It’s been quite a while since. Stranger Things Last season’s new episodes graced our screens. The third season closed with an epic battle between Hawkins’ children and the Mind Flayer. It resulted in the monster’s demise and the sealing off of the gate into the Upside Down. While it was a satisfying ending, there were many mysteries left unanswered. Is Jim Hopper truly dead, or is he still alive?
This last question in particular has generated much discussion online. Loyal viewers have wondered if Hopper’s heroic act of closing the gate to Stranger Things 3’s Upside Down marked Hopper’s definitive exit from television. At this moment, only the show’s creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as Harbour, know the truth. According to reports, Harbour has known the truth about the character’s fate for at least five years.
Harbour teased the truth in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. Harbour stated that the secret will “play very large” during the upcoming season. “I and The Duffers would sit down and speculate, ‘Oh! wouldn’t it be cool?’ “The minute we began shooting,” he continued. Harbour states that even though they never thought the show would go on to another season, Harbour is glad they got the chance to realize the idea they had almost half a century ago. He stated, “We’re gonna lay that out finally, it’s cool.”
Harbour didn’t reveal any details, but he did say that the fourth season would showcase a different side to his character, as well as the intricate details of his “backstory points” from the previous seasons. The story will continue with a “rebirth,” Harbour stated. This could hint at the possibility that the Hopper seen in Russia in the teaser trailer may be different Hopper. Could something have “flipped”, when he opened the gate of the Upside Down Will he find his way home to Eleven, his Hawkins family, and escape from prison in Stranger Things Season 4? These are just a few of the many questions that will be answered by Stranger Things season 4.
Because of COVID-19 production delays, the show’s re-emergence took longer than anticipated. However, the writers behind Stranger Things season 4 used the extra time that was granted by the production shutdown to complete the scripts. They feel this improved the show’s quality.
