Stranger Things Season 5 Set Photos Tease Sad Eddie Tributes & Twitter Is Losing It

Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), with his heavy metal attitude and numerous meme-able lines of dialogue, became a fan-favorite character during Season 4 of Netflix's "Stranger Things." Sadly, as tends to be the case on this show, the brand new character was dead by the time credits rolled on the season finale. But new set photos show that Eddie is gone but not forgotten going into "Stranger Things" Season 5. 

The account @21metgala posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, some behind-the-scenes photos of Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, by a grave marked "Edward." This is surely Eddie's vandalized grave (more on that in a bit), and the tribute goes deeper, with Dustin wearing a Hellfire Club t-shirt and some rings similar to what Eddie wore. 

Gaten Matarazzo on the set of Stranger Things 5. pic.twitter.com/YrJcaveJ7V

— 21 (@21metgala) January 11, 2024

Suffice it to say, many "Stranger Things" fans had to voice their sadness at the fact that it appears Eddie is, in fact, dead. X user @maddiejameson96 didn't mince words toward the creative team: "All I have to say is, that better not be a real grave and I better see Eddie alive and well because if not them duffer brothers are not gonna be happy with me."

Then there's @mvnsonxs, who took a more humorous approach to the set photos, writing, "me and eddie munson if he doesn't crawl out of the grave," accompanied by a video of someone performing CPR on a dummy. Fans have long theorized how Eddie could return to "Stranger Things," but these pictures certainly don't bode well.

Naturally, Joseph Quinn has commented on Eddie's future on "Stranger Things," but he's kept mum on whether his metalhead could return. X account @SThingsSpoilers uploaded a video of Quinn at FanExpo in January 2024 where he was asked about a fan theory that posits a way for Eddie to come back. After hearing it, Quinn responded, "I think, cool, they haven't called me yet." To be fair, Eddie's resurrection would be a major plot twist, and Quinn likely wouldn't give it away even if he knew something. It's possible that he may just be playing coy as actors tend to do with major properties like "Stranger Things." That aside, there are other pieces of evidence Eddie may not stay dead.

When the "Stranger Things" Season 5 cast list was posted to X, one name was conspicuously crossed out. A lot of people seem to think this could be Eddie, but there are a number of surprising names it could end up being, like Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink). If Quinn knows something, he's staying tight-lipped, so as for now, we just have a few Eddie nods in the set photos to go off of, and if nothing else, Eddie's staying alive in spirit. 

It looks like some haircuts were in order for the 5th and final season of "Stranger Things." The @SThingsSpoilers account uploaded some pictures of Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) sporting a new hairdo that a lot of fans seem to think is reminiscent of the character's look from Season 1. 

First look at Finn Wolfhard on the set of #StrangerThings5! pic.twitter.com/Iuu5XNcPNV

— Stranger Things Spoilers (@SThingsSpoilers) January 17, 2024

However, the far more intriguing hair comes from Dustin, who seems to have taken after Eddie's proclivity for long locks. Dustin has decently long hair for Season 4, but it's grown out a bit in the previously mentioned set photos to resemble Eddie's iconic mullet. Combined with the Hellfire Club shirt and rings, it seems Dustin wants to make sure no one forgets Eddie, who heroically sacrificed himself to protect his friends. X user @sydniefatt embodied a lot of people's feelings when they wrote, "dustin has a mullet in honor of eddie munson. please excuse me for the rest of today." Of course, Dustin trying to emulate his friend may cause problems for him, as it's clear the town of Hawkins still doesn't like Eddie very much.

"Stranger Things" Season 4 tackles the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, with the townspeople of Hawkins blaming Eddie for Chrissy's (Grace Van Dien) death. They think he's evil since he listens to heavy metal and plays Dungeons & Dragons. While he's a hero and completely innocent, most people are unaware of what he did (and didn't do), so some may still hate him. The set photos of Dustin at Eddie's grave show writing on his tombstone. The whole phrase can't be made out, but based on what we can see, it appears someone may have written "Burn In Hell" in something that resembles blood.

X user @tantrenchcoats has one theory of who could've defaced the grave. Quoting a post that features set photos indicating that the jocks who were part of the Eddie witch hunt will likely return for Season 5, @tantrenchcoats wrote, "Probably the a******* vandalizing Eddie's grave." It would certainly be in character for the jocks to keep kicking Eddie even when he's as down as can be. Then again, a lot of people didn't like Eddie, so the vandalism could've come from almost anyone. It's a sad reality, but perhaps Dustin will work to clear Eddie's name throughout the new season and prove he wasn't responsible for Chrissy dying. 

While fans want to see Eddie in the flesh again, they may have to make do with some passing references based on what we've seen and heard so far. But it would make sense for the final season of "Stranger Things" to have a few surprises in store for viewers.