‘Chucky’ Season 2: Don Mancini and Jennifer Tilly Explain the Dynamics Behind Killing off a Young Character

Showbiz Cheat Sheet attended the Chucky Season 2 panel at New York Comic-Con 2022. The cast and creator of the horror series broke down what is in store for the season, the new Catholic school setting, and the return of a first-season actor. But above all, creator Don Mancini and actor Jennifer Tilly spill the beans on what led to a jaw-dropping death in the premiere episode of Chucky Season 2, a first-of-its-kind for the franchise.

[SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers ahead regarding Chucky Season 2.]

Jake, Lexi, and Devon are blamed for the tragic death of Gary in ‘Chucky’ Season 2

After the first season’s events, Jake is sent away with a new foster family living farther away from Hackensack. He also gets a new foster brother named Gary. The Chucky Season 2 premiere shows that Jake has formed a close bond with his new young brother, who is obsessed with Batman. Jake even hand-makes their Halloween costumes of Batman and Robin. But their bond would come to a tragic end.

Chucky broke his soul into pieces and into multiple doll versions of himself. The dolls have their set plans, and one of them involves Gary. The young boy becomes in possession of one of the dolls. While Jake and Devon are at Lexy’s, the doorbell rings to reveal Gary holding a Chucky doll. But good old Chucky created a homemade bomb using fertilizer and another household item.

In the end, the three characters fall right into Chucky’s trap, and he wants to kill all of them at once. As Lexi comes downstairs, Devon tases Chucky and drops the bomb. Gary grabs the bomb and runs away. But a determined Chucky runs after him and detonates the bomb in Gary’s arms.

That is right, Don Mancini did the unthinkable in Chucky Season 2 and killed off a toddler. It results in the three main characters being blamed for the death and sent to a Catholic reform school. At New York Comic-Con, Mancini and Tilly explained why they got to do it in the new season.

Don Mancini bargained with Universal to kill Gary in ‘Chucky’ Season 2

The cast and creator of Chucky Season 2 answered the nitty gritty details about the new season. Not only did Mancini express his hopes of a “Chuckyverse,” but Tilly revealed a behind-the-scene tidbit about the franchise. The panel’s moderator brought up the death of Gary in the first episode and what the cast thought of the series killing off a kid.

“I was surprised to see that kid blow up because I know in Cult of Chucky, Don wanted to slaughter a child, and Universal said, ‘No, you do not kill children here at Universal,'” explained Tilly. Mancini seems to have been stuck on the idea of a dramatic death for some time before Chucky Season 2. But the creator explains that it was 10 years ago, and the horror genre has changed so much since then.

But Tilly reveals even more dirty secrets and that Mancini spoke with executives about the topic. “You said that you bargained with them and said, ‘what age can I kill a child?'” explained Tilly. To make the scene happen and appease executives, Tilly says Mancini cast a 10-year-old actor who looked much younger.

“I sold it to him. I said, ‘You’re Chucky’s youngest victim ever,'” explained Mancini. Looking back at the Child’s Play franchise, the first movie had Chucky actively trying and kill Andy as a child but never succeeding. Fans never actually see the killer doll murder a child.

Who plays Gary in the horror series?

Fans are heartbroken over the death of Gary in the very first episode. While Mancini did the unthinkable so early on in Chucky Season 2, fans cannot help but agree it set the bar high for the franchise. There is no denying that fans will forever remember the young character.

Actor Simon Webster plays Gary. Chucky Season 2 is not his first acting gig, as he voiced Lucas the Spider from 2021 until 2022. He also played Ethan Matthews in the 2022 ePix mystery series, From. Webster’s other roles include Strays, The Most Dangerous Game, When Hope Calls, and a few TV movies.

Chucky Season 2 airs every Wednesday on SyFy.