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Stranger Things creators reveal alternate ending (and why it couldn’t happen)

By Michael Patterson

STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, and Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022
STRANGER THINGS. (L to R) Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, and Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2022 /
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Stranger Things season 4 was a traumatic experience for fans but an alternate ending for one character could have created even more trauma in season 5.

*** This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from Stranger Things season 4 ***

It’s been over a week since Stranger Things season 4 made its presence felt on Netflix and single-handedly shook the world. That might be an overly dramatic thing to say but if you were there and watching along with the rest of the world when the season premiered, you would absolutely say the same thing.

Among the most harrowing developments in the bumper-length season finale was the death of Eddie Munson, a character that the internet collectively fell in love with when he was introduced in part 1 in May.

Eddie’s death hit most people hard, with fans voicing their outcry, rage and heartbreak online for days afterwards. However, it turns out that there could have been an alternate ending to Eddie’s story in season 4 – one where he survived. The only problem is that it was arguably even more tragic.

Could Eddie Munson have survived in Stranger Things season 4?

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers revealed that they always envisioned Eddie as “a doomed character”, with Matt commenting:

"“Imagining the flipside of that, where he does survive that final battle, there’s not a great life waiting for Eddie in the right side up either, so he was really designed from the get-go as a doomed character.”"

Matt’s brother, Ross, agreed that Eddie was destined to be “a tragic character”, adding:

"“He would have wound up in jail — this fantasy that he would have been in Milwaukee graduating sadly was never an outcome for him.”"

Portrayed by Joseph Quinn, Eddie found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when Vecna attacked Chrissy Cunningham, resulting in Hawkins wrongly accusing him of her murder. In a bid to prove his innocence and save the town from Vecna, he joined up with the show’s heroes and, together, they ventured into the Upside Down.

Eddie proved himself a hero when he took on an army of Demobats to distract them from Nancy, Steve and Robin (who were trying to kill Vecna) and he unfortunately succumbed to his wounds, dying in Dustin’s arms. And while he deserved so much better than that, it’s a more heroic ending than the one that was waiting for him in Hawkins if he had survived.

Justice for Eddie!

Next. All 4 seasons of Stranger Things ranked from worst to best. dark

Would you have liked to see Eddie Munson survive Stranger Things season 4? Do you think Joseph Quinn could come back somehow in season 5? Let us know in the comments below!

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