At first glance, Ben Wood (James Marsden) looks just like his dead brother Steve. That’s what made the character’s introduction at the start of Dead to Me Season 2 so shocking, both for Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) and for viewers. Despite being “semi-identical” twins played by the same actor, however, there are major differences between Ben and Steve. In Season 3, Ben appears shirtless on a few occasions, revealing several scars across his chest. The scars are part of his character’s backstory and not, as some might think (thanks to expert FX makeup), really part of Marsden’s body. 

In Season 2, Episode 5, “The Price You Pay,” Ben tells Jen he was born with heart problems, which he underwent seven surgeries to address. “Sometimes I feel like Steve got all the confidence in the womb and I got the heart defect,” he says. The heart defect and consequential scars are physical manifestations of the two brothers’ divergent personalities. “[Ben’s] less polished and more rough around the edges,” Marsden tells Tudum. “His vulnerability and his self-doubt really informed and helped create specific differences between Ben and Steve.” The lack of confidence that Ben claims started in the womb also physically affects how the character carries himself. According to Marsden, he adopted a more closed-off posture when inhabiting the role of Ben.

In Season 2, Episode 8, “It Had to Be You,” Ben further explains how his scars inform who he is. While on a tour of the Wood family house, Jen sees a framed photo of 8-year-old Ben wearing a turtleneck at the beach. In the picture, he’s sitting next to his brother Steve, who’s wearing regular swim trunks and no shirt. “Because of all the surgeries, I had scars and Steve didn’t,” Ben says. “I wanted all the girls to like me, so I thought, why advertise all that?” Jen doesn’t seem to be put off by his struggle, however. “I think that scars show that you went through something hard and you survived,” she responds. “And it’s your story.”

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This Season 2 conversation illustrates exactly what draws Jen to Ben. “How other people react to you can sell so much of a character,” Marsden says. “So much of why you’re attracted to someone is their nature or their confidence or their lack of confidence. I think Ben’s lack of confidence and vulnerability was what was attractive about him to Jen.” 

By the end of Season 3, though, Ben has undergone an evolution. Finding love and acceptance with Jen and becoming a father allows him to gain confidence within his vulnerability. That’s depicted quite plainly in the series’ final scene. After playing with Jen’s sons in the pool, Ben emerges from the water and takes a seat in the lounge chair next to his new partner. He’s wearing swim trunks and no turtleneck. As he dries off and casually chats with Jen, the scars on his chest are on full display.