So, if you’ve been bingeing the newest episodes of Wednesday on Netflix, you probably had a "wait, I know that guy" moment about ten seconds into the season opener. That eerie, soft-spoken guy in the basement? The one with the disturbing collection of dolls and the even more disturbing nickname?
That is the Kansas City Scalper, and he is played by none other than Haley Joel Osment.
Yeah, the "I see dead people" kid. He’s grown up, he’s got a very impressive beard these days, and he’s trade-marked a brand of "polite menace" that makes the opening of season two feel more like a psychological thriller than a supernatural teen dramedy. Honestly, it’s one of the best casting choices the show has made yet.
Haley Joel Osment: The Man Behind the Kansas City Scalper
Let’s be real: most of us still associate Haley Joel Osment with the wide-eyed, terrified kid from The Sixth Sense or the sweet little boy in Forrest Gump. But if you haven't been following his career lately, you've missed out on his "villain era." Osment has become a master at playing characters who look like your friendly neighbor but are actually harboring some deeply weird or dangerous secrets.
In Wednesday, he plays a serial killer named Chet LaTroy, better known to the true-crime-obsessed public as the Kansas City Scalper.
The show reveals that Wednesday Addams didn’t just spend her summer vacation lounging by a black pool. She spent it hunting "America’s most elusive serial killer." It turns out she’s been obsessed with him since she was eleven years old—she even gave a class presentation on his "methodology." Classic Wednesday.
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When we finally see them together in that basement, Osment brings this terrifyingly calm energy to Chet. He isn't screaming or twirling a mustache. He’s just sitting there, treating Wednesday like a "guest" while surrounded by dolls that he’s customized to look like his victims. It is genuinely unsettling.
Why the Character Feels So Familiar (and Creepy)
The writers clearly did their homework here. While the Kansas City Scalper isn't a real person—thank goodness—he’s sort of a "greatest hits" compilation of real-life serial killer lore.
- The Name: The "Kansas City" part likely nods to Lorenzo Jerome Gilyard Jr., the "Kansas City Strangler."
- The Signature: The "Scalper" moniker is a bit more reminiscent of John Sweeney, a UK killer nicknamed the "Scalp Hunter."
- The Vibe: The doll-making and the basement setup pull from that classic "collector" trope we see in shows like Mindhunter or Silence of the Lambs.
Osment plays into this by being incredibly soft-spoken. There’s a specific scene where he’s talking to Wednesday about his "collection," and the way he treats the dolls as actual people is way creepier than any jump scare could ever be. He makes Chet LaTroy feel like a person who truly believes he's an artist, not a monster.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Kansas City Scalper
There’s been a ton of chatter online about whether the Scalper is going to be the "Big Bad" of the entire season. Honestly, that’s where most people are getting it wrong.
While the search for the Kansas City Scalper is a huge deal for Wednesday’s character development, he serves a very specific purpose in the season 2 premiere. He isn't the new Principal or a long-term teacher at Nevermore. He’s the catalyst.
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The opening six minutes of the season are basically a "how-to" on why you shouldn't mess with an Addams. Wednesday uses her psychic abilities and a little help from Thing to turn the tables on him. It’s a high-stakes way to show us that Wednesday has been practicing—she’s sharper, her visions are more controlled, and she’s more dangerous than she was last year.
A lot of fans also expected Steve Buscemi to be the killer because of his history of playing "creepy" guys. But Buscemi actually plays Barry Dort, the new principal of Nevermore. By putting Osment in the role of the Scalper, the show pulled a fast one on us. It used our nostalgia for a "sweet" child actor to make a cold-blooded killer feel even more jarring.
How Haley Joel Osment Landed the Role
If you’re wondering how this casting came about, it’s basically the "Tim Burton Effect." Burton has a knack for taking actors we think we know and flipping them on their heads. Osment has been doing a lot of "darker" character work lately—you might have seen him in The Boys or the Ted Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.
He fits perfectly into the Burtonverse because he can do "quirky" and "macabre" at the same time. In the Wednesday season 2 preview shown at the Tudum event, you can see the chemistry between him and Jenna Ortega. It’s a battle of the deadpans. Jenna is stony and cold; Haley is polite and delusional. It’s a fantastic dynamic.
Other Key New Faces in Season 2
While we’re talking about who plays who, the Kansas City Scalper isn't the only big reveal. Season 2 has absolutely stacked the deck with guest stars and new series regulars.
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- Steve Buscemi as Barry Dort: As mentioned, he’s the new Principal. He’s a pyrokinetic (he can control fire), which is a pretty intense upgrade from Principal Weems.
- Joanna Lumley as Grandmama (Hester Frump): She is Morticia’s mother and, surprisingly, Wednesday’s favorite relative. Lumley brings this "fabulous but deadly" energy that is just... chef's kiss.
- Billie Piper as Isadora Capri: The new music teacher who happens to be a werewolf and a former child prodigy. She’s got a very mysterious "shady" vibe that makes you wonder if she’s actually there to help Enid or if she has a darker agenda.
- Christopher Lloyd as Professor Orloff: This is the ultimate Easter egg for Addams Family fans. The original Uncle Fester is back, but this time he plays a biology teacher who is literally just a head in a jar.
The Actionable Takeaway for Fans
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the lore or just want to impress your friends during the next watch party, keep an eye on the dolls in Chet LaTroy’s basement.
The showrunners have hinted that the dolls aren't just random props. Some of them represent characters we might meet later, and the one that looks like Wednesday is a major plot point for her psychic journey this season.
Also, pay attention to the dialogue in that opening scene. When Wednesday tells the Scalper, "Let's play dolls," it’s not just a cool line—it’s a sign that she is no longer the victim of her visions; she’s starting to use them as a weapon.
If you haven't seen Osment’s recent work, go back and watch his episode of The Boys (he plays Mesmer). It gives you a great preview of the "tortured psychic" vibe he brings to his roles, which makes his interaction with a psychic like Wednesday even more layered.
The Kansas City Scalper might not be the main villain of the whole season, but Haley Joel Osment’s performance ensures he’s the one you’ll be thinking about when you try to go to sleep. Just... maybe stay away from antique doll shops for a while.
Check out the first few episodes on Netflix to see how the fallout from the Scalper's capture ripples through the rest of Wednesday's year at Nevermore. The mystery is only just getting started, and with people like Steve Buscemi and Billie Piper roaming the halls, the Kansas City Scalper was really just the warm-up act.