Stranger Things season 3 revealed that the Russians have been opening gates on the other side of the world and in Hawkins as well, and the biggest question is how they knew that a gate had been previously opened in Hawkins. Though many fans believe that Dr. Brenner is behind all this, others think someone else might have (unintentionally) led the Russians to Hawkins Lab: Murray. Season 3 of Stranger Things was a big shake-up for fans and the characters as well, and the finale left a lot of questions that will hopefully be answered in season 4.
By the end of season 3, Eleven had lost her powers, Jim Hopper had (supposedly) died, and the Byers (and Eleven) moved out of Hawkins. In addition to that, a mid-credits scene revealed that the Russians were still experimenting on the other side of the world, and they have at least one Demogorgon and prisoners that they are using to feed the creature – and, possibly, to experiment on too. New fan favorite Alexei explained that, as the fabric of space-time in Hawkins was still healing, it was more vulnerable to the Key Ray and therefore they could open another gate there. Still, the biggest mystery is how they learned about the gates in Hawkins.
While it’s possible that someone from Hawkins Lab, such as Brenner, has been working with the Russians all this time or there’s a spy in Hawkins reporting everything to the other team, a fan theory suggests that a character that has played an important role in seasons 2 and 3 is the one responsible for leading the Russians to Hawkins, though he did it without even knowing it – Murray Bauman.
Murray’s Research Into Hawkins Lab In Stranger Things
Murray Bauman is a private investigator who first appeared in Stranger Things season 2, when he tried to convince Hopper that there was a Russian spy presence in Hawkins. Murray had previously worked as investigative journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, but he was too invested in conspiracy theories and was let go. He then became a private investigator and was hired by Barb’s parents to investigate her disappearance, as the police hadn’t helped them at all. It was through this investigation that Murray found out that there was something going on in Hawkins, and his initial suspicion was that there were Russian spies in town, including a “Russian girl with psionic abilities” (Eleven).
Murray was approached by Nancy and Jonathan to help them expose Hawkins Lab and bring closure to Barb’s parents in the process. Together, they crafted the truth in a way that would bring the lab down and not hurt Barb’s parents (there’s no way the actual truth was going to be an easy one to take), and sent the story to the Chicago Sun-Times, prompting the military to shut down Hawkins Lab. Thanks to this and because he happens to be fluent in Russian, Hopper asked for his help in season 3, where it was revealed that Murray’s suspicions were correct and the Russians had been working in an underground lab. As you can see, Murray was very involved in everything surrounding Hawkins Lab, and all his work could have given the Russians the information they needed.
Theory: Murray Led The Russians To Hawkins Lab
A theory posted on Reddit suggests Murray’s research could have led the Russians to Hawkins Lab. The author explains that since Murray was in the Chicago area during season 1, he could have been investigating Kali and company, but because a gang of teen criminals with special abilities was a bit too much (and surely, this wasn’t his first crazy investigation), the Chicago Sun-Times decided to let him go. The Russians somehow heard about this and decided to keep an eye on him and his work, as he could have something they could use to their advantage. The author even points out that, in season 2, Dr. Owens warned Nancy and Jonathan to not say anything so the information wouldn’t get to the Soviets, meaning they were already a threat.
When Murray began the preliminary investigation of Barb’s disappearance, he found out about Eleven and her powers – and given that he had already done some research on Kali’s gang, this could have made him take the case, as he saw the connection between them. Because the Russians were already monitoring him, they learned everything about Brenner, Eleven, and the lab, and they could have even infiltrated the lab sometime in season 2. Murray’s paranoia about Russians arriving to Hawkins wasn’t that crazy after all, and he had good reasons to have all those surveillance cameras and security systems at his house/warehouse, because he was truly being monitored.
Could This Mean Murray Is The American In Stranger Things Season 4?
Another big question that Stranger Things season 4 will have to answer is who the American prisoner is. The mid-credits scene in season 3’s finale revealed the Russians have at least one American prisoner at their base in Kamchatka, and they are keeping him “safe” (as in: he won’t be the Demogorgon’s dinner just yet) for some reason. Naturally, there are already many theories on who the American prisoner is, the most popular ones being those about Hopper and Brenner – though there are also some that believe it could be Billy. It’s also possible that the prisoner is another test subject from Hawkins Lab, but there’s another candidate for the role: Murray.
The aforementioned theory makes it possible for Murray to be the prisoner, as he knows way too much. The author explains that he could have been “picked up by the Russians” when he went back to the warehouse after the battle of Starcourt and everything that happened at the underground base. The Russians would have taken him to the base in Kamchatka to interrogate him, which is why he is being kept away from the Demogorgon. Murray had enough time to leave a message for Joyce on his answering machine telling her he found “something” and had to talk to her in person, which didn’t happen as he was kidnapped by the Russians.
There’s no doubt that Murray is a big threat to the Russians, and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he’s the American prisoner (after all, it’s not clear if the mid-credits scene happened at the same time as the Byers’ move, before, or some time after) and that his work could have led the Russians to Hawkins unbeknownst to him. Stranger Things season 4 might not arrive as soon as fans would like, but at least there’s plenty of time for them to revisit the series with this theory in mind and see how well it fits.