The New Stranger Things Character That Could Rival Mike's Geekiness

Fans of Stranger Things know that Netflix's zeitgeisty horror series is about much more than '80s nostalgia and fun Easter eggs. It's also about tabletop gaming and vintage geekdom.

That's right, the iconic tabletop role-playing game invented by Gary Gygax — the same one that inspired the woefully unfounded Satanic Panic – plays a central role in the plot of Stranger Things. When we first meet our young heroes in season 1, they're engaged in an epic round of Dungeons & Dragons. As the world around them descends into fantasy madness, they use their gaming experiences to make sense of the terrifying Upside Down incursion into mundane Hawkins, Indiana. From demogorgons to the Lovecraftian mind flayer, D&D provides a comprehensible frame for the young heroes' struggle, and most of that is made possible thanks to Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard).

While any of the boys from season 1 probably could have come up with the fantasy analogy for their struggle against the very real demogorgon stalking their Midwestern suburb, Mike Wheeler is exactly the kind of gangly dork who probably thinks of everything in his life in terms of D&D. Connecting the extra-dimensional monster roaming the woods and eating Barbs (Shannon Purser) with a one-inch metal figurine from the pages of his Dungeon Master's Handbook wasn't exactly a major leap.

Sure, the world of Stranger Things is populated by plenty of heroic geeks. Even teen heartthrob Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) basically qualifies, at this point. But Mike stands above them all — the Alpha Dork, if you will. He's the Dungeon Master of the group's ongoing tabletop game, and the series writ large, but one new character set to join the cast for Stranger Things 4 just might give him a run for his 20-sided dice.

Stranger Things has a strong track record of bringing new characters aboard every season in a way that's actually additive to the dramatic milieu. "Mad" Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) and her brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery) brought a much-needed infusion of new blood (and a little extra girl power) to season 2, while the ice cream-slinging Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) was the inarguable all star of season 3. In this tradition, Stranger Things 4 appears poised to bring yet another interesting player into the Hawkins mix — and this one looks like he'll make a pretty formidable foil for Mike.

According to Decider, actor Joseph Quinn of Game of Thrones and Overlord fame will be bringing his genre pedigree to Stranger Things 4 in the role of Eddie Munson, a character who reportedly heads the "Hellfire Club." What is the Hellfire Club, you may ask? Apparently, it's Hawkins High School's official Dungeons & Dragons club. That sounds remarkably like a student group that one Mike Wheeler might think that he should be running. Eddie is "hated by those who don't understand him — and beloved by those who do." He will also reportedly find himself at the heart of this season's mystery.

No word yet as to whether Munson will be a hero or a villain, but we're guessing chances are good things between him and Mike will likely come to a head. Even though we know the premiere title, no release date has been announced for Stranger Things 4, but expect to find it dominating the Netflix Top Ten lists sometime in 2021.