part shows two Russian soldiers walk by some cells, and when one goes to open a door, the other says, “No, not the American.” They then take a prisoner from a different cell, seemingly to be fed to the Demogorgon.

This cryptic scene has led to some serious fan theories, and Reddit user xanshue just shared a compelling possibility for an answer to the big question: who is “the American”? They claim it could actually be Billy Hargrove:

“When Billy went too [sic] the Upside Down he saw a clone of himself, perhaps they somehow switched places and Billy escaped by creating a new gate somehow,” the fan speculates. “It would explain how that demadog [sic] was alive in the Russian lab as well.”

While most are convinced that Jim Hopper is the unnamed American, this theory dismisses that possibility, suggesting that his final scene was just too emotional to simply have him return.

Other theories around the American’s identity argue that it’s Dr. Brenner, or Murray Bauman. Billy is certainly a surprising possibility, but who knows? It seems far-fetched at first glance but this fan could be onto something.