David Harbour teased the story arc plan for Jim Hopper in Stranger Things in terms of his false death and resurrection. Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in 2016 and, over the course of three seasons, has remained one of the streaming service's most popular original series. With coronavirus delays, it is still uncertain when season 4 will drop, but that hasn't stopped one star in particular from hinting at the future of the show.
Harbour, who portrays Hopper in Stranger Things, has commented several times on his character's return. Recently, he compared Hopper's resurrection in Stranger Things to Gandalf's rebirth. Viewers of the series will know that Hopper was presumed dead at the end of season 3, but now that his survival has been confirmed by the crew, many are curious as to the nature of his survival. A post-credit scene hinted at Hopper being in a Russian prison, which opens the door to a potential international setting for the season and an exploration of Hopper's experiences in prison. Meanwhile, Harbour recently revisited the idea of Hopper's return being classified as a resurrection or rebirth.
As reported by ET Canada, Harbour teased Stranger Things' story arc plans for Hopper during SiriusXM's “Pop Culture Spotlight." Harbour discussed how Hopper's story arc has been in mind since the very beginning of the series, as he and the creators have sought the most profound and meaningful path for the character. Much of what they decided and planned for Hopper's story will be cemented in season 4. Harbour says this will be achieved by Hopper's resurrection, as his resurrection will lead to the creation of something new. Check out his statement below:
I mean, you know, from the very start of this show, I’ve talked to them about the arc of this guy and sort of what would be, and they’ve talked to me about him, and what would be really profound and moving. And we’re starting to set up things this season in particular that are going to pay off very much in terms of that arc construction. I mean, one of the things was the resurrection of this life that he had in terms of fathering, fathering Eleven and revisiting that. And he has to be resurrected now to sort of create something new. And so we have this false death and this resurrection, and now we’ll see, but they do have a plan and it’s very exciting.
Harbour went on to mention Hopper's fathering of Eleven and how that will be revisited in season 4. His resurrection in terms of being a father figure to Eleven will definitely be crucial to the season, after viewers witnessed Eleven's grief at the end of season 3 when she believes Hopper to have passed. Meanwhile, Stranger Things season 4 set photos and trailers have hinted that Eleven might be tested further this season. The trailer strongly suggested that Eleven will be revisiting her traumatic past in Hawkins National Laboratory, while set photos seemed to hint at some injury for the young girl. Hopper's character developed hugely when he took to fathering Eleven and seeing that relationship rekindled after hardship and grief will be very powerful following his resurrection.
From Harbour's statement, it seems season 4 is set to be a very significant one in terms of his character's growth. It is comforting to hear that there is a plan behind Hopper's fake death and his subsequent resurrection. With how emotional his character's death was at the end of season 3, his resurrection in season 4 might seem a bit hasty. However, the idea that his death creates some "newness" in Hopper and in his parenting of Eleven, brings more meaning to his resurrection. Hopper's return will have a very heavy impact on season 4 as he attempts to re-establish important relationships after his time in a Russian prison. Overall, Harbour's statement creates more anticipation for Stranger Things season 4 and promises that, while things will likely be very new this season, it is all part of a deeper plan.