Eddie Munson (played by Joseph Quinn) quickly became one of the biggest highlights of this year’s acclaimed fourth season of Stranger Things. Now the dust has settled on one of the most jaw-dropping entries of the Netflix phenomenon yet, the Hawkins gang’s new co-star has spilled some behind-the-scenes details on his tragic yet much-predicted death.
Many fans had already guessed Eddie wouldn’t make it out of season four alive when the first seven episodes dropped at the end of May.
Even so, the death of Stranger Things’ new Dungeons and Dragons expert was by no means any less devastating for his Hellfire Club friend, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo).
Eddie’s demise also managed to be one of the show’s gorier deaths, as the star recalled gulping a substantial amount of fake blood.
“It felt like I was pounding pints of that stuff,” he laughed.
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“The moment was a bit of a monkey on my and Gaten’s back.
“We wanted to do the best that we could, but it was shot very late in the day. It was a kind of very brutal night shoot.”
While Eddie’s death was clearly an emotional turning point for Dustin, Gaten’s distraught reaction was actually filmed on a completely separate date.
“We did the bat fight and the Metallica sequence that evening,” Joseph told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I certainly had those kinds of relationships with people who were a bit older than me. It’s a kind of admiration for them.
“Those years when you’re a teenager when the hormones are raging, and it’s horrible, and it’s weird – anyone who’s walked down the path and has a couple of miles more than you, you want that advice.
“And when you’ve got a younger person, you kind of see aspects of yourself in them.”
With Eddie gone and Max (Sadie Sink) in a coma after her encounter with Vecna (Jamie Campbell-Bower), Dustin and his friends will be more vulnerable than ever against the hostile parallel dimension.
Thankfully, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Jim Hopper (David Harbour) made a miraculous escape from Russia, so the Hawkins kids won’t be going it alone when their next battle starts.
Although Eddie won’t be around to help, his D’n’D expertise and a stirring rendition of Master of Puppets have certainly made a lasting impact on the show’s millions of fans.
Plus, previous seasons have revealed a character’s death doesn’t necessarily mean they’re out of the show for good, so this may not have been the last Dustin has seen of his faithful friend.
Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are available to stream on Netflix.