On Monday, Netflix finally made it official that season 4 of Stranger Things is on the way. The announcement was accompanied by a creepy, cryptic teaser and the tagline “We’re not in Hawkins anymore.” Fans have been speculating about what all this could mean and if it gives us any hints as to whether Hopper is really dead and, if not, how he’ll return in the next run.
Well, We Got This Covered has got some good news that may help explain Netflix’s tease. According to our sources – the same ones who told us months ago that this next batch of episodes will be the end for the show, which seems all but confirmed now – David Harbour’s Hopper will be back in ST season 4, with the Hawkins sheriff revealed to have survived the blast of the Russians’ wormhole machine in the season 3 finale. And here’s how he returns.
From what we’ve been told, the explosion didn’t vaporize him as it did the Soviet scientists who were also in the vicinity. Instead, Hop was sent into the Upside Down. Though this gateway into the other realm was closed, the Russians have other ways of accessing the dimension and will retrieve Hopper in season 4.
Our intel doesn’t specify that Eleven’s adoptive dad is the so-called “American” prisoner locked up in the Russian bunker seen in the finale’s post-credits scene, but given that we’re hearing the Soviets are the ones to rescue him, it doesn’t sound out of the question. This same credits sequence also saw a Demogorgon under their control, which fits with what we’re hearing about them having other ways into the Upside Down.
In any case, with Hop trapped in Russia and the Byers having moved away, the “We’re not in Hawkins anymore” tagline is starting to make more sense. It’s clear that ST4 will expand the scope of the series from beyond the sleepy Indiana town to a global scale and we can’t wait to see what Netflix has in store for us.
Stranger Things season 4 is reportedly going into production this very month, which means it may be on the streaming service sometime next year. As always, watch this space for more.