Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | October 21, 2025
Nobody is really dead in film and television. There are dream sequences, resurrections, fakeouts, amnesia, and evil twins (though that one’s kind of a cheat) as possible ways to bring a character back to life. The possibilities end where the creators’ imagination ends. So, if the actor portraying a fan-favorite character were to blow up considerably between filming seasons, one may be inclined to try to bring them back. It may even be expected.
That has been the case with Joseph Quinn. The man who played Eddie Munson has been busy as hell since his scene-stealing performance in the fourth season of Stranger Things. Quinn went on to appear in Gladiator II, Fantastic Four: The First Steps, and A Quiet Place: Day One. There was that whole thing where Doja Cat was trying to get at him. He’s had a jam-packed few years.
The character he played on Stranger Things is very dead. He sacrificed himself in a very noble manner. That hasn’t stopped fans and interviewers from wondering whether or not he would return. Quinn has even teased the possibility as recently as July. Regardless, the Duffer Brothers have now come along to shut that down.
“I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people! But no, he’s dead,” Matt Duffer recently told Empire. “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.” Sorry, Eddie Munson fans, but also, not sorry at all.
Eddie Munson’s death was a pivotal moment, not just in the fourth season, but in Stranger Things as a whole. It was exciting, heartfelt, and rad as hell. It’s part of what made Munson such a stand-out character. He had plenty of charm and personality, but the nobility of that moment, the selflessness, pushed his character over the edge. To bring him back would rob him of all that made him special.
I’m still not buying it one hundred percent, though. As I mentioned, there are plenty of ways to bring someone back, and you can even do so without technically bringing them back. Munson’s body could be perverted by Vecna and the Upside Down. The gang could have to do battle with a zombified version of him. I wouldn’t like either choice, but I’ll believe it’s not happening when the credits roll on hour 37 of the season (or however long it’s gonna be).
