As anticipation builds for the final season of Stranger Things, creators Matt and Ross Duffer have confirmed that fan-favorite character Eddie Munson will not be returning. The character, a heavy-metal enthusiast and leader of the Hellfire Club, was a breakout role for actor Joseph Quinn in Season 4 but met a definitive end.
Speaking with Empire, Matt Duffer put rumors to rest. “No, he’s dead,” he stated, also noting Quinn’s busy filming schedule since his star-making turn on the show. “Joe is so busy anyway, that everyone should know he’s not coming back. He’s shot like five movies since! …No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.”
In Season 4, Eddie heroically sacrificed himself in the Upside Down, distracting a swarm of Demobats while his friends launched an attack on Vecna. Hopes for his return were partly fueled by Dacre Montgomery’s deceased character, Billy, who briefly reappeared in a ghostly form last season.
While Munson’s story has concluded, Season 5 will introduce a formidable new character played by Linda Hamilton. The Duffers revealed she will portray Dr. Kay, a government agent tracking Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). “She’s hyper-intelligent and intimidating,” Matt Duffer teased. “She’s a scientist but if she needs to, she can get into a fight and shoot a gun.”
The final season of Stranger Things will be released in three parts, with Volume 1 scheduled to premiere on November 26. Returning cast members include Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, and Jamie Campbell Bower, who will be joined by Hamilton and other newcomers.
