Before 'Teen Wolf' 6A even ended, rumors quickly began to emerge about Dylan O'Brien reprising his role as Stiles Stilinski in the series' final 10 episodes after he supposedly told two fans his commitment to the show ended after the Winter Finale.
season 6 was originally written around the actor's schedule when he left to film 'The Death Cure' with the expectation of flying him back to film additional scenes. After O'Brien was involved in a serious on-set accident, production for the movie was shut down and didn't reopen until just a few months ago. Due to his injuries and a commitment to filming 'American Assassin' in late 2016, O'Brien wasn't able to return to 'Teen Wolf' until weeks before the mid-season finale was set to air.
Despite the lack of Stiles' physical presence, the season focused heavily on how much he meant to each of the characters and finally gave "Stydia" fans the confirmation they've been waiting for. Before Stiles was taken by a group known as the Wild Hunt and erased from existence, he confessed his love for Lydia in the hopes that it would help her remember him. With O'Brien gone for most of the season, the show decided to concentrate on Lydia's feelings for Stiles, which she finally acts on when they are reunited in Season 6 episode 10, "Riders on the Storm."
Now that Stiles and Lydia finally went there, what's next for the pair with O'Brien's appearances in the season unknown?
Stiles will most likely appear in 6B
While MTV has not made an official statement, fans have resorted to other ways of discovering information on O'Brien's role in the upcoming season. Teen Wolf Wikia, an account that has a direct connection to show runner Jeff Davis and has signed a non-disclosure agreement with MTV, consistently proves to be a reliable source for 'Teen Wolf' related news.
Paul, the owner of the account, claims that someone in production has confirmed that 6x10 will not be O'Brien's last episode.
While this can be taken with a grain of salt, merely weeks later a video was leaked online of what appears to be both Dylan O'Brien and Tyler Hoechlin (Derek Hale) playing catch on set. Davis, who has been forbidden by MTV to reveal the names of returning cast members, commented on the video saying: "All I can say at the moment is that the resourcefulness of our fans never ceases to amaze me.
:)"
On top of Davis' comment, makeup artist Rosa Lopez posted a Snapchat Story about O'Brien being back on set. When asked by a fan if O'Brien was really back shooting 'Teen Wolf' she replied yes, but later took back her comment claiming she could lose her job.
While all the signs point to Stiles playing at least a small role in 6B or participating in the final episode, MTV still refuses to officially confirm O'Brien's return. On May 7th, an underwhelming sneak peek was shown during the MTV Awards featuring Scott, Malia, and Lydia, but Stiles was nowhere to be found. With millions of viewers tuning into the awards this would have been a perfect (and probably the only good) opportunity to announce O'Brien's return to the show, yet for some reason the network still chose to stay silent.
'Teen Wolf' writer comments on Stiles and Lydia's relationship moving forward
With the number of appearances by Stiles unknown, "Stydia" fans are hoping for at least a few scenes that highlight Stiles and Lydia's new relationship. Multiple episodes were supposedly filmed while O'Brien was on set, so it's possible Stiles' appearances will be spread throughout the season like they were in 6A.
Will Wallace, a 'Teen Wolf' writer who commonly interacts with fans on twitter, commented on what we can expect from Stiles and Lydia in 6B in an interview with Purefandom. When asked if we would actually get to see the two as a couple in the upcoming season, Wallace replied:"It’s pretty safe to say that. We know how last season ended, so I’d say it’s pretty safe to think that we will see that happen, but again, we will have to wait and see."
So what does all of this mean?
Will we finally get to witness (in some capacity) what "Stydia" fans have been hoping for all along? Without an official release date or trailer for the season, it looks like we may still have a while to go before we find out.
'Teen Wolf' is set to return this Summer on MTV.
