It's been quite some time since Stranger Things last graced our screens with new episodes. The third season concluded with an epic battle between the Hawkins kids and the Mind Flayer, which resulted in the monster's eventual demise and the sealing of the gate to the Upside Down. While such an ending made it seem like all was finally well in the town of Hawkins, there were still many mysteries that were left up in the air: What are the Russians really up to? Is Jim Hopper really dead or is he alive?
The last question, in particular, has sparked much discussion online, with faithful viewers wondering whether Hopper's heroic act to close the gate to the Upside Down in Stranger Things 3's finale marked his definitive exit from the show. At this point in time, the only ones who know the truth of Hopper's fate are the show's creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, and Harbour himself. According to reports, the three have kept a "huge" secret about the lead character for the past five years, and Harbour has apparently known about it since the very start of the series.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Harbour teased the secret, saying that it "plays very big" in the upcoming season of Stranger Things. "Me and the Duffers would sit around and speculate, 'Oh, wouldn't this be cool?' the minute we started shooting," he added. Given that they never expected the show to even go on to a second season, Harbour says that he's grateful they have a chance to carry out the idea that they conceived almost a half-decade ago. "We're gonna lay it out finally, and it's really cool," he said.
While Harbour didn't give any specific details, he said that the fourth season will showcase a different side of his character, revealing the intricacies of his "backstory points" introduced in the previous seasons. He also said that audiences will see a "rebirth" of Hopper as the story continues, which could hint that the Hopper we saw imprisoned in Russia in the teaser trailer may not be the same Hopper we've all come to know. Could something have "flipped" when he closed the gate to the Upside Down? Will he escape imprisonment and find his way back to Eleven and his Hawkins family in Stranger Things season 4? Hopefully, these questions (and several others) will be answered when the show returns.
Of course, the show's return has taken longer than expected due to COVID-19-related production delays. However, the writers behind the series used the unexpected extra time from the production shut down to perfect the scripts for Stranger Things season 4, which they believe improved the quality of the show.
Stranger Things season 4Â is set to release on Netflix sometime at the end of this year or in 2022.
Source: Entertainment Tonight