Benny Hammond, portrayed by Chris Sullivan, was a minor character in the first season of Stranger Things.
He was the owner and chef at Benny's Burgers, a diner located on 4819 Randolph Lane in Hawkins, Indiana. After coming across a strange and disheveled little girl, Benny decided to cater for her, providing her with food and getting in touch with Social Services. However, this good deed would lead to his death at the hands of DOE agent Connie Frazier.
History
Background
Benny Hammond was born in the 1930s, presumably in Hawkins, Indiana. At some point, he assumed ownership of his family's business, a diner called Benny's Burgers. He was a friend of Hopper, Earl, and Henry. According to Earl, Benny's ex-wives "didn't like him much", but otherwise he had few enemies.
1959-1979
At some point, Benny had a mundane interaction with a customer called Oscar, who insisted that the hamburger he ordered was free of pickles, since he disliked the smell of them. Unbeknownst to both men, Henry Creel secretly observed the interaction through use of the Void, as instructed by Dr. Martin Brenner.[2]
1983
Benny and Earl had planned to go fishing down the Etowah River on November 13, 1983, a trip Benny was looking forward to.
On November 7, 1983, Benny was at the restaurant talking to Earl and Henry. While he wasn't looking, a girl with a shaved head and a hospital gown entered the restaurant through the back door. The girl entered the kitchen, found a serving of French fries, and began to eat feverishly. Benny turned around, noticing them, and yelled "Hey!". The girl grabbed the fries and started to run, but Benny caught them and was surprised to realize that she was just a girl.
Benny clothed, cooked, and cared for the girl. Benny, somewhat unsuccessfully, tried communicating with her; this was difficult as she was very shy and afraid to speak. However, he noticed the digits "011" tattooed on her left forearm and inquired her its meaning. After some attempts, the girl pointed to herself, implying that it was her name.
Shortly after Benny had found Eleven in his restaurant, Benny called social services, thinking she was a victim of serious abuse, due to her inability to respond properly and peculiar behavior.
Benny's body found by Hawkins police on Tuesday November 8th of 1983.
Agent Connie Frazier, posing as a social worker, arrived instead. She shot and killed Benny, while other agents chased the girl.[3]
His body was later found by the police. Hawkins National Laboratory had manipulated the scene to make it look like a suicide,[4] but Chief of Police Jim Hopper later pieced together that Benny's demise was not his own doing.[5]
Legacy
By 1986, the abandoned Benny Burgers had become a hang-out spot used by the Hawkins Tigers.[6]
Personality
Despite his rough appearance, Benny was a kind and friendly individual. While this earned him few enemies, the fact that his ex-wives disliked him could indicate he had problems with relationships.
Relationships
- Jim Hopper – Friend
- Earl - Friend
- Eleven – Friend
Appearances
| Stranger Things appearances | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Video game appearances | ||||||||||||
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Memorable Quotes
- "Eleven? What's it mean?"
- "A smile looks good on you. You know, smile?"
Gallery
Trivia
- In the original pilot script, Benny is at a couple of points referred to as "Benny Henderson". This could have been a production error, or it could suggest that he was originally planned to be a member of Dustin Henderson's family.
- For some reason, Benny owed Alan Munson two hundred dollars.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The official teleplay for "The Vanishing of Will Byers" describes Benny as in his late 40s.
- ↑ Stranger Things VR
- ↑ "The Vanishing of Will Byers"
- ↑ "The Weirdo on Maple Street"
- ↑ "The Upside Down"
- ↑ "Vecna's Curse"
- ↑ Stranger Things: Flight of Icarus