And that’s why Stranger Things’ decision to tease, but then eventually balk on the decision to kill Chief Hopper is justified: the show was assuredly able to draw tears from most of its audience — something it was not able to do in prior seasons — with his death, while also acknowledging his ultimate importance to the success of the show’s past, present, and future.
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Find the newsletter for you It was no surprise to learn actor David Harbour's preferred death scene would involve an act of self-sacrifice.
Sign up to receive our newsletter! TV "Stranger Things 3" ends with the ensemble of characters all believing chief of police Jim Hopper died in self-sacrifice to help close the Gate to the Upside Down.
But as always, all was not what it seems in the Stranger Things series, with the post-credits scene leading many to think that Hopper had survived the explosion.The final scenes in Kamchatka sees Russian guards being told to feed a prisoner, but not “the American”, to a Demogorgon – with fans thinking Hopper could be the unnamed American. We have the big broad strokes. You can unsubscribe at any time. Hopper’s letter was the perfect ending for the character. Please see our In doing so, Hopper was trapped behind a wave of electricity which was fatal.So when the generator exploded and ripped the balcony down Hopper didn’t stand a chance.Viewers didn’t explicitly see his death but they saw the reaction of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), who was left bereft by the tragic loss.Fans of the show weren’t upset for too long, though, as the episode also had a post-credit scene.In a strange turn of events, viewers became privy to some footage of a Russian facility which was holding Demodogs captive.Included in the post-credit scene was some dialogue from the Russian soldiers who were talking about “The American”.Rumours instantly began suggesting Hopper was not in fact dead, and he had somehow been transported to Russia to be held captive.Despite this speculation, here are five enormous facts that all but prove Hopper has been killed off once and for all.As much as fans would love for the explosion to have sent Hopper through a portal to the Upside Down, this is simply implausible.While Stranger Things has definitely ventured in to the absolutely absurd over the three seasons, it has mostly stuck to one strict rule: Dead people stay dead.Most notably, Alexei (Alec Utgoff) was killed off in season three as well, and will no doubt stay dead after his tragic end - if Hopper were to return, Alexei would also have to make a comeback.Fans will remember back in season one when the cast were looking for Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) they thought he was dead.After some time searching for Will, his body was found in the river by the authorities - later discovered to be members of the seedy Hawkins lab team.When his body was revealed David Bowie’s “Heroes” played over Joyce and Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) hugging.This song also played when Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) finished reading Hopper’s letter, which she found just after he had died.Will was later revealed to be alive, and the body was a fake - but it would be particularly straining for the show to pull the same trick twice.Eleven would not have left Hawkins without being positive her father figure had been killed off.But, to break the illusion of Netflix and Stranger Things even further, it would not make sense for the show to move so many characters away from Hawkins without ensuring that Hopper would not return.Or, will the characters make a triumphant return to the problematic town in the upcoming fourth season?Hopper actor David has been pretty tight-lipped with the fate of his character since the release of season three.And although many people have been grilling the actor on whether Hopper is well and truly dead, he alluded to Jim’s sacrifice being permanent on a TV interview earlier this year.During an appearance on Late Night with Set Myers, David confessed Hopper was always going to die one way or another.He said: “I always knew that Hopper had to make a sacrifice.
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Soaps Viewers will remember the devastating moment when he sacrificed himself in order to save the town of Hawkins from the Upside Down. During this emotional set of scenes, fans witnessed Eleven read out Hopper’s letter to her, giving him the perfect send off after three years.
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Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences Stranger Things writers don’t even know if Hopper is dead or alive
The final scenes in Kamchatka sees Russian guards being told to feed a prisoner, but not “the American”, to a Demogorgon – with fans thinking Hopper could be the unnamed American.