The Best Social Media Comparisons Between Penn Badgley's Characters on "You" And "Gossip Girl"
After months of waiting and the unveiling of a new identity for the creepiest character on Netflix, You has officially returned. Penn Badgley has the unfortunate task of bringing Joe Goldberg turned Will Bettelheim to life, and while he does a more than excellent job at completely terrifying viewers, it seems that some on social media won't let him escape his Gossip Girl past.
For those not aware of Penn's illustrious acting career, the star once played Dan Humphrey on Gossip Girl. It's been years since the series ended, but many on Twitter couldn't help but find the similarities between his two roles. To be fair, Dan also had his turn at a grand reveal and major secrets, but he didn't have a murder cage.
Using one of the great Internet memes of our time, a viewer argued that Dan Humphrey is Penn's eternal television identity. Another agreed, writing, "yes i know the character’s name is joe and yes i will continue to call him dan humphrey." One person even theorized that "Dan Humphrey from gossip girl walked so that Joe from You could run."
A true mastermind found a possible, albeit unconfirmed and outlandish, connection between Penn's characters, writing, "After Dan Humphrey revealed he was Gossip Girl, he left the upper east side and moved to a different part of New York to become Joe Goldberg. After everything with Candice & Beck, he moves to LA to become Will."
While it's highly unlikely that Dan is in any way connected with You, there is hope for fans of the former Gossip Girl character. As the series prepares for a reboot on HBO Max, Penn confirmed that he would consider returning. Nothing has been announced or solidified, but with the show set to debut next year, our fingers are officially crossed.
Let us slide into your DMs. Sign up for the Teen Vogue daily email.
Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Penn Badgley Will "Think About" Returning for "Gossip Girl" Reboot
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
