Gaten Matarazzo On The Wild Stranger Things Theory About Eddie Returning
“People think the D&D references play a very big role in plot decisions...”
Even though the Duffer Brothers have confirmed that Eddie Munson has truly passed away, some Stranger Things fans have hope for Joseph Quinn’s return in Season 5. To those viewers, Gaten Matarazzo says, “I love you to death, but he’s dead.” Despite that, the actor is aware of the fan theories that are going around.
Matarazzo’s character, Dustin Henderson, is directly dealing with the loss of his close pal this season, so he understands the grieving process. Unlike those fans, though, he’s moved past the denial stage. “It’s so funny that even if Matt and Ross [Duffer], the creators of the show, can say, ‘He is not coming back,’ the fans take that as, ‘Oh, this means he is coming back,’” he says. “I’m like, ‘Whatever floats your boat. Whatever keeps you invested.’”
And those Eddie stans have come up with plenty of theories as to how their fave character can return. One of the most popular is that after Eddie’s death by Demobats in Season 4, he’s been transformed into a vampire, similar to the Dungeons & Dragons character Kas the Bloody-Handed. In D&D lore, Kas is a vampire who helps Vecna before later turning on him.
People think the D&D references play a very big role in plot decisions for the show.
To support this idea TikTokers have pointed out that Eddie has bat tattoos and the WSQK radio station from Season 5 mentions the movie Vamp. Eddie even mentions Kas during the Hellfire Club’s D&D game in Season 4, and as Lucas says on the show, “I don’t believe in coincidences.”
However, Matarazzo doesn’t think the Duffer Brothers are going that deep with the tabletop lore. “People think the D&D references play a very big role in plot decisions for the show,” he says. “For Matt and Ross, it’s way more of an aesthetic than it is a plot driver.” Matarazzo points to the Thessalhydra, a monster referenced back in Season 1, which never materialized despite a ton of D&D-based theories. “People are still waiting for that to show up.”
Though Matarazzo says Eddie isn’t coming back, there’s still a bit of Joseph Quinn spiritually present in the final season.
Gaten Reached Out To Joseph Before Filming Season 5
Quinn has fueled the Eddie’s return theories by saying “nothing’s impossible” on the Fantastic Four red carpet. He also joked about not knowing when Season 5 was releasing, which some fans believe was him cheekily dodging the question. On the flip side, the 31-year-old actor’s calendar may be too booked to keep up with release dates, which Matarazzo completely understands.
“Joe’s a busy man,” he says. “I haven’t talked to him about watching Season 5, but I know he’s over in the U.K. filming The Beatles, so he’s got some other bigger fish to fry.” Matarazzo does believe that when he gets the time, Quinn will catch up on Stranger Things. “He will get around to it, but I would just like to see the guy. I haven’t seen him in a second.”
The former colleagues and friends try to keep in touch when they can. Matarazzo reached out to Quinn prior to filming Season 5 to help get into the Eddie headspace. “I asked him for examples of songs that he listened to going into filming, because he’s a very introspective actor,” he says. “I assumed he probably listened to a lot of music to understand Eddie better.” The same way that Dustin has been channeling Eddie in his clothes and hair this season, Matarazzo wanted to step into Quinn’s shoes sonically.
The music the Warfare actor sent back was a lot of ’80s heavy metal. “It’s not something I listen to a lot. I don’t know if it’s something that Joe listened to a ton before working on the show, either,” he says, but it’s just one way the two were linked — even if Eddie truly is gone for good.
