Last week when Stranger Things 3 premiered on Netflix, fans who binged the series immediately were stunned at the shocking final episode which seemingly featured the death of a fan-favorite character. But since there wasn’t a body left behind, the fan theories are already starting to crop up in earnest.
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But with a ways to go until the inevitable Stranger Things 4 debuts on the streaming service, we’re not sure just what the future holds for this beloved hero. However, we might have a better idea of whether they will return thanks to contract details for the actor’s role.
Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things below.
Although police chief Jim Hopper might have been blasted by the Russian’s particle accelerator, fans still think the character will return for Stranger Things 4. And TV Line dug up new details about actor David Harbour‘s contract for the series.
“[Harbour’s] current contract carries him through a potential fourth season (and possibly beyond), but that doesn’t necessarily mean producers will pick up his Season 4 option. FWIW, the latest Vegas odds put the chances of [him] returning at duh,” TV Line reported.
Harbour has been cagey about whether or not Hopper will come back to Hawkins. In an interview with ComicBook’s Adam Bardnhardt, he cautioned that fans should wait before jumping to conclusions.
“There’s always discussion on set about kicking around ideas about what would be cool and stuff, but there’s a lot of stuff that goes down in season three that you’re going to want to pay attention to before you start thinking at all about the future,” Harbour teased. “They pulled no punches with the season, and it’s a big deal what goes down. So you really have to watch this before you start even speculating.”
Harbour has also been teasing fans on social media, referencing a series of numbers that have lead fans to call the paranoid conspiracy theorist Murray Bauman. Calling the number leads to an answering machine in which Bauman begs Winona Ryder’s character Joyce Byers to call him.
“Hi, you have reached the residence of Murray Bauman. Mom, if this is you, please hang up and call me between the hours of 5 and 6 pm as previously discussed, okay? If this is Joyce, Joyce, thank you for calling, I have been trying to reach ya. I have an update. It’s about, well, its probably best if we speak in person. It’s not good or bad, but it’s something,” the message states.
It sounds like Hopper might not be dead after all, and fans can hold hope that “the American” is the chief of Hawkins P.D.
Stranger Things 3 is now streaming on Netflix.