Duffer Brothers Reveal One ‘Stranger Things’ Star Will Not Return for Season 5

As anticipation builds for Stranger Things Season 5, creators Matt and Ross Duffer have confirmed that fan-favorite Eddie Munson will not be returning.

Eddie, played by Joseph Quinn, became a breakout character in Season 4 as the heavy metal rocker and leader of the Hellfire Club.

His memorable role helped propel Quinn into high-profile projects, including The Fantastic Four: First Steps and a series of Beatles films directed by Sam Mendes. However, the Duffer Brothers have made it clear that Eddie’s story is over.

“I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people! But no, he’s dead,” Matt Duffer told Empire in a new interview. “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’s death came at the end of Season 4 when he sacrificed himself to distract Vecna’s Demobats while the rest of the group launched an attack on Creel House in the Upside Down. While some deceased characters, like Billy (Dacre Montgomery), returned briefly as ghosts, Eddie will not have a similar return.

The interview also teased a new character for the upcoming season. Linda Hamilton will play Dr. Kay, a government agent on the hunt for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). “She’s hyper-intelligent and intimidating,” Matt Duffer said. “She’s a scientist but if she needs to, she can get into a fight and shoot a gun.”

Volume 1 of the final three-part season is set to premiere on November 26. Alongside Brown, Hamilton, and Jamie Campbell Bower, the Season 5 cast includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, Amybeth McNulty, Nell Fisher, Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux.

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