Is Eddie coming back in season 5? The character’s potential storylines

The Duffer brothers warned us that season 4 wouldn’t have a happy ending. They hinted that some characters wouldn’t survive the season, with Ross Duffer saying: “I don’t really want to say, but I would be concerned about the characters going into Volume 2, for sure.”
We went into the last episode knowing that one of the fan favorites wouldn’t survive season 4, though we didn’t expect it to be Eddie. The loveable metalhead introduced earlier in the season made the ultimate sacrifice, making it clear to the people of Hawkins that he was a hero, not the villain they thought he was.
Eddie succumbed to his injuries, but as we’ve seen in Stranger Things, death doesn’t always stop characters from returning.
Actor Joseph Quinn believes that Eddie’s storyline has ended
Joseph Quinn landed the role of Eddie Munson after two self-taped auditions. The Duffers were so impressed that they handed him the role without a meeting or a chemistry read. Quinn told The Guardian that the unusual booking placed extra pressure on him to deliver:
“It was pretty unusual and very disarming. It meant I was waiting for [creators] the Duffer brothers to realize they’d made a mistake.”
Eddie Munson was introduced as the thrill-seeking leader of Hawkins High’s Dungeons & Dragons society. A self-proclaimed metalhead, Eddie disdained authority, expressing his rebellion by jumping on cafeteria tables and throwing food.
Munson stumbled into Hawkins’ supernatural realm after witnessing Vecna kill Chrissy Cunningham. Eddie was framed for the murder, unwittingly becoming the most wanted man in Hawkins.
As the series wound down, Eddie unleashed a metal concert in the Upside Down that attracted the Demobats. He bravely fought the evil creatures to protect Justin and the town and, unfortunately, died from his injuries. Quinn told RadioTimes:
“Whilst it would have been great to come back for another season and get together with all those lovely people again, I think it was a brilliantly realised ending for a brilliantly written character.”
“I think there’s a great beginning, there’s a great middle and a great end for the character.” Quinn told the publication that he enjoyed playing Eddie and expressed satisfaction with the character’s arc.
Joseph added that he enjoyed the Metallica-inspired rockstar ending to Eddie’s time on the show. He continued:
“I think the timing of it was brilliant. For the whole crew, it felt like the first time that people had been in a live music kind of situation since the pandemic, so it was a joyous celebration on the day. It’s a fantastic conclusion to the character and yeah, I feel very very lucky.”
Quinn hopes to return to Stranger Things in some capacity

“I’ll be furious if they don’t bring me back,” Quinn joked during an interview with The Guardian. “I’d love to, if they’ll have me.”
As mentioned above, death doesn’t always equate to finality in Stranger Things: Dacre Montgomery returned as Billy. Speaking to RadioTimes, Quinn gave some ideas on ways his character could return in season 5. He said:
“Me and Joe Keery (Steve Harrington) were discussing ways in which I could kind of…maybe I’d be like a figment of Gaten’s imagination or something. Like if there could be some kind of room for something like that, something a bit supernatural.”
Quinn added that it would be great to see Eddie’s name cleared. Eddie died a hero, denying him the opportunity to prove that he didn’t murder Chrissy. Quinn continued:
“I think that would be satisfying for the audience. I think Eddie paid such a…he made the ultimate sacrifice for a town that thought he was a monster, which is a level of heroism that’s kind of hard to comprehend.”
Quinn has tasty ideas but understands that he has little influence over the show’s direction. “But as I said, I’m not allowed in the writers’ room, so we’ll see what the grown ups think,” Joseph added.
Despite harboring hopes for a return, Quinn suspects that season 4 concluded Eddie’s storyline: “My suspicion is that Eddie has done what he needed to do for the [Duffer] brothers.”