Stranger Things' Eddie return in s5 could actually be possible
Stranger Things spoilers follow.
The world of Hawkins and Stranger Things frankly didn't deserve the sweet-natured angel that was Eddie Munson.
Introduced at the beginning of season four, it was sadly a forgone conclusion that he was likely going to be killed off by the end of the latest batch of episodes, becoming the latest Sacrificial Lamb that is ever-present in the Duffer Bros storytelling.
But we don't think the creators, or even actor Joseph Quinn, were quite prepared for the absolute swarm of adoration this character caused upon season four's release.
The troubled teen caught in the middle of Indiana's Satanic Panic became a meme, turned into a song, and became the latest character for TikTok to have a shared lust after. (We were right there alongside them.)
Eddie Munson became an idol. So when you kill off a darling like this fans will start doing the writers' job and figure out ways to bring him back. Even after said character is eaten alive by Demobats in a hero's death for the town that despises him.
While some theories can be a bit of a stretch to say the least (we want him back guys... but we have to be somewhat realistic about these things) there is one that does, actually, hold some weight – because his story so neatly parallels certain aspects of the Dungeons and Dragons lore it cannot be ignored.
And if fans have learned anything from the long-standing D&D games in the show, it's that they are always telling us something we should be paying attention to.
In this world, there is a character known as Kas The Bloody-Handed, and he is actually a devout ally to Vecna. The D&D Vecna is known as the most powerful lich in history and considered a God of Secrets who, after recovery from being defeated, later tries to rewrite the world in his own image... That sounds familiar, but we digress.
Along the way, Kas eventually betrays his master, using an an all-black sword that "whispered to him" in order to rebel against him.
This part of the story was played a little in Stranger Things season four, where the Hellfire Club play the game and one person is heard yelling: "Vecna's dead, he was killed by Kas", only for Dungeon Master Eddie to declare: "So it was thought, my friends".
Kas used a shield and a sword as a weapon, and while swords are hard to come by in 1980s Indiana, it's not a stretch to note that Eddie fought off with a makeshift spear – a knife attached to a rod – and a shield he'd crafted out of a tin dustbin lid and nails.
But that's not the bit that caught our attention.
Kas's fate within the realm of D&D is where things get a little bit complicated. In the fray of defeating Vecna, Kas is thrown across the multiverse and is later transformed into a vampire.
You know one way vampires are known to be made according to long-standing mythology? Bites. So Eddie being bitten to death by bats... it's not an impossibility.
But that also leaves a lot of question marks over how badly those same bites would have affected his right hand man/bromance partner, Steve Harrington, who was also attacked during season four by the Demobats.
Could Eddie be resurrected and become a major part of the puzzle to take Vecna/Henry/001 once and for all?
The Duffer Brothers have gone on record during an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that Eddie was definitely dead, but considering they're the masters of dodging answers and bending the truth in the name of a good twist we would take that as a pinch of salt.
After all, anyone even vaguely aware of vampires know they are considered dead. Or undead. But definitely not alive. We also don't truly know the true intricacies of the Upside Down and what rules apply there.
Actor Joseph Quinn is clearly up for a return too, and has been trying to find a way to resurrect the metalhead to mosh another day. "Me and Joe Keery [who plays Steve Harrington] were discussing ways in which I could kind of [come back]," he told Radio Times.
"Maybe I'd be like a figment of [Dustin's] imagination or something. Like if there could be some kind of room for something like that, something a bit supernatural."
It should be noted that, if Eddie's story is truly that of Kas, his fate isn't exactly returning to Hawkins with a hero's welcome and having life be hunky dory. Eventually, Kas is destroyed and becomes someone who's power can be channelled by other people, rather than existing on this plane.
Either way, we've maybe not had our last killer guitar solo yet if we keep our fingers crossed.
Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are now available to watch on Netflix.
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