Tim Burton’s Wednesday follows the titular character as she attends Nevermore, a school for outcasts with special abilities. Despite her initial reluctance, Wednesday quickly becomes embroiled in trying to solve a series of monster attacks in Jericho town. Determining the monster’s identity and the perpetrator behind the attacks becomes Wednesday’s primary focus. Attention, spoilers ahead!
Wednesday Searches for a Monster
As Wednesday Addams searches for the truth behind the Hyde attacks in Jericho, she explores various possibilities regarding the monster’s identity. Although Wednesday initially suspects Xavier Thorpe and Dr. Kinbott, the true Hyde and its master turn out to be Tyler Galpin and Ms. Thornhill, and there are many clues throughout the show that hint at the true identities of the monster and villain.
Wednesday initially thinks the Hyde’s master is her and Tyler’s therapist, Dr. Kinbott, but one of the major clues that it is actually Ms. Thornhill is the red boots she wears. When Wednesday first meets Ms. Thornhill, there is a shot that shows her red boots. The significance of the red boots is revealed when Eugene wakes from his coma after being attacked by the Hyde and tells Wednesday that the person he saw in the woods was wearing red boots.
Ms. Thornhill Is the Villain
After Wednesday meets with Dr. Kinbott, she runs into Tyler, who tells her that he also sees Dr. Kinbott. Throughout the show, Tyler is dealing with the trauma of his mother’s death, which is later revealed to have been caused by her being a Hyde. When Wednesday gets Faulkner’s diary from the Nightshades library with the help of Thing and Uncle Fester, she learns that a traumatic event can unlock a Hyde’s powers. Tyler’s trauma around his mother makes it clear that he has the potential to be a Hyde.
At the beginning of Wednesday, it is stated that Ms. Thornhill is the only Nevermore teacher who is a normie. Later, Ms. Thornhill shows that she knows more of the school’s secrets, such as the Nightshades snapping code, than she reveals, despite saying that she feels out of place because of her identity. This detail establishes both Ms. Thornhill’s outsider status as a normie and her insider knowledge of Nevermore, making her the ideal master of the Hyde.
Tyler Galpin Is the Monster
Tyler and the Hyde are never seen together in Wednesday. There always seems to be a reason why Tyler is separated from the group during a Hyde attack, but his disappearances are a significant clue that suggests he is the monster. The most significant clue about Tyler’s identity as the Hyde is the visions that Wednesday gets, or more specifically when she gets them. Wednesday’s first vision of the Hyde, in which she sees the monster attacking Rowan, occurs when Tyler grabs Wednesday to save her. Wednesday eventually realizes that Tyler, not Xavier, is the Hyde after their first kiss, in which she has a clear vision of the monster.