SPOILERS AHEAD!
Sorry, Stranger Things fans — it’s time to hang up the Hellfire Club vest and let the guitars rest. Netflix has confirmed what many of us feared: Joseph Quinn will not be returning as Eddie Munson for the show’s final season.
Stranger Things Bids Quinn Adieu!
The heartbreaking update came straight from creators Matt and Ross Duffer, who finally shut down months of speculation that Eddie might claw his way back from the Upside Down.
“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.”
There you have it — the final nail in the coffin (or rather, the final guitar pick on the grave). Fans had been holding out hope that Eddie might make a cameo or be resurrected in some sci-fi twist, but the Duffers made it clear: his story ended in Season 4.
Let’s rewind to where it all began. Eddie Munson burst onto the Stranger Things scene in 2022’s fourth season as the charismatic, misunderstood leader of Hawkins High’s Hellfire Club. He was loud, funny, rebellious — and impossibly endearing. But beneath the eyeliner and heavy metal bravado was a character with a heart so pure, fans couldn’t help but fall in love.
When Vecna — the humanoid monster from the Upside Down — began terrorizing Hawkins, Eddie and his friends uncovered the truth behind the horrifying deaths plaguing the town. In one of television’s most iconic moments, Eddie took to the rooftop of a trailer and shredded Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” to lure away Vecna’s army of Demobats. It was his ultimate act of defiance — and sacrifice. The moment cemented his status as a cult hero and broke the hearts of millions around the world.
Watch Joe Quinn become Eddie Munson for Stranger Things 4 pic.twitter.com/7sAlfKjUce
— Netflix (@netflix) June 16, 2022
Though he died a hero, Hawkins branded him a murderer. But Dustin’s heartfelt words to Eddie’s grieving uncle reminded us what true legacy looks like — one built on bravery, friendship, and the kind of metal spirit that never really dies.
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Since Stranger Things, Joseph Quinn has been unstoppable. After winning Best Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, he’s been on a career hot streak that rivals Vecna’s body count.
Quinn has joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) in Fantastic Four and will reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday. He also stars in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, A Quiet Place: Day One, Warfare, and a four-part The Beatlesbiopic, where he’ll play George Harrison. Talk about leveling up.
As for Stranger Things, the show’s final chapter is gearing up to be epic. Volume 1 of the three-part final season drops November 26, while the 2-hour grand finale — titled The Rightside Up — premieres on Netflix and in more than 350 movie theaters this New Year’s Eve. It marks the first time a Netflix episode will screen theatrically — a fittingly cinematic farewell for a show that defined an era.
So yes, Eddie Munson may be gone, but his spirit will live on — in the riffs, the rebellion, and the hearts of every fan who ever felt like the misfit hero of their own story.
Rest in power, Eddie. You were never just a character — you were a whole vibe.
I like the hottie Finn Wolfhard!