The central mystery of “Castle Rock” Season 1 is the silent, ageless man found imprisoned in Shawshank Penitentiary. The character known only as “The Kid,” played by Bill Skarsgård, is revealed to be a shocking mirror image of the show’s protagonist, caught in a terrifying web of alternate realities.
The Hulu series, which builds upon Stephen King’s fictional Maine town, spends its first season weaving a complex puzzle where past traumas and supernatural phenomena collide. At the heart of this puzzle is the question of the prisoner’s true nature—is he a dangerous entity, a victim, or something else entirely? The penultimate episode delivers a major explanation that redefines everything viewers thought they knew.
The Core Mystery and Conflicting Theories
From the moment he is discovered, The Kid is an enigma. He is found in a cage beneath Shawshank State Penitentiary, where the former warden, Dale Lacy, had kept him secretly imprisoned for 27 years. Warden Lacy believed the boy was a pure manifestation of evil, telling the retired sheriff Alan Pangborn that he had “locked the devil in a box”.
His discovery triggers the return of Henry Deaver, a death-row attorney who left Castle Rock under a cloud of suspicion after his adoptive father’s death. The Kid utters only one name: “Henry Deaver”. This mysterious connection forces Henry to confront the dark history of his hometown and his own lost 11 days as a child.
Throughout the season, several theories about The Kid’s identity emerge from characters and fans alike:
- The Devil Incarnate: This was Warden Lacy’s firm belief, and The Kid’s presence often seems to trigger chaos and misfortune in the town.
- An Ancient Evil: A clue in Season 2 suggests The Kid, referred to as an “angel,” may have appeared in another timeline in 1619, hinting at an immortal, malevolent nature.
- A Supernatural Entity from King’s World: Early fan theories connected him to other King villains like Randall Flagg or Pennywise, though the show’s creators stated he was an original character.
The Major Revelation in Episode 9
The show’s penultimate episode, titled “Henry Deaver,” completely shifts the narrative. It reveals that The Kid is, in fact, an alternate version of Henry Deaver from a parallel universe.
The episode explores this other reality, where key events unfolded differently. In this universe:
- Ruth and Matthew Deaver’s first biological child did not die. This child is The Kid, who grew up as Henry Deaver.
- Ruth left the abusive Matthew when The Kid was young and moved away with Alan Pangborn.
- Matthew lived longer and eventually died by suicide, which draws the adult Kid back to his childhood home in Castle Rock.
Upon returning, The Kid makes a horrifying discovery in his father’s basement: a young boy locked in a cage. The boy claims he is Henry Deaver. Listening to his father’s audio diaries, The Kid learns the truth. This boy is the Henry Deaver from the main timeline of the show. As a child, our Henry heard a supernatural sound called “the Schisma” in the woods—a phenomenon representing thin spots between universes—and accidentally crossed over into this alternate world. The alternate Matthew, believing the boy to be a demonic trick, imprisoned him. Remarkably, the caged boy did not age during his years of captivity.
“The Kid is Henry Deaver. And what happened to Henry in the woods is, technically speaking, The Kid. There are two Henry Deavers, each from his own timeline and universe”.
How Two Henrys Swapped Fates
The episode details a tragic swap of fates between the two Henrys. After being freed by his alternate self, the young Henry from the cage returns to the woods with The Kid and Molly Strand. In the confusion, they are pulled back through the Schisma to the primary universe.
However, the crossing leaves The Kid stranded in the wrong world. In this universe, he is an anomaly—a person who does not belong. He is eventually found by Warden Dale Lacy, who does not believe his story of being Henry Deaver. Lacy cages him beneath Shawshank, where he remains, not aging, for 27 years. This explains his first words in Episode 1: he wasn’t asking for Henry Deaver; he was stating his own name.
Meanwhile, the young Henry is found on Castle Lake by Sheriff Alan Pangborn, having only been missing for 11 days in his own timeline. He grows up with no memory of his interdimensional ordeal to become the attorney we follow.
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The Unresolved Question of Evil
Despite the logical explanation, the series deliberately leaves a shadow of doubt. The finale shows that people and places around The Kid still suffer. When the primary Henry finally confronts him, he sees The Kid’s face momentarily transform into something monstrous. Ultimately, Henry makes the same choice as Warden Lacy and his alternate-world father: he locks The Kid back in a cage.
The final exchange is chilling. The Kid asks Henry how long he plans to keep him there. Henry replies, “I don’t know.” The Kid then smiles and says, “Ask Dale Lacy,” referencing the warden who ended his own life.
This ending purposefully maintains the mystery. Is The Kid truly a benign victim of cosmic circumstance, simply warping reality because he’s out of place? Or is he a malicious, ancient force that uses a tragic backstory as a manipulative disguise? The series provides the answer of alternate realities, but the haunting final scenes suggest the truth in Castle Rock is never just one thing.
