Wednesday Season 2's special sneak peek confirmed the identity of one of its major villains: Haley Joel Osment's Kansas City Scalper. Netflix's trending horror comedy spinoff set in the world of The Addams Family is set to return for Season 2, continuing the story of Jenna Ortega's titular character at Nevermore Academy.
Wednesday Season 1 saw Wednesday Addams deal with the dangerous Marilyn Thornhill (Christina Ricci) due to her mission of killing all the outcasts in Nevermore. She also met Tyler (Hunter Doohan), who was later revealed to be a monstrous Hyde she had investigated throughout Season 1. While Tyler is confirmed to return in Wednesday Season 2, another sinister foe is poised to cause all sorts of problems against Wednesday.
During Netflix's TUDUM event on Saturday, May 31, the streamer released the first six minutes of Wednesday Season 2, showing Wednesday tracking down the Kansas City Scalper.
The clip shows a preview of Wednesday's obsession with the Kansas City Scalper since she was 11, and her pursuit is still active. Wednesday is also seen practicing her psychic skills to better prepare her for an eventual meeting with the serial killer.
With the help of Thing, she successfully tracks down the killer's location using stolen evidence. Wednesday eventually comes face to face with the Kansas City Scalper, but her touch triggers her ability to see visions, causing her to become captured.
Although she wakes up surrounded by dolls inside the Kansas City Scalper's underground lair, Wednesday remains unfazed. She later brings out her secret weapon (Thing) and knocks out the serial killer. After freeing herself, she tells Haley Joel Osment's character, "Let's play dolls."
Watch the full six-minute clip below:
Wednesday Season 2 has a star-studded cast headlined by Jenna Ortega, Emma Myers, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Steve Buscemi, Joy Sunday, Luis Guzmán, Hunter Doohan, Isaac Ordonez, Victor Dorobantu, Evie Templeton, Joanna Lumley, Thandiwe Newton, Christopher Lloyd, and Lady Gaga. Wednesday Season 2 is confirmed to be split into two parts. Part 1 will debut on August 6, 2025, while Part 2 will premiere on September 3, 2025.
Is the Kansas City Scalper Real?
Based on the footage, the Kansas City Scalper (whose real name is Chet) works as a pet groomer who moonlights as a serial killer. Speaking with TUDUM, Wednesday creator Alfred Gough revealed that Chet's obsession with hair as a "beauty school dropout" turned him into a serial killer:
"The idea with Chet was that he was obsessed with hair. He is a beauty school dropout who then became a serial killer."
Wednesday's Kansas City Scalper, a purely fictional character, has been regarded as America's Most Elusive Serial Killer in the show, as he has evaded arrest for quite some time.
In the real world, that title belongs to the Zodiac Killer, a serial killer from the San Francisco Bay Area who was active from 1968 to 1969. The Zodiac Killer is known for mocking and taunting law enforcement by using coded messages before disappearing without a trace.
Meanwhile, the closest real-life serial killer case similar to the alter ego of the Kansas City Scalper as a pet groomer was a convicted serial killer named Amy Caroline Brown (via Herald). She was arrested in 2017 after she killed a man whom she met online.
How Kansas City Scalper's Arrival Impacts Wednesday Season 2
The rivalry between the Kansas City Scalper (aka Chet) and Wednesday is expected to be one of the major conflicts in Season 2. While the six-minute clip ended with Wednesday threatening to kill the Kansas City Scalper, there is a good chance that she will keep him alive.
Wednesday's obsession with the Kansas City Scalper stems from her childhood. It's possible that she became fascinated by how the serial killer managed to evade arrest and go off the grid for years. Wednesday could keep Chet alive to ask him about his specifics of evading capture, using it to her advantage as a last resort when trying to escape far more dangerous enemies.
In the same interview with TUDUM, Wednesday creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar confirmed that the titular character is currently on summer vacation:
Alfred Gough: "I think the most fun about this was asking, ‘What would Wednesday do during her summer vacation?"
Miles Millar: "It had to be something insane and dark."
Tracking down the Kansas City Scalper might be one of Wednesday's hobbies during her downtime, considering that the early episodes of Wednesday Season 2 are set during the summer. As dark as it may be, this activity could also be her way of ticking something off her bucket list.
