Stranger Things Fans Wanted So Much More From That Big Eddie Shocker
It really didn't take long for Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) to become a fan favorite in Season 4 of "Stranger Things." Over the course of the season, it is revealed that this metalhead dungeon master with a penchant for freaking folks out in the Hawkins High cafeteria is, in fact, a deeply sensitive young man who has simply been dealt a bad hand in life.
Eddie knows what other outcasts go through, always has a sensitive ear for folks who are hurting, and loves to see his friends succeed, even when it means they've bested his carefully crafted D&D campaign. That he is scapegoated by the town for being a bit of a freak and blamed for a murder he did not commit, just makes us sympathize with the guy even more, particularly given the fact that he also witnesses Chrissy's (Grace Van Dien) gruesome and terrifying death (which, as Quinn told Screen Rant, he was shocked the Duffer Brothers got away with showing).
Of course, seeing him bust out "Master of Puppets" on top of his Upside Down trailer is epic. And when he decides to buy the rest of the team more time by distracting the Demo-Bats long enough for the rest of the team to kill Vecna, he earns himself a bit of the redemption he has long been seeking. Eddie the Banished becomes Eddie the Brave. For sure, dying a hero is better than just dying, but some fans nonetheless have some less-than-flattering opinions about Eddie's death.
Some fans thought Eddie's death was cheap
Over at the r/StrangerThings subreddit, u/NineSeventyy posted a meme: next to a picture of a dying Eddie is sad Wojak (via Know Your Meme), while next to a pic of Eddie's grieving uncle Wayne (Joel Stoffer) is Withered Wojak (also via Know Your Meme). "I'm not the only one right?" asked the post. And no, they aren't the only one. Plenty of posters are saddened to lose Eddie, and moved by Wayne's grief. But layered in with that is a good amount of dissatisfaction.
"Honestly? To ME, it's the cheapest death ever," wrote u/AgreeableInterview71. "I'm disappointed at how the other characters brushed his Billy-like cliché death off as well." Others were expecting more time to be spent saying goodbye to Eddie. Indeed, more than one user lamented the fact that the series never shows Steve (Joe Keery), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), or Robin (Maya Hawke) learning of their friend's death after the battle with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). Instead, Dustin and Wayne seem to be the only ones to acknowledge him in the final episode's denouement. Still, others felt that the Duffer Brothers had written themselves into a corner and were looking for a way out.
Funnily enough, even Quinn himself might have been a bit miffed by his character's sudden departure. Speaking with The Guardian, he joked, "I'll be furious if they don't bring me back [laughs]. I'd love to, if they'll have me." Then again, that interview was published before the season's second volume came out, so Quinn was likely just trying to throw us off the scent. Sadly, the Duffer Brothers confirmed in an interview with Josh Horowitz that Eddie Munson's death is as permanent as a TV death can be.