Stranger Things season 5 approaches with its triple threat release dates across all the major holidays of this fall and winter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, and promotion is continuing to ramp up.
A new interview with Empire has Matt Duffer talking about a number of aspects of the show, including the fate of one character that it turns out is not going to be resurrected for Stranger Things season 5, even though he probably could have been. That would be fan-favorite Eddie Munson, played by Joseph Quinn, ahead of him breaking out all over Hollywood. And that was part of the problem. Here’s Duffer:
“I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people! But no, he’s dead,” says Matt Duffer. “Joe is so busy anyway, that everyone should know he’s not coming back. He’s shot like five movies since! When the hell has he got time to come and shoot Stranger Things? No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.”
Yes, he died, but this is Stranger Things and obviously anything would be possible, even if Quinn just returned in a cameo of a zombified Munson. But Duffer is right, Quinn has been absolutely drowning in projects since he appeared in season 4 three years ago (yes, that’s how long it’s been). Since season 4 in 2022, Quinn has starred in A Quiet Place: Day One, Gladiator II, Warfare and has joined the MCU in Fantastic Four: First Steps, where he has also been filming Avengers: Doomsday. No time for even a cameo then, I suppose.
Duffer is referencing an instance a few months ago when Quinn seemed like he was teasing a possible return. In a Q&A session, he was asked about whether or not he knew if he was returning:
“I do know, but I’m not telling you. It’s a good question.”
But the Duffers don’t want anyone getting their hopes up, so they are shooting that down right now. And Quinn is still busy even outside of Doomsday, and likely Avengers: Secret Wars after that. He’s been cast in a four-part Beatles biopic where he will play George Harrison alongside Harris Dickinson’s John Lennon, Barry Keoghan’s Ringo Starr and his Gladiator co-star Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney. That quartet of films is still a few years out.
I can’t say that I’m shocked that Quinn isn’t returning, as good as it would have been to see him. But at least we’ll always have this:
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/10/21/a-too-busy-stranger-things-actor-isnt-back-for-season-5/
