WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4, vol. 2!
The circumstances for Eddie’s shocking death in Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 were teased early on by the character’s tattoos. In Stranger things’ season 4 finale, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) dies while sacrificing himself in the Upside Down, as he chooses not to run away by standing up against the Demobats in order to keep them away from Nancy, Robin, and Steve at Creel House. While Hawkins is still under the belief that Eddie and the Hellfire Club caused the many deaths and earthquakes through a Satanic Cult ritual, Stranger Things’ beloved characters understand that he sacrificed himself as a hero for a town that hated him.
Eddie Munson’s tragic death had already been set up throughout Stranger Things season 4 due to a few common trends in the series. Stranger Things is notable for introducing extremely likable characters and killing them off later in the same season, such as with Barb in season 1, Bob Newby in season 2, and Dr. Alexei in season 3. Eddie was established early on as Stranger Things season 4’s most likable new character, with Eddie even serving as an apt Jonathan Byers replacement in Hawkins. Of course, this also signaled Eddie’s heartbreaking demise in Stranger Things’ season 4 ending.
When Eddie made a point of his tattoos to Chrissy in Stranger Things season 4, episode 1, some took this as a hint that the character was secretly a survivor of the Hawkins Lab massacre. However, as Eddie’s story progressed and he took a heroic turn in Max’s plan to destroy Vecna for good, the series would confirm the true predictive significance of the ink. In reality, Eddie Munson’s tattoos had revealed the cause of his death by Demobats, which song Eddie would play in the Upside Down before his death, and a tease for the Stranger Things season 4 finale’s major Vecna twists.
Eddie's Bat Tattoos Secretly Revealed How He'd Die In Stranger Things 4
One of Eddie’s more noticeable tattoos in Stranger Things is a group of bats that he has on one of his arms by his elbow. While Eddie was notable for his interest in the macabre and darker creatures, his bat tattoos had secretly revealed the manner in which he would die. After Eddie and Dustin’s plan to keep the Demobats away in Stranger Things’ season 4 finale goes awry, Dustin escapes back to the real world before Eddie decides to stay and fight.
Rather than running away like he always had, Eddie hopped on his bike with his spear and shield, drew the Upside Down's Demobats toward himself, and stood his ground against the swarm of the creatures. As Eddie made his fatal heroic sacrifice, the Demobats attacked him, wrapped their tails around him, and jammed their claws and fangs into his skin. Eddie may have enjoyed the creepy idea of bats in order to get them tattooed, but he wouldn’t know that they would also be the cause of his death.
Eddie's Upside Down Song Was Teased By His Puppet Master Tattoo
Another of Eddie Munson’s tattoos teased which song he would shred in the Upside Down. As a way to draw away the Demobats from Creel House, Eddie Munson plays Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” on his guitar, which has proved to be one of the most chilling and exciting moments in all of Stranger Things. Earlier predictions suggested that Eddie playing the guitar in the Upside Down was going to be a way to save Nancy from Vecna’s curse, so theories about which song he played fell more in line with prior Stranger Things songs like “Africa” or “Old Time Rock and Roll.” However, Vecna let Nancy go free, so the song Eddie played in Stranger Things’ season 4 ending came from his own collection of metal music.
On Eddie’s same forearm, he had a tattoo of a skeleton-like claw holding up a demonic figure on puppet strings, which Stranger Things’ makeup artist refers to as the character’s “Vecna/puppetmaster” tattoo. Of course, “Master of Puppets” would end up being the song that Eddie plays in the Upside Down to distract the Demobats who were guarding Vecna. Quinn explained that he didn’t think the script for the final episode of Stranger Things season 4 was released by the time the tattoo was designed, but it ended up being a poetic tie-in to Eddie’s most memorable scene preceding his death.
How Eddie's Puppet Master Tattoo Revealed Vecna's Ending Twist
Eddie’s Puppet Master tattoo wasn’t simply foreshadowing his legendary song in Stranger Things’ season 4 finale, but also the twist about Vecna being the Puppet Master for the Upside Down the entire time. There had already been several theories that Vecna was responsible for controlling the Demogorgons and Mind Flayer in previous Stranger Things seasons, with the season 4 finale finally confirming this to be true. All along, Vecna had been controlling the beings of the Upside Down as he worked to open more gates between the alternate world and Hawkins, making him the true Puppet Master of Stranger Things’ evils.