One 'Stranger Things' Star Thought Netflix Was Going to Kill Him Off 9 Years Ago

We don't know what the finale of Stranger Things holds for its various characters, other than, according to Finn Wolfhard, things will be "melancholy" and "bittersweet." But, since 2016, one actor has been worried that his character would be killed: David Harbour.

"Harbour read the scripts and was convinced the first season should have ended with Hopper dying by suicide," according to a new profile of the actor in the British GQ. He also notes that even when Hopper was revealed to be alive, some fans didn't accept his death. “It was so moving that I think they almost didn't want him to be alive," Harbour says.

Basically, since the beginning of Stranger Things Season 1, it has felt like Hopper was on the precipice of death. In the same interview, Harbour also notes that his fitness regime for Stranger Things was pretty much the opposite of what you'd expect for the upcoming Marvel epic, Thunderbolts*.  "I just stopped working out. I just ate doughnuts, like a cop would in the Midwest," he says. "I was just like: f*ck it. He’s a mess. Let him be a mess. And let me be a mess while we’re shooting."

Related: Under Pressure! Final 'Thunderbolts' Trailer Remixes David Bowie Classic

In terms of the new Marvel movie, Harbour's character, Red Guardian, probably won't die in Thunderbolts*, mostly because he's already been announced to star in Avengers: Doomsday next year.

His only preview for his future in Marvel? According to GQ; "We got an opportunity [with Thunderbolts] – because of the lack of expectations – to play the shit out of it."

Thunderbolts* hits theatres on May 2, 2025. Stranger Things Season 5 hits Netflix in late 2025. 

Related: 'Stranger Things' Netflix Sequel Series Finally Reveals Its Title, Confirms Timeline