Netflix’s popular series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has captured the attention of many through its disturbing depiction of the life of infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Within a span of 13 years, Dahmer killed 17 young men and boys. The series attempts to give the victims a face and a voice and demonstrate how grossly the police failed to protect these young men. Despite this perspective, the series has faced its share of criticism and controversy, claiming it gives yet another spotlight to the serial killer. On the other hand, many have praised the show for Evan Peter’s performance and for depicting how devastating and evil Dahmer’s crimes were.

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At the end of the series, we are introduced to another American serial killer who came shortly before Dahmer, the notorious “Killer Clown,” John Wayne Gacy. As the show depicts, there is some overlap in the timeline of these two, with Dahmer being baptized on the same day that Gacy was executed (and during a solar eclipse). Interestingly, Dahmer committed his first murder the same year that Gacy was arrested in 1978. While the two never met, the connections between them are worth exploring to figure out what they had in common and why Gacy appeared in Monster. This also leads us to wonder about a season 2 of Monster with Gacy as the subject.

What Do Gacy and Dahmer Have in Common?

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Gacy makes his debut in episode 10 of Monster, where he is seen pulling up in a van with a young man. He takes the young man into his house, and they discuss a job opportunity for the boy in Gacy’s construction company. Gacy makes them both drinks, slipping some drugs into the drink he serves the young man. The two talk for a bit until the drugs begin to take effect, and then Gacy binds the boy’s hands. He tries to escape, but Gacy overpowers him. Dressed as a clown, Gacy drowns the young man in his bathtub. This gives us a little insight into who John Wayne Gacy is and allows us to see the parallels between Gacy and Dahmer.

For starters, both serial killers targeted young men as their victims. They used drugs to keep them docile or unconscious, so they could overpower them and have complete control to torture or experiment on them. Both serial killers’ crimes were sexually driven as well, with both assaulting their victims and being arrested for sexual assault during their lives. And although the show depicts Gacy drowning his victim, he and Dahmer’s preferred method of killing is strangulation.

While Gacy is depicted wearing his clown costume, there is no evidence to suggest he ever committed his crimes dressed as a clown. Rather it is more likely the show depicted him this way to establish his identity. Gacy earned the nickname “Killer Clown” because he would dress up as Pogo the Clown (or sometimes Patches) at parades and hospitals to entertain children.

While dressing as a clown is unique to Gacy, he and Dahmer appeared to be ordinary people leading normal lives. Gacy owned a construction business, was involved in local politics and enjoyed performing for children. Dahmer was well-mannered, served in the military, had a job, and, although he was somewhat of a loner, didn’t appear to be a cannibalistic serial killer. Of course, their timelines crossing has led people to compare the two before, which is likely why it was included in Monster.

However, Dahmer maintains that there was one key difference between them: he confessed to all of his crimes while Gacy did not.

Will There Be a Season 2 of Monster?

We believe that there is more to Gacy’s appearance in the show. As mentioned, it seems to be an introduction, not just to the coincidence overlap of their timelines and how that plays into Dahmer’s story. Still, it may also allude to a second season of Monster with John Wayne Gacy as the subject. His is an equally disturbing story to that of Jeffrey Dahmer, with nearly double the amount of victims.

Gacy killed 33 young men and boys; nearly all of them were buried underneath his house or on his property. Once he ran out of room to bury them, he began dumping bodies in a river. Gacy became more careless toward the end of his killing spree and, in a drunken state, admitted to a lawyer what he had done.

Recently, it has been announced the show has indeed been renewed for two more seasons. Since Gacy’s introduction, it makes the most sense that he will be the subject of season 2, and perhaps Ted Bundy will be featured in the third. With this news, we hope to see that the series takes into account the criticism and controversy it received with the first season. And will continue to cast more emphasis on humanizing the victims and telling their stories, not just Gacy’s. It is difficult waters to tread when creating content about serial killers to avoid glorifying them and truly depicting the horror of their crimes.