Fans hoping for Eddie Munson’s dramatic return in Stranger Things season five may be disappointed.
In a recent interview with Empire, the Duffer brothers confirmed that Joseph Quinn will not be reprising his role in the final season of the Netflix hit.
“I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people! But no, he’s dead,” said Matt Duffer. “Joe is so busy anyway, that everyone should know he’s not coming back. He’s shot like five movies since! When the hell has he got time to come and shoot Stranger Things? No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.”
Eddie, a fan-favourite character introduced in season four, was killed off after heroically distracting the Demobats in the Upside Down to help his friends confront Vecna.
Since then, Quinn has moved on to major projects including Hoard, A Quiet Place: Day One, Gladiator II, Warfare, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
While Eddie won’t return, many familiar faces will. Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Priah Ferguson, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, and Brett Gelman are all confirmed to return.
The Duffers also teased the arrival of Linda Hamilton as Dr Kay, a government agent targeting Eleven. “She’s hyper-intelligent and intimidating,” Matt shared. “She’s a scientist but if she needs to, she can get into a fight and shoot a gun.”
Season five will release in three parts: Volume 1 on November 26, Volume 2 on Christmas, and The Finale on New Year’s Eve.