One of the biggest questions surrounding Stranger Things season 5 is which main characters will die, but an abandoned idea for season 1 ᴀssures that one beloved character will survive. Despite there being a lot of questions and mysteries waiting to be solved, Stranger Things is ending with its fifth season. Stranger Things season 4 ended on a major cliffhanger with Max (Sadie Sink) in a coma after her encounter with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), who turned out to be the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest threat of the entire series.
On top of that, Vecna’s plan was set into motion, and so, after an earthquake that left mᴀssive cracks across Hawkins, the Upside Down began to bleed into the human world. Vecna escaped, and his whereabouts are unknown, which puts the entire Hawkins crew at great risk in season 5. The main characters of Stranger Things are at risk of dying in the final season, but the reveal of a scrapped idea for season 1 ensures the survival of one of the show’s most popular characters: Hopper (David Harbour).
David Harbour Wanting Hopper To Die In Stranger Things Season 1 Makes His Season 5 Survival More Likely
Luckily, Harbour’s Wish Wasn’t Granted
Speaking to GQ in April 2025, David Harbour opened up about his journey in Stranger Things and saying goodbye to Jim Hopper after five seasons. Harbour revealed that, at first, he didn’t think he was going to get this far in the series, as he was convinced Hopper wouldn’t go past the first season. Surely, there was a big chance that Stranger Things wouldn’t go past one season, but luckily, it was a mᴀssive hit, and it lived on for five seasons, to the surprise of some, including Harbour.
Harbour shared that, when he read the scripts, he was sure the season should have ended with Hopper killing himself. Harbour explained it was the only way he could see Hopper apologizing to his daughter, Sara, who died at the age of seven, years before the events of Stranger Things season 1. Thankfully, this didn’t happen, but I have to admit Harbour is right in that season 1 would have been the right moment to kill Harbour if the Duffer Brothers had wanted to.
The show reformed and redeemed Hopper, giving him another chance to have a family by adopting Eleven.
Hopper started as a not-very-nice character to be around as he was dealing with a lot of trauma after Sara’s death, and he was very out of touch with his own emotions. Hopper didn’t die in Stranger Things season 1, so the show reformed and redeemed him instead, giving him another chance to have a family by adopting Eleven, and giving him a bigger role as part of the Hawkins crew. Hopper dying in Stranger Things season 5 wouldn’t feel right, no matter how and why it happens, so he has a better chance of surviving.
Stranger Things Season 3’s Fake-Out Hopper Death Is Another Reason He Can’t Die In Season 5
Stranger Things Already Made Us Believe Hopper Was ᴅᴇᴀᴅ
Another reason why Hopper is most likely safe in Stranger Things season 5 is that he already had a fake-out death, and it was a big moment for the show. At the end of Stranger Things season 3, Hopper seemed to have sacrificed himself to close the gate in the underground Russian lab at Starcourt Mall. Hopper was nowhere to be found when Joyce ran to the spot where he last stood, and it was believed for months that Hopper had died.
However, Stranger Things had a huge surprise for season 4, as Hopper was revealed to be alive but imprisoned in Russia. As it turns out, he dived for cover and landed on a platform where he was saved from the ray, but the Russians found him and imprisoned him. Killing Hopper in Stranger Things season 5 would feel repeтιтive, and if any main characters will die in the final season, at least for now, Hopper seems to be safe.
Source: GQ.
