Stranger Things: Matthew Modine Teases Brenner Return in Season 4

Following a wild cliffhanger of a finale back in July, Stranger Things is officially coming back to Netflix for a fourth season. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given the show’s immense popularity, but it is exciting to know that the return of the series is actually official. Along with the show itself, it looks like there may also be another popular character from the past preparing to make his own return. Could the infamous Doctor Brenner be back for Stranger Things Season 4?

The scientist from the Hawkins, Indiana lab that was experimenting on the Upside-Down and tested its powers on Eleven was seemingly killed at the end of the show’s first season. A demogorgon jumped on Brenner just before the camera cut away, insinuating that he had died at the hands of the monster, but the death was never actually featured on screen, leaving the door open for a return to the series. This comeback seems even more likely following a tweet from actor Matthew Modine on Monday.

Modine, who played Brenner in Season 1, quote tweeted the announcement video from Netflix along with the phrase, “Ding dong…” This doesn’t mean much until you watch the teaser video in the original Netflix tweet, which features the dinging of a clock while showing the Upside-Down version of Hawkins and the phrase “We’re not in Hawkins anymore.” It’s possible that Brenner was taken to the Upside-Down at the end of Season 1 rather than killed. It’s also possible that the scientist was referenced at the end of Season 3 and we just didn’t realize it.

Some folks online have theorized that Brenner is “The American” being held captive in Russia, not Hopper. This would mean that Brenner was found by the Russians during one of their journeys into the alternate dimension and that Hopper is still lost in there somehow. Like Brenner, Hopper was seemingly killed in the Season 3 finale, but we never saw his body or remains after the lab explosion. The Russian tease was meant to make everyone believe it was Hopper, though that may not be the case.

There’s no telling exactly how Brenner could fit into the fourth season of Stranger Things, but with the world’s connection to the Upside-Down only growing stronger, it would make sense to include the characters that have the most experience dealing with it.

Do you think Brenner will be returning for Stranger Things Season 4? Let us know in the comments!

The first three seasons of Stranger Things are currently streaming on Netflix.