Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1 & Stranger Things: One Way or Another!If Eddie Munson’s death wasn’t sad enough, details from a new Stranger Things spinoff have added a heartbreaking layer to the character’s fate. Joseph Quinn’s Eddie was killed at the end of Stranger Things season 4 after heroically putting his life on the line to give his friends a better chance at taking down Vecna. By then, he was wrongfully accused of being a murderer, and soon, most of Hawkins would blame him and his “cult” for Hawkins’s destruction.
Of course, it was Vecna who caused the rifts that tore Hawkins apart. Eddie was one of the few who were actively trying to protect more people from falling victim to Vecna and other horrors from the Upside Down. Even a year and a half later, Eddie is still seen as a villain, since there’s no chance for the full truth to come out. However, there’s another event within Stranger Things’ established timeline that makes Eddie’s death sadder.
Hawkins High Refused To Mention Eddie Munson’s Name During The 1986 Graduation Ceremony
Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson making a funny face in Stranger Things
The show’s latest book tie-in, Stranger Things: One Way or Another, focuses on Nancy just two months after Vecna’s “earthquake,” which puts the story between Stranger Things seasons 4 and 5 time jump. The book features Nancy, Jonathan, and Robin graduating from high school in the spring of 1986. After everything that happened, many residents have since left town, especially after so many had fallen victim to various dangers plaguing Hawkins, like Eddie.
While students who have died are remembered during the graduation ceremony, like Chrissy Cunningham and Jason Carver, Eddie’s name is purposely not mentioned. Nancy, of course, has a strong reaction upon hearing the mention of Barb’s name, but she’s also bothered about how the town continues putting blame on Eddie as if he were truly responsible for the death and destruction:
You save Hawkins and what’s your reward? Everyone in town curses your name and tries to forget you ever existed.
Stranger Things’ Eddie Reveal In Nancy’s Spinoff Book Is A Sad Callback To Season 4
Dustin and Eddie in Stranger Things season 4
What’s more, the fact that the Stranger Things book mentions Eddie during graduation is a tragic callback to season 4. The character should’ve graduated in 1984, but due to unfortunate circumstances surrounding Eddie Munson’s Stranger Things backstory, that never became reality since he was still a senior in high school when season 4 came around.
With that said, Eddie’s goal was to graduate in 1986, the same year as Nancy, Robin, and Jonathan, and he even considered 1986 “[his] year,” as if he was finally going to get out of Hawkins and make something of himself. When Eddie died in Dustin’s arms, he called back to his hope that he would finally graduate, with his final words to his friend:
‘Cause I’m actually gonna graduate. I think it’s my year, Henderson. I think it’s finally my year. I love you, man.
Tragically, he never got a chance to graduate or get away from Hawkins, and to make matters worse, One Way or Another reveals that Eddie couldn’t even be honored during graduation. Though Eddie’s friends know the truth, Dustin takes it a step further by continuing Eddie’s legacy in Stranger Things season 5. This makes Dustin a target for those who consider Eddie the villain, but he feels like honoring his friend’s memory is more important, especially since the rest of Hawkins might never know the truth.
Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 5 is now available on Netflix. Volume 2 will be released on December 25, followed by the series finale on December 31.
Release Date
November 26, 2025
Network
Netflix
Episodes
8