Scream 2: Why Cotton Weary is the Sequel's Biggest Hero
Scream 2 again centers on Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), but wrongly convicted killer Cotton Weary (Liev Schrieber) emerges as an unlikely hero. One of the early roles that helped put Schrieber on the radar of moviegoers, Cotton only plays a small part in the first Scream film, but would see expanded screentime in Scream 2 and Scream 3. While Cotton is never really presented as a good guy, it's kind of understandable why he's not exactly a ray of sunshine, considering what he's been through.
As revealed in the first Scream, Cotton went to prison for murdering Sidney's mother Maureen. While Cotton did fess up to having a consensual sexual affair with the notoriously promiscuous Maureen, he always maintained his innocence, as did nosy reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) once she took up his cause, earning her Sidney's ire. Cotton and Gale's personal failings aside, they turned out to be absolutely right, as Scream's killers Billy and Stu admit after revealing their identities to Sidney that they purposefully framed Cotton for Maureen's savage murder, which they in fact committed.
Cotton had been sentenced to death, and had Billy and Stu's murder spree not ended in defeat, it's possible he would've been executed for something he didn't do. It would be somewhat understandable for Cotton to snap and go after Sidney following such treatment, but he ends up being a decent guy, albeit one that's rough around the edges.
When a new string of murders start up at Windsor College in Scream 2, currently being attended by one Sidney Prescott, quite a few possible suspects emerge. One is Cotton Weary, who heads to Windsor alongside Gale to try and use Sidney to get back into the spotlight. While Cotton's intentions aren't exactly noble, Sidney could be a little more understanding, as her testimony robbed the man of an entire year of his life. Also, in Cotton's defense, Gale led him to believe that Sidney was okay being on camera alongside him.
Due to admittedly hostile behavior towards Sidney over her refusal to participate in an interview that would clear Cotton's name once and for all, he quickly became suspect #1. However, he didn't turn out to be one of Scream 2's killers, and in the end, despite being reminded of what Sidney had done to him, chose to save her life and shoot her attacker. In return, she publicly praised Cotton as a hero, and their issue seemed to be solved. Adding to Cotton's heroism, when a new Ghostface demands he reveal a reclusive Sidney's whereabouts at the start of Scream 3, Cotton refuses, leading to his death. Cotton Weary wasn't a perfect man. He wanted fame and he wanted fortune. But when the chips were down, he did the right thing.