Stranger Things 5 gets new details from Duffer Brothers – and it's bad news for Eddie Munson

Stranger Things creators, the Duffer Brothers, have provided more details on what fans of the Netflix show can expect in its fifth and final season and why Eddie Munson is likely not to return. 

Warning: spoilers for Stranger Things 4 and the show as a whole 

Speaking to IndieWire, Matt Duffer confirmed that they're trying to not introduce any new characters to Stranger Things 5 – instead, looking to "focus on the OG characters". That's great news for those of us who love spending time with Eleven, Mike, Hopper, Joyce, Steve, Nancy, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Jonathan and so forth... just not what fans of the beloved Hellfire Club leader (played by Joseph Quinn) were hoping to hear.

The comment is also interesting concerning the future of Max (Sadie Sink), who was left in a coma by the time the credits rolled on the latest season. It was revealed that the writers originally debated killing off Max during Stranger Things 4, so with the original cast set to receive more of the focus, does this now mean Max will remain in the coma for a large duration of the finale? Or will she wake at all? The character joined in season two and like Robin (Maya Hawke) quickly became a fan-favourite.  

"Whenever we introduce a new character, we want to make sure that they’re going to be an integral part of the narrative. So that’s something with Eddie this season, where we go, 'Well, we need a character here for this storyline to really work, and to give it the engine that is needed,'" explained Ross Duffer

"But every time we do that, we’re nervous, because you go, 'We’ve got a great cast of characters here, and actors, and any moment we’re spending with a new character, we’re taking time away from one of the other actors'. So we’re just very, very careful about who we’re introducing."

Matt Duffer further added about how the casting needs to be right to fit in with the group: "The same was true with Sadie and Maya. And it’s not like the actors don’t know [either]. They all know that they’re coming into a cast people love, and you’re introducing a new element. And you’ve seen it on shows go wrong, and so they’re all nervous, but like Ross said, with those particular three, and Dacre [Mongomery] as well, who played Billy, it was like, because these actors are amazing it’s just really fun." 

Stranger Things 5 is yet to receive an official release date, though the writer team recently confirmed that work is already underway on the final season – and we have a good idea of when we might see it on Netflix.