It’s been two years since Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 ended, leaving many fans mourning the death of Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn). While it’s not uncommon for the hit Netflix show to feature brutal deaths for major characters, fans were shocked that the Duffer Brothers chose to kill someone who became such an important part of the Hawkins group. Munson's demise immediately became viewed as one of the worst parts of the season, leading fans to start theorizing about how he could return for the fifth and final season. And there’s one theory in particular that makes me hopeful that we haven’t seen the end of Eddie just yet.
Some fans are creative with their takes, digging deep into Dungeons and Dragons lore to figure out ways to get Eddie to return. While they’re good theories, they fail to take into account that Stranger Things hardly ever brings characters back from the dead — except in the case of Hopper, whose body we never saw at the end of Season 3. With this in mind, it’s unlikely that the Duffer Brothers are going to resurrect Eddie.
Even with Joseph Quinn himself teasing a potential return to the role that launched him into stardom, I’m still not getting my hopes up that we’ll see his beloved character alive. However, I do think fans are right that we haven’t seen the last of him. In fact, I think the theory that Eddie will return through flashbacks and/or visions from the villianous Vecna visions is right on the money!
While character resurrections aren't usually featured on Stranger Things, Season 4 did establish that having deceased characters appear in flashbacks or part of Vecna's visions isn’t off the table. The method was used to bring Billy (Dacre Montgomery) back after his death in Season 3, and it can definitely be used again in Eddie’s case.
The Duffer Brothers and the rest of the writing team could opt for a traditional flashback route when it comes to Eddie’s return. After all, there’s a lot that happened between his alleged on-screen death and the time jump that concluded the season finale. I wouldn’t mind a scene or two of the older teens reuniting with Dustin only to discover that Eddie hasn’t survived. It would also answer a lot of Season 4 questions fans were left with, like, did they leave his body in the Upside Down?
Eddie appearing in a Vecna vision is also extremely likely. Though the villain of the series is missing at the end of the season, it’s safe to assume that he’s still alive, if not a little injured from the older teen's physical attack and El’s mind one. With Max now in a coma, Vecna might need a new person to play mind tricks on. Who better than Dustin, who is definitely going to be dealing with the grief due to Eddie dying in his arms?
As much as I hope the fan theories about how he might still be alive are true, I think this gut-wrenching version is the one that’s more likely to happen. I’ll be reaching for a box of tissues if it does, but I’m willing to take the tears as long as I get to see Eddie Munson on screen one more time.
Though the Duffer Brothers have been great at sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses at the filming of the new episodes, I highly doubt they’d tease something as shocking as Eddie’s return. Unfortunately, that means we fans are going to have to keep theorizing about what Stranger Things Season 5 is going to entail until it's eventually released on one of the best streaming services. Thankfully, Season 4 is currently available to stream on with an active Netflix subscription.
