Stranger Things season 4 will have a big reveal about Jim Hopper’s backstory, which was teased back in season 2 – but what could this twist be? Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many film and TV productions had to be put on hold, among those season 4 of Stranger Things. Of course, that means it will take longer for the acclaimed sci-fi horror series to return, so fans are now patiently waiting for the production team to drop some clues on what to expect from the new season.
Stranger Things season 3 left viewers with a lot of questions, but the biggest mystery of all has already been solved in a teaser trailer: Jim Hopper is alive and in Russia. Still, season 4 has to explain how Hopper ended up on the other side of the world, what the Russians have been working on, if and how Eleven will regain her powers, and how Hopper will return to Hawkins. Unfortunately for Stranger Things fans, the Duffer brothers are keeping plot details under wraps, but David Harbour has teased a big reveal coming up in the new season.
During an appearance at Liverpool Comic Con in March, Harbour teased a big twist coming up for Hopper in Stranger Things season 4 that connects with a seemingly minor detail in season 2 – and here’s what that reveal could be about.
Stranger Things: What Season 4 Could Reveal About Hopper
In three seasons, Stranger Things hasn’t shared much about Jim Hopper’s life prior to the events of the series, except for what happened to his daughter, Sara. Hopper was born in 1942 in Hawkins, and attended Hawkins High School with Joyce. Hopper was married to a woman named Diane and had a kid together, Sara, who was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. By the time of the events of season 1, Hopper was Police Chief at Hawkins Police Department and lived a solitary life. In season 2, Eleven found some boxes in Hopper’s cabin labeled “Vietnam”, “New York”, and “dad” – and that’s where the secret to the big reveal is.
According to Harbour, season 4 will finally reveal what those boxes are about and thus tell an important part of Hopper’s backstory, which Harbour has known from the beginning. As Hopper was born in 1942, it’s possible the “Vietnam” box is about his time in the military, and “New York” about his life between the war and serving as police officer in Hawkins, as he has mentioned he was a cop in “a big city” after Sara’s death. As for “dad”, it could either be about his father or things given to him by Sara, which he would obviously keep as they have a lot of sentimental value. With Hopper now trapped in Russia, he will have a lot of time to look back at his life, giving Stranger Things the opportunity to show viewers what Hopper’s life was like years ago and how those events have made him into the person he is now.