Stranger Things Actor Explains Why Season 5 Won't Revive A Beloved Dead Character
As fans will note, there's been a lot of conjecture about if and how Season 4's Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) could possibly return in the final episodes of "Stranger Things." When you consider that we've already seen characters come back from the dead in reality, like Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine), and in visions, like Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery), it seems like few characters are off the table for a return cameo when the series takes its final bow.
Still, one dead character in "Stranger Things" won't be making a return if the performer behind his character is to be believed. Sean Astin played Joyce Byers' (Winona Ryder) lovable goofball boyfriend Bob Newby in Season 2 of the series. Unfortunately for him, his character died horribly when he was ripped apart by an attacking Demodog, and Astin isn't expecting to be reprising his role in Season 5.
The actor recalled being asked by fans at a panel whether he would return for more "Stranger Things," and he suggested it was pretty unlikely (via The Direct). "'Are you gonna be in 'Stranger Things,' and I would say, 'No, I'm dead.' But why couldn't they do a flashback to a happier time with—I know why they won't," he joked. "Because it's going to be Hopper and Joyce, and they're not going to want to flashback to a time when she was actually happy."
Was Joyce happier with Bob in Stranger Things Season 2?
While Joyce's relationship with Bob in Season 2 may not have all the spy-fighting drama and Demogorgon action that her relationship with Jim Hopper (David Harbour) can boast, it does seem like in terms of a "normal relationship," Bob Newby was a much better match for her.
The two laughed, played around, and had great romantic chemistry. Heck, Bob was even great with Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Will (Noah Schnapp). Still, as Sean Astin suggested, after "Stranger Things" spent two whole seasons trying to get Joyce and Hopper together at last, it does seem unlikely that they would want to dim that light.
On the other hand, with Vecna's (Jamie Campbell Bower) powers still in play for the 5th and final season of the series, it does seem very possible for Bob to possibly get a brief return to "Stranger Things" as the show heads toward its curtain call.
Furthermore, Astin wouldn't be the first actor to emphatically deny that we'll be seeing more of him before popping up in the finished product after all. While "Stranger Things" Season 5 will doubtlessly have a lot to pay off, that likely doesn't mean we won't see a few callbacks along the way.