He’s the guy everyone loved to hate. Then, suddenly, the internet was flooded with "Justice for Monty" hashtags. It’s a weird, uncomfortable shift that tells you everything you need to know about how 13 Reasons Why handled its villains. Montgomery de la Cruz—played with a chilling, high-intensity energy by Timothy Granaderos—started as a background jock and ended as one of the most discussed figures in modern teen drama.
Honestly, the trajectory of Montgomery 13 Reasons Why fans recognize is messy. It’s a story of horrific violence, deep-seated repression, and a legal "solution" that many viewers found lazy or outright problematic. If you’re looking back at the show now, Monty stands out not just because of what he did, but because of how the writers chose to end his story.
The Evolution of a Villain
In the first season, Monty was just a bully. He was the muscle for Bryce Walker, the guy who threw the punches while Bryce pulled the strings. He didn't have a tape. He didn't even have much of a personality beyond being "the angry athlete." But as the show progressed into Season 2 and 3, the writers peeled back layers that made people feel... well, complicated.
The turning point was the bathroom scene in Season 2. It’s arguably the most controversial moment in a show built on controversy. When Monty assaulted Tyler Down, he crossed a line from "high school jerk" to "criminal antagonist." It was brutal. It was hard to watch. It changed the tone of the series entirely, shifting it from a mystery about a girl’s suicide into a darker exploration of school violence and trauma.
Why Do People Defend Monty?
It’s a bizarre phenomenon. You’ll find entire corners of Reddit and Twitter dedicated to defending a character who committed a violent sexual assault. Why?
Basically, it comes down to his Season 3 arc. We finally saw his home life. We saw the physical abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. Then, the show introduced Winston Williams. The secret relationship between Monty and Winston gave the character a vulnerability we hadn’t seen. Suddenly, his lashing out looked like a symptom of "internalized homophobia," a term that gets thrown around a lot in TV analysis.
💡 You might also like: Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me to Sleep: The Dark Folklore of a Viral Lullaby
Some viewers felt that by killing Monty off-screen and then framing him for Bryce’s murder, the show robbed him of a real redemption or even a fair trial. It felt like a shortcut.
But let’s be real.
Explaining a character’s trauma isn't the same as excusing their actions. The show struggled with this balance. By trying to humanize him right before his death, the writers created a situation where fans felt "cheated" out of a story. They wanted to see him face Tyler in court. They wanted to see him grapple with his identity. Instead, they got a plot device.
The Problem With the "Framing" Plotline
Season 3 ended with a twist that left a bad taste in a lot of mouths. Ani Achola and the rest of the group decided to pin Bryce Walker's murder on Monty. Since Monty had just died in his jail cell—a detail revealed almost as an afterthought—he couldn't defend himself.
This is where the Montgomery 13 Reasons Why discourse gets heated.
📖 Related: Kate Moss Family Guy: What Most People Get Wrong About That Cutaway
- It wasn't about whether he was "good."
- It was about the "hero" characters becoming liars.
- The group essentially decided that because Monty was already a "bad person," it didn't matter if he was blamed for a crime he didn't commit.
This narrative choice by showrunner Brian Yorkey was polarizing. It suggested that the legal system is so broken that "vigilante justice" via perjury is the only way to find peace. For a show that spent years talking about the importance of the truth, having the main characters build a massive lie on a dead guy's grave felt hypocritical to many.
Timothy Granaderos and the Performance
We have to talk about the acting. Timothy Granaderos was actually in his 30s playing a teenager, which is a classic Hollywood move, but he brought a physicality to the role that made Monty genuinely terrifying. He could switch from a smirk to a blind rage in half a second.
According to various interviews, Granaderos received actual death threats because people couldn't separate him from the character. That’s wild. It’s a testament to how well he played the part, but it also shows the toxic side of fandom. He’s gone on record saying he wanted Monty to face a "human" ending, rather than just becoming a scapegoat.
The Ghost of Monty in Season 4
Even though he died at the end of the third season, Monty’s presence looms over the final episodes. Clay Jensen starts hallucinating him. This wasn't just a gimmick; it represented Clay’s crumbling mental state and the guilt of the cover-up.
Monty became a symbol of the group’s "sins." Every time Clay saw Monty’s ghost, it reminded the audience that the "happy ending" the characters were chasing was built on a lie. The hallucinations weren't really Monty; they were Clay’s own conscience wearing Monty’s face. It was a dark, psychological way to keep the character relevant without actually bringing him back to life.
👉 See also: Blink-182 Mark Hoppus: What Most People Get Wrong About His 2026 Comeback
Real-World Impact and Critiques
Psychologists and critics have often pointed out that 13 Reasons Why tends to sensationalize trauma. The way Monty’s story ended—dying in jail before he could even process his identity or his crimes—felt like a missed opportunity to discuss how the cycle of abuse actually works.
- The Cycle of Violence: Monty was a victim of his father, then became a victimizer of Tyler.
- Systemic Failure: The school didn't see it, the coaches ignored it, and the police only cared when it was too late.
- The Erasure of Justice: By killing him off-screen, the show avoided the difficult conversation of what "rehabilitation" looks like for someone as damaged as Monty.
In many ways, the character served as a mirror for the audience’s own morals. Do you believe everyone deserves a chance to change? Or do some actions make you "irredeemable"?
What Most People Get Wrong
People often simplify Monty as just "the gay villain." That’s a shallow take. His sexuality wasn't his character; it was the thing he was most afraid of. His violence was a shield. When you look at the scenes with Winston, you see a kid who is absolutely terrified of being vulnerable.
It's also a mistake to think the "Justice for Monty" movement is about saying he was innocent. Most fans who used that phrase were actually calling for "Justice for the Writing." They wanted a better conclusion to a complex character study. They wanted the show to stick to its guns about truth and accountability rather than taking the easy way out.
Actionable Takeaways for Viewers
If you're revisiting the series or diving into the fandom for the first time, keep these things in mind to get a better grasp on the narrative weight of Monty's role:
- Watch the background: In Season 1, Monty is often in the corner of the frame during Bryce’s scenes. It shows how he was groomed to be the "enforcer" long before he became the primary antagonist.
- Analyze the parallels: Compare Monty’s relationship with his father to Justin Foley’s home life. Both came from abusive backgrounds, but they took very different paths. It’s a fascinating study in character resilience.
- Question the "Heroes": Don't just accept Ani’s narration at face value. Season 3 is told from her perspective, and she’s a fundamentally unreliable narrator who is trying to protect her friends.
- Research the "Internalized Homophobia" Trope: Understanding this trope helps explain why the writers chose to make Monty’s secret life a central plot point. It’s a common, if controversial, way to explain why some bullies target specific groups.
The legacy of Montgomery de la Cruz is one of missed opportunities and haunting performances. He remains a prime example of how a show can create a character so loathsome that the audience demands their head, only to make that same audience feel guilty when they finally get what they asked for. It’s uncomfortable, it’s messy, and it’s exactly why we’re still talking about him years after the finale aired.