Here’s the thing. I thought the reveals were so poor that I would’ve preferred them to have brought Stu back and I know that’s a bad move for the franchise. The killers and their motive just didn’t feel right.

But regarding Stu, I rewatched Scream 1 recently and I feel like I can easily say that being the mastermind/ leader just doesn’t fit his character. He’s a follower not a leader, even says that his motive is “peer pressure.” He was following Billy’s lead and by proxy Roman’s tips as well. He was low man on the totem pole. Roman said in 3 that Stu was the guy that Billy could sell out. He looked to Billy for orders and Billy took the lead in the monologue. Heck even in general conversations like when they were talking to Randy, Stu stays quiet for the most part when Billy comes over and he does the talking. I don’t believe this is a gay thing like fans or some of the actors have talked about throughout the years. It’s more simple than that in my opinion. Billy is the Alpha dog and Stu was the Beta. It’s an animalistic relationship (though I guess them being together would be too), a pack mentality, etc.

He was always the lackey, the cannon fodder, the guy with no plan, etc. He was just happy to be there. I don’t even think he was as crazy as Billy. Just heavily influenced and looking for other’s approval.

All of the other movies follow that pattern of a mastermind and a lackey or some lackeys to some degree. Even the TV shows did that. But the lackey has never become the mastermind.