| “ | I don't want to hurt you. You are weak and pathetic. I was holding back and then, you do that before everyone... before Papa. | ” |
Two, portrayed by Tristan Spohn, was a recurring antagonist in the fourth season of Stranger Things. He was the oldest known test subject experimented on at Hawkins National Laboratory during the 1970s, and the second oldest subject ever after One. He was seemingly the strongest psychic child among the group who would regularly bully Eleven.
History
Background
Hoping to recreate Henry Creel’s powers in other individuals, Dr. Martin Brenner, a researcher for the controversial government program "MKUltra", took what he had learned from Henry and adjusted his experimentations. Henry was given the title of “One”, the first child kept at Hawkins Lab.
Brenner successfully imbued various unborn children - children belonging to pregnant MKUltra test subjects - with versions of One’s powers. “Two” was the oldest of these children; he and all the others were abducted by Brenner at birth (with the exception of Eight) and brought to Hawkins National Laboratory. Two and the other subjects were told that One did not exist, believing himself to be the oldest of the test subjects; he did not realize Henry Creel was One, and one of the orderlies that attended to the lab.
For a time, Two proved to be the most powerful child, leading him to become narcissistic and mean-spirited.
1979
On September 4, 1979[1], Brenner took the children into the main training room, where, one-by-one, they would attempt to psychically manipulate a series of lightbulbs. Eleven struggled with this task, leading Two to mock and belittle her. Despite this, Eleven briefly powered one of the bulbs.
On September 7, Brenner pitted the children against each other in a combat-based test. Two children at a time would stand on mats, with both trying to psychically push their opponent off their mat, all the while resisting the other's attack. In this game, Two was able to hold his own against all of the other psychics without much effort, until Eleven ultimately defeated Two, gave into her inner powers and overpowered Two, knocking him into the wall, giving him a scare, which Two would take personally as a humiliating defeat.
Two threatens Eleven
Later that day, Two and his allies - Three, Four and Five - ganged up on Eleven in the Rainbow Room, and bullied her with their powers while the cameras were off, even threatening to kill her if she told on anyone about her injuries. After he slammed her into a wall, she apparently suffered a concussion.
The next day, Brenner checked up on Eleven, before he summoned all the test subjects to the training room. With the children lined up against the wall, Brenner demanded an explanation for Eleven's concussion. When Two spoke up and made snide comments, suggesting how 'stupid' and 'clumsy' Eleven had simply fallen over, Brenner grew suspicious. Commanding his orderlies to place an electroshock collar around Two's neck, an irked Brenner scrutinized Two, accusing him of breaking the rules. Eventually, Brenner used a remote control to electrocute Two through the collar, while Two tearfully confessed to attacking Eleven, with the other test subjects looking on in fear and horror. Two was then sent to recover in the infirmary.
Later that day, One manipulated Eleven into removing the implant that suppressed his powers; he proceeded to go on a murderous rampage throughout the laboratory, killing the other test subjects and various Hawkins Lab personnel. At an unknown time, Two left the infirmary and entered the Rainbow Room, only to be attacked by One. Upon entering the Rainbow Room, Eleven watched in horror as One telekinetically pinned Two against a wall, crushing his neck and dropping his corpse to the floor.
Legacy
In 1986, El recovered her memories when volunteering at Nina through a combination of experimental drugs, sensory deprivation and audiovisual stimulation. She re-experienced and remembered Two and the other older test subjects bullying her before witnessing their deaths at One’s hands, allowing her to regain her powers.
Personality
Two was a vindictive and irresponsible individual. He was somewhat charismatic, being the dominant influence on the three next oldest children, Three, Four and Five, and the leading figure within their friend group. He took pride in apparently being the oldest and most powerful of the child test subjects. Due to his traumatic experience growing up within Hawkins Lab, Two developed an obsession with power and a need for Dr. Brenner's approval.
After Eleven beat Two in a combat-based test, Two felt humiliated; unable to accept his loss, he and his friends bullied Eleven with their powers, and even threatened to kill her. Two later cruelly joked to Brenner about Eleven's injuries, but his poor decision to make that joke caused him to expose himself to Brenner. When Brenner punished Two for his lie and actions via electroshock collar, Two was clearly distraught and terrified where even Eleven was horrified by Brenner's actions.
Abilities
- Telekinesis: Like most of the other test subjects, Two has a strong level of telekinesis, being stronger than the other test subjects except for Eleven, who knocked him out of the ring, and One, who had no trouble overpowering him in terms of strength.
Relationships
- Martin Brenner † - Captor/Father figure
- One - Fellow test subject/killer
- Three † - Fellow test subject and friend
- Four † - Fellow test subject and friend
- Five † - Fellow test subject and friend
- Six † - Fellow test subject
- Seven † - Fellow test subject
- Eight - Former fellow test subject
- Nine † - Fellow test subject
- Ten † - Fellow test subject
- Eleven - Fellow test subject/enemy
- Twelve † - Fellow test subject
- Thirteen † - Fellow test subject
- Fourteen † - Fellow test subject
- Fifteen † - Fellow test subject
- Sixteen † - Fellow test subject
- Seventeen † - Fellow test subject
- Eighteen † - Fellow test subject
Appearances
| Season Four appearances | |||
| The Hellfire Club* | |||
| The Nina Project* | The Dive* | ||
| The Massacre at Hawkins Lab* | Papa* | ||
Gallery
|
For this subject's gallery, see Two/Gallery. |
Trivia
- Two vaguely parallels Angela earlier in the season, who also bullied Eleven and would later receive punishment.
- Two is the only test subject whose moment of death was shown onscreen.
- Aside from One, Eleven, and Eight, he has had more lines than the other fourteen test subjects.
- In an interview, Tristan Spohn describes his character as a deeply tragic individual who has been tortured and abused his entire life, yet still seeking Brenner's fatherly affection despite his abuse, even feeling sympathy for his character. [2]
- Like Eleven, Terry Ives, Kali, and the other test subjects, Two's use of his powers cause his nose to bleed.
References
- ↑ The live video feed from "The Nina Project" reveals the date 08/04/79.
- ↑ https://youtu.be/DEVC585tsck?t=256
