Eddie Painter

Eddie Painter, or the Tooth Child, is the main antagonist of the first season of the horror anthology series Channel Zero. He is the twin brother of Mike Painter, who had created the show Candle Cove in order to lure children to their deaths.

Candle Cove
Eddie used to be best friends with his brother, and more often than not, they were heavily bullied. At this time, Candle Cove was running on the air, brainwashing children. Without any warning, children were beginning to disappear in multitudes in an event infamous to Iron Hill, the Iron Hill Murders. Eddie seemingly develops psychic abilities, and uses them to seek vengeance on his oppressors. When one of the main bullies confronted them, Eddie manipulates him into licking his hand as if he were a dog, only to then cause him to walk off a cliff. Horrified by the senseless brutality, Mike quarrels with his brother, leading him to unintentionally killing him. Out of remorse, he buries Eddie deep in the woods, and eventually leaves Iron Hill. Frances, who had been previously healed of her chronic seizures, constructs a vessel for Eddie's spirit made entirely of human teeth. Eddie tasks her with luring more children to be brainwashed, and he plans on continuing his murder spree by taking possession of Mike's body.

Twenty-eight years later, Mike returns to Iron Hill and immediately concludes that the murders are the result of the puppet show. After confronting Frances, he reunites with his brother's spirit, and he is whisked into another dimension in which the real Candle Cove takes place. Eddie also kidnaps Mike's daughter, and gives him an ultimatum; he'll release his daughter only if he allows him to leave with his body. Mike reluctantly agrees to his brother's demands, but he manages to save time by tricking Eddie into playing a card game with him. Meanwhile in the real world, Marla, the twins' mother, tearfully smothers Mike's body, thereby severing Eddie's link to the physical world at the cost of Mike being trapped with his brother. The season ends with Lily sitting in front of the television. Candle Cove began to air on the television, but Lily is saved when the ghostly Mike appears and shuts off the television. Whether or not Eddie can physically interact with the world is currently unknown.