Joseph Quinn didn’t know Eddie’s fate when he signed on for Stranger Things

**Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 4, Volume 2**

Eddie Munson may have only been introduced in Stranger Things season 4, but he quickly became one of the show’s best-loved characters. That made his tragic fate in the finale all the more difficult to deal with – just check out our heartfelt tribute to the Hellfire Club leader to see what we mean.

However, actor Joseph Quinn has revealed that he actually wasn’t aware of his character’s fate when he joined the series. "When I signed on for Stranger Things, I didn’t know that Eddie was going to die," he explained in a new video for Netflix. "The first time I read the death scene, I remember thinking that this is a beautifully written scene. And I’ve got a wonderful actor to get into that scene. So, I remember feeling quite lucky."

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Eddie’s heartbreaking final moments came in the season 4 finale. His role in the fight against Vecna was to help distract the demobats in the Upside Down with Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo). However, when the plan stopped working, Eddie decided to be a hero. He ran outside to call the demobats to him, buying Steve, Nancy, and Robin more time to destroy Vecna’s body. But his wounds from the creatures were too much and he died in Dustin’s arms.

"It’s the tale of redemption," Quinn said of Eddie’s fate, "which I think is what we like as an audience. He’s authentic, I think maybe people responded to that." And there have been plenty of passionate reactions to Eddie, including a viral TikTok remix of his "Chrissy Wake Up" speech. 

The actor called this "kind of hilarious", adding: "The fact that people will take time out of their day to make art about a character that I played is such a lovely feeling. And then I got a text from Winona Ryder saying, 'Well done' – which was pretty great."

While Eddie’s story has come to an end on the show, Stranger Things season 5 has been confirmed, with the Duffer Brothers set to start writing soon. You can also get stuck into our deep dives on the Stranger Things season 4 ending, including a breakdown of who dies in Stranger Things season 4, Volume 2, and the biggest Easter Eggs we spotted.