Stranger Things Season 4 Star Insists His Character Didn’t Die

Could he be right?

By Matthew Creith | Published

stranger things season 4

Ever since Stranger Things debuted its season 4 earlier this summer, viewers have debated whether some of their favorite characters will be killed off in the fifth and final season. Series star Millie Bobby Brown has recently expressed her desire to see some of her fellow cast members get the ax next season. After four seasons of the hit television show, only side characters in the series seem to die, preserving the main characters to fight Vecna in the final battle. The most high-profile character deaths have come from one-season wonders like Barb and Eddie Munson, who have famously taken one for the team to help save their friends in the Upside Down. Now, it appears that one of the stars would have you believe that he didn’t die in season four, despite fans and viewers at home believing otherwise.

According to a report by comicbook.comStranger Things star Matthew Modine is disputing his character’s death in season 4 of the show. Modine plays Dr. Martin Brenner, the lead scientist at Hawkins Laboratory, who experimented on Eleven and other children in order to manipulate their powers. He is said to have died in the first season, but his character is shown to be alive in season four, as he became instrumental in Eleven regaining her powers to battle Vecna. At the end of season four, Brenner is killed when the U.S. military storms his facility in the Nevada desert.

However, Matthew Modine would have you believe otherwise. In an interview with Vulture, Modine confirmed how it looked to audiences that Dr. Brenner was indeed killed in Stranger Things season 4 but that he won’t let himself believe it to be true. During the interview, Modine states, “I don’t want to believe it’s over, because I love the Duffers. I don’t want to believe it’s over, because I can’t wait to work with Millie again.” He goes on to say he has a theory that Dr. Brenner is not everything he’s portrayed to be so far in the series that there may be more than meets the eye. This might allude to the fact that his character has abilities similar to Eleven’s, in part because most times Eleven has attempted to thwart Brenner’s plans, it has backfired.

Matthew Modine in Stranger Things

Currently, it has not been confirmed whether Matthew Modine will reprise his role in season 5 of Stranger Things, despite his public pleas to the showrunners. As far as Stranger Things season 4 is concerned, it appears that his character might have kicked the bucket, but the series has been known for its surprises and extended endings. As reported by Esquire, the Duffer brothers have opened the fifth season finale up to eight large-scale conclusions, akin to that of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The fifth season will be the last for the popular Netflix series, which has shown no signs of slowing down. Season four’s epic final episode ran over two hours in length, similar to a full-length feature film. Expect nothing less from the Duffers as they prepare to start filming season five, with or without actor Matthew Modine.