Fans were looking forward to seeing more of Stiles and Scott in Teen Wolf’s final season, but actor Dylan O’Brien was barely in it — why?
Stiles Stilinski (Dylan O’Brien) was barely in Teen Wolf’ season 6, leading some viewers to wonder why the fan-favorite character was absent for the final season. The MTV teen-horror drama, based on the 1985 movie starring Michael J. Fox, had a loyal following. However, many fans were surprised that Teen Wolf didn’t get a season 7, as they weren’t ready to say goodbye to the gang from Beacon Hills, especially the show’s two leads, Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) and Stiles.
While Scott was the titular character of Teen Wolf, Stiles was just as important to the narrative. As the son of Sheriff Noah Stilinski (Linden Ashby), O’Brien’s character was the peppier and more adventurous of the two leads. His curious nature often resulted in unforeseen circumstances that played an important role in the plot. Unlike Scott, Stiles never gained any super abilities in Teen Wolf, but despite this, he was an integral member of their growing pack thanks to his detective skills. Thus, it was disappointing when O’Brien’s Stiles was barely in Teen Wolf season 6.
Why Dylan O’Brien Left Teen Wolf
Stiles’ absence from Teen Wolf wasn’t intentional. If it was up to Teen Wolf’s producers and writers, not to mention O’Brien, Stiles would’ve played a much bigger role in the show’s farewell season. They were forced to use the character in a limited fashion due to a couple of reasons: a scheduling conflict and an accident.
First, there was a scheduling conflict between the show and filming Maze Runner: The Death Cure. O’Brien played the lead character, Thomas, in the movie franchise that was based on a young adult series of novels. This is the reason why Stiles didn’t appear as everyone’s favorite Teen Wolf sidekick in all of season 6’s first 10 episodes — the first time that this happened since the show premiered.
Things only got worse for the series’ latter half as O’Brien was involved in a stunt accident during the filming of the same movie in March 2016. As it turned out, O’Brien’s injuries were more serious than initially perceived — so much so that production for the Fox film was shut down for a while. This obviously made it more difficult to bring Stiles on regularly in Teen Wolf season 6B. In fact, O’Brien revealed in an interview with Bustle that he wasn’t contractually obligated to appear in the show’s remaining episodes at all.
I’m really glad that I was able to be a part of it at all, because that was not originally the plan. The fact that I was able to make it happen really meant a lot to me because when they announced that it would be the final 10 episodes, I really wanted to find a way to be a part of it, even if I only had a couple days or something. We were able to make it work and make it happen.
Teen Wolf was able to pull off a satisfying finale for the Beacon Hills gang. Not only did they find a way to bring back Stiles in the final 10 episodes, which took place after a time jump, but it also gave them the opportunity to re-incorporate Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin in one of his best TV shows) into the story. Granted this wasn’t the ideal scenario as fans would’ve wanted to see Stiles more involved in the action with Scott, but the show was able to make the best out of the predicament that they were in.
Stiles Also Wasn’t In The Teen Wolf Movie
Stiles was also absent from the Teen Wolf movie made for Paramount Plus. Most of the original cast, including Crystal Reed as Allison Argent, returned for the Teen Wolf movie, which premiered on the streaming service in January 2023. According to showrunner Jeff Davis, O’Brien was approached about returning for the Teen Wolf movie, before a script was even finished. But though the actor was open to coming back in a cameo capacity, he eventually declined.
However, Stiles’ presence was felt in the Teen Wolf movie. His beloved Jeep was a major part of the action, as O’Brien actually owns it and lent it to the production team (via Insider).
Stiles’ internship with the FBI, which was teased in the series finale of the show, also paid off as it was hinted in the Teen Wolf movie that the character was an FBI agent on a big case. Since the Teen Wolf series last saw Stiles in a relationship with Lydia Martin (Holland Roden), the movie did have to address his absence in her life, which it did with an emotional reveal about her recurring nightmares about his potential death.
The Teen Wolf movie did leave room for more adventures in the world of werewolves if Paramount Plus decides to go for a sequel. And there’s always the possibility that O’Brien could return as Stiles in a future installment if he chooses to.
What Dylan O’Brien Said About Missing The Teen Wolf Movie
Right before the release of the Teen Wolf movie on Paramount Plus, O’Brien was making the interview rounds promoting other movies he was in, The Outfit and Not Okay, and because the Teen Wolf movie was making so much news, O’Brien did end up addressing his absence.
The actor called Stiles’ absence from the Teen Wolf movie “a difficult decision,” and that a lot went into his making the decision to pass on the project. He explained, “The show couldn’t be more dear to me. It was the first thing I ever did and so many people there are extremely dear to me.” (via Variety) Though O’Brien had performed in Youtube videos before being cast as Stiles from Teen Wolf, the MTV series was his first major role.
There was social media speculation that the reason O’Brien passed on the project might have been a show of solidarity for Arden Cho, as Cho passed on the Teen Wolf movie when she wasn’t offered the same pay rate as her female co-stars. But O’Brien also revealed that the entire process was rushed. He told Variety:
“It was something I was trying to make work, but it all happened very fast. We didn’t really know that it was happening, and they kind of just threw it at us a little bit, which is fine because we all love the show… Ultimately, I just decided it was left in a really good place for me and I still want to leave it there.”
No one can blame O’Brien for leaving Stiles, whose last appearance was in the Teen Wolf series finale. He’s been steadily booked and busy with other acting projects since and had already played the character to a satisfying conclusion. But fans who miss Stiles from Teen Wolf can still rewatch the entire series through streaming on Paramount Plus.
