David Harbour Says Hopper Had to Die in "Stranger Things 3" Because of His Daughter

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

From Seventeen

Fans of Stranger Things might not be 100 percent convinced that Hopper is dead, but David Harbour says that his character might have actually deserved his possible fate.

"I think Hopper — from the very beginning I’ve said this — he’s very lovable in a certain way, but also, he’s kind of a rough guy," he said at German Comic Con Dortmund, according to ComicBook.com. "Certainly in the beginning of Season 1 he’s kind of dark, and he’s drinking, and he’s trying to kill himself, and he hates himself for what happened to his daughter. I feel like, in a sense, that character needed to die. He needed to make some sacrifice to make up for the way he’s been living for the past like 10 years, the resentments that he’s had. So he needed to die."

David Harbour noted that he still doesn't know what's going to happen next for his character or if Hopper will even be back for season 4, but he has a fun idea already in mind for Hopper's possible future.

"Now whether or not there is this second act, whether or not there is some sort of resurrection, whether or not we can see him go off in a certain way, would be really interesting to me. I would love it," he said. "Anybody watch Lord of the Rings? Gandalf the Grey fights the Balrog, descends into darkness, battles him forever, and everyone thinks he’s dead. And then he re-emerges as Gandalf the White, with sort of a new strength and a new power. That would be an interesting arc for him."

He also joked that he knew who the American is to his co-star, Jake Busey, who played Bruce in season 3.

"Barb," David joked. "She was American!"

This is Stranger Things, after all, so anything is possible.

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