[The following contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 4]
Stranger Things creator addresses a big season 4 death, explaining that the character in question was doomed from the start. Stranger Things season 4 proved to be the most brutal and intense installment of the show to date. And that was particularly true in the recently-released final episode, which saw one fan favorite character meeting a tragic demise.
The latest character added to the roll call of Stranger Things’ honored dead, Eddie Munson, was of course introduced in season 4 and quickly became beloved by fans. Portrayed by Joseph Quinn, the metalhead and D&D fan Eddie seemed like a potential antagonist early on, but later showed himself to be a true friend to the Hawkins kids, particularly his fellow D&D fanatic Dustin. Sadly Eddie’s involvement in the kids’ plans to take down season 4’s big bad Vecna, and release himself from Vecna’s curse, led to Eddie sacrificing himself for the greater good: but not before the headbanger got to stage the greatest heavy metal concert in history, shredding on guitar with his rendition of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” while helping Dustin battle swarming bat creatures from the Upside Down.
Stranger Things has of course featured such stunning and tragic developments before, most notably the demise of Sean Astin’s Bob Newby in season 2. But in fact fans shouldn’t have been so shocked by the death of Eddie as his fate was in the cards right from the very beginning according to Stranger Things creator Ross Duffer. Addressing what happened to both Max and Eddie in the finale, Duffer said (via Collider):
"Both her and Eddie, from the get-go, they are targeted, and they're both screwed as a result of Vecna and circumstance, in the case of Eddie. So in some way we see [in] the season they're both doomed in a way since the beginning of the season. Different from something like Bob or where it's just a shocker. It's like, these characters are hurtling towards disaster from very early on in the season."
Max of course sees her fate up in the air after going into a coma during the epic events of the Stranger Things season 4 finale. Eddie’s fate on the other hand is officially sealed, as he was confirmed by the Duffer Brothers to absolutely be dead. Of course any time a fan favorite Stranger Things character dies, there’s an immediate push for that character to receive “justice,” and Eddie’s situation is no exception. For his part, Eddie actor Quinn has come up with an idea for how his character could come back in Stranger Things season 5, proposing that he return as a figment of Dustin’s imagination (making him in essence a Force Ghost).
The chances of Eddie returning in Stranger Things season 5 indeed seem slim, no matter how much fans may clamor for him to receive justice. Indeed, Eddie served his purpose in season 4 as a new character who added something to the overall cast chemistry, and played his vital if ultimately tragic part in the story. Fans upset that Eddie was indeed doomed from the get-go, and received the fate that was always written in his cards, can at least take solace in the fact that he got to shred in the most epic fashion imaginable before dying. Eddie may be gone, but his rendition of Metallica’s headbanger classic will live on in Stranger Things lore.
Source: Collider