WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 4, vol. 1!
Stranger Things season 4’s opening scene revealed the tragic fates of Eleven’s “siblings” at Hawkins Lab, but a huge fan theory suggests one of the kids actually survived, with his true identity being none other than Eddie Munson. Alongside bringing back a few of the series’ old characters, Stranger Things season 4 has introduced plenty of captivating figures, with the most popular new addition being Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson. The Stranger Things character is introduced as the leader of Hawkins High’s Hellfire Club, who takes Dustin and Mike in under his wing but quickly becomes an integral figure in the battle against the Upside Down when he’s accused of murdering Vecna’s victim Chrissy Cunningham.
As viewers learned early on, Stranger Things is very familiar with death fakeouts; even if a body is seen, that doesn’t necessarily mean the character is dead. From Will’s fake body and Dr. Brenner inexplicably surviving a Demogorgon attack in Stranger Things season 1, to Hopper miraculously surviving the explosion of the machine in season 3, it’s hard to tell when a character’s death will actually stick. Even Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 has had a death fakeout already, with Victor Creel explaining that his son died until episode 7 revealed the twist that Henry Creel really went into a coma and survived.
Although Stranger Things season 4 only hints at two survivors from One’s Hawkins Lab massacre, it’s possible that at least one of the other kids could have secretly lived. Not only is this a major question heading into Stranger Things season 4, volume 2, but a controversial fan theory (via Reddit) suggests one secret survivor was Eddie. Within the theory, Eddie is revealed to be Ten, the Hawkins Lab kid who first sensed that something was wrong during the opening scene’s massacre.
What Happened To The Kids From Hawkins Lab
Stranger Things season 4 reveals that at least 17 kids were experimented on at Hawkins Lab under Dr. Brenner’s project, but nearly all perished in the 1979 massacre. Kali, aka Eight, was revealed to still be alive in Stranger Things season 2, as it was explained that she escaped Hawkins Lab long before the massacre occurred. While One was thought to have died, Stranger Things season 4’s flashbacks divulged the truth about the first subject’s identity. One was revealed to be Henry Creel, who had survived his coma after killing his mother and sister, with the powerful child then being taken in by Dr. Brenner. Martin Brenner then suppressed One’s dangerous powers and tried to recreate his abilities through the rest of the Hawkins Lab children, with the young Eleven proving to have the strongest powers.
After Eleven removed the power-inhibiting Soteria chip from One’s neck, he slaughtered everyone in Hawkin’s Lab, with Eleven and Dr. Brenner seemingly being the only survivors. The only reason that Eleven survived was that her powers proved to be superior when she was able to conjure a memory that made her feel incredibly happy and angry simultaniously, with the character using all of her strength to banish One to the Upside Down. Over the past seven years that Henry has been in the Upside Down, he’s gradually morphed into Vecna, who is now returning to complete his villainous murders in Hawkins. Considering Stranger Things didn’t visibly confirm that all 14 of the other siblings in Hawkins Lab were dead, some believe at least one had survived.
Stranger Things Theory Explained: Eddie Is Actually Ten
With Eddie quickly becoming a well-liked main character in Stranger Things season 4, the true origins of the character have come into question, as Eddie is perhaps much more important to the Upside Down’s battle than he seems. Ten was seen in the opening scene of Stranger Things season 4 when doing a one-on-one training session with Dr. Brenner, in which he was tasked with using his psionic powers to see what his “siblings” were doing in another room. It was during this session that he saw the other children being murdered by Number One/Henry Creel, with a door blasting through that seemingly killed both Ten and Brenner. However, Brenner was revealed to have survived, with the character cradling Ten in his arms upon waking up. This scene suggested Ten was one of the Hawkins Lab massacre victims, but one fan theory isn’t convinced.
Rather, it’s believed that Ten secretly lived through the ordeal and ended up going under the moniker Eddie Munson. When Eddie has a drug deal with Chrissy in Stranger Things’ season 4 premiere, he mentions that he had a buzz cut in middle school, which is a significant contrast to his long metal hair in 1986. Since Ten looked to be approximately 12 or 13 in the 1979 flashback, this age range lines up with Eddie’s hinted age of 19 or 20 in Stranger Things season 4’s 1986 timeline. While it’s true that plenty of kids have buzz cuts that they eventually grow out, it seemed odd for Stranger Things season 4 to point out this fact when buzz cuts have previously been associated with the subjects at Hawkins Lab. The evidence for the theory about Eddie being Ten is further supported by the character’s many tattoos, although his watch conveniently covers up the spot on his wrist where a removed 010 tattoo could have been.
One of the biggest problems of the theory that Eddie is actually Ten is the idea that he would remember having lived in Hawkins Lab and experiencing his powers. However, the fan theory does attempt to explain away both of these counterpoints. It’s possible that when One attempted to kill Ten he only went into a coma and experienced retrograde amnesia. Similar to how Eleven lost her powers after Stranger Things season 3, the attempted murder could have affected his brain by suppressing his powers thereafter, unless he learned how to use them again. When explaining why Dr. Brenner or others from Hawkins Lab wouldn’t have been tracking him all these years, the theory suggests that Eddie’s Uncle Wayne Munson could have been a janitor who took Ten with him directly after the massacre. Ten wasn’t shown with blood in his eyes on-screen like the rest of his murdered “siblings,” so it’s plausible that Stranger Things has enacted another wild death fakeout to reveal Eddie’s true identity.
While there are certainly holes in the theory that would be hard to explain, this Reddit fan theory isn’t disproven yet. Anything can happen in Stranger Things, and the series is incredible at connecting unlikely details and introducing major twists. Eddie being 010 from Hawkins Lab would prove to be a massive character twist on par with the Vecna/Henry Creel/001 reveal, but it may be better for Stranger Things’ future if Eddie is simply a new guy who unintentionally joins the Upside Down-fighting gang.
Eddie Being Ten Could Make Hawkins’ Teens Unstoppable
If Eddie truly is Ten, a resurgence of his powers would make the teens in Hawkins virtually unstoppable against the Upside Down. The gang has been relying on Eleven’s powers for the past few years when other-dimensional threats arrive in Hawkins, so having two characters with incredibly strong psionic abilities would make the Upside Down’s threat less intimidating. If Eddie (as Ten) were to get his powers back before the end of Stranger Things season 4, Vecna could finally be taken down by all of the teens in Hawkins once he and Eleven put their strength together.
Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 releases on Netflix on July 1.