Stranger Things’ David Harbour claims Hopper’s death was spelled out in first scene with Joyce
STRANGER Things star David Harbour claims Hopper's death was originally spelled out in his first scene with Joyce.
Fans have been holding out hope that the explosion in the season three finale of the Netflix show didn't kill the police chief - instead sending him to the Upside Down.
However, recent interviews with Harbour suggest his fate was sealed at the end of the series.
"When I read that first scene with Joyce and Hopper and he resists helping her find her child and even makes a bit of a homophobic joke about him, you see this guy has really sort of died on the inside as a result of the death of his daughter," Harbour told the
"The fact that he lives with a certain amount of internalised rage and had been slowly killing himself with pills and alcohol... he needed to make a sacrifice."
This was reiterated in an earlier interview on Late Night with Seth Myers.
He said: "Well, here's the thing. I always knew that Hopper had to make a sacrifice.
"Like, he's a jerk, and he also needs to pay for that in some way."
Hopper appeared to die heroically as he sacrificed himself to save the residents of Hawkins from the Upside Down.
However, fans have picked up multiple clues that he might have survived - such as the Russians capturing a mystery prisoner called "the American".
People are suggesting he wasn't actually killed, but instead flung into the Upside Down.
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Now an eagle-eyed fan has picked up on another clue which they believe proves Hopper is alive and well.
In the first episode of season three, the Russians activated the device which later appeared to kill Hopper, with the people in its range being pulverised into mush on the ground.
But writing on Reddit, the fan pointed out: "When Joyce is approaching the spot where Hopper was standing we get a shot aimed directly at the floor showing it to be completely spotless. Nothing anywhere."