When Stranger Things returns for its final fifth season, the show’s best character won’t be back for the final battle. As far as the trailers showed, the main cast from the first season will all be back, ready to fight to protect their town, push back the evil forces, and fend off government operatives. This includes Seven (Millie Bobby Brown), her adoptive dad Jim Hopper (David Harbour), and all her friends. However, one new character joined the cast in the fourth season and became an instant fan-favorite, and there have been countless rumors that he could return for the final season. However, according to the showrunners, those rumors are false.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, co-creator Matt Duffer was talking about what fans can expect in the fifth and final Stranger Things season. While fans have been excitedly speculating on how Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson could return for the final season, Duffer told fans not to get their hopes up. “I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people! But no, he’s dead,” Duffer said.
Why It Was Important To Emphasize That Eddie Munson Is Dead In Stranger Things
Image Courtesy of Netflix
Ever since Eddie Munson sacrificed himself in Stranger Things Season 4, fans have been wondering if he could find a way back in the final season of the Netflix hit series. Quinn has been teasing fans that he could return for the final season, but that would be a mistake to leave that open before the final episodes start streaming. Since fans love Eddie Munson so much, seeing the final episodes without him returning could leave a bad taste in their mouths. The Duffer brothers needed to cut off the rumors now so fans can grow excited for the final season, knowing Eddie is gone. The last thing they want is fan disappointment for something that was never meant to be.
Eddie Munson was an eccentric Hawkins High School student who led the school’s Dungeons & Dragons-themed “Hellfire Club.” It was there that he became friends with Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). He becomes the suspect in a murder that he didn’t commit, and the police decide he is part of a “Satanic cult” before he ends up helping his new friends in a final battle against Vecna. It is there, set to the beat of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” that he sacrifices himself to save his friends. Sadly, he died with the town still thinking he was a killer.
Now, it is also essential to examine the wording Matt Duffer used to explain why Eddie Munson wasn’t coming back. After saying that Eddie was dead, Duffer then cryptically said, “No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.” That seems like an interesting turn of phrase since the demons come from a place known as the “Upside Down,” so if he is “under that ground,” could it mean he is coming back anyway, and his friends could find him in the Upside Down?
However, it is more likely that Duffer wanted to end any expectations for something that wasn’t going to happen in Stranger Things Season 5. Duffer also explained that Joseph Quinn had made several movies since the last season of the show, and he was very busy now. In 2024, he played Geta in Gladiator II and Eric in A Quiet Place: Day 1. In 2025, he starred in the Alex Garland movie Warfare as Sam and then took on the role of The Human Torch in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He is also appearing in Avengers: Doomsday, so his time is definitely limited.
The first volume of Stranger Things Season 5 is scheduled to be released on Netflix on November 26, 2025.
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