Is Stranger Things Season 2 Bringing Dr. Brenner Back?

Netflix's Stranger Things was an unexpected TV hit in 2016, and one of the most unforgettable characters of Season 1 was the dastardly Dr. Brenner. The not-so-good doctor came to a decidedly nasty end by the final episode, and it's been hard to say whether he could return for Season 2. Now, actor Matthew Modine shared a post on social media that could point to a return to Hawkins in the not-too-distant future. Take a look!

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Well, thanks for the vague-but-tantalizing tease, Matthew Modine! Dr. Brenner was attacked by a monster at the end of Season 1, and it was possible that Season 2 could open on the reveal that he's dead and gone to make room for new bad guys, but Modine's Instagram pic indicates that Brenner's story isn't finished on Stranger Things. As the caption states, there is much more to be revealed and uncovered in Hawkins, and there are still are still plenty of mysteries surrounding Modine's character. Could he be stuck in the Upside Down now?

Season 2 will take place in 1984, which is only a year after all the action of Stranger Things Season 1. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer are producing the next batch of episodes to feel like a sequel to the first season, and the pressure is on to deliver a second season that's at least as good as the first. Luckily, they've cast some new characters that already sound pretty awesome, and the first trailer indicates that the new episodes will be wonderfully eerie.

None of the footage so far has pointed to a return from Dr. Brenner, but we can always speculate. The Duffer brothers already admitted that some fan theories are correct, so it's entirely possible that some of us will figure out what's next for Brenner before the show even tells us. Given that the Duffers are hoping for 4-5 seasons of Stranger Things before calling it quits on Netflix, they have to bring Brenner back at some point, right? There's really only one character that we know won't be back among the living in Hawkins at this point, and Brenner didn't come to nearly as definitive an end as poor Barb.

Only time will tell if Matthew Modine's Stranger Things tease will pay off in Season 2. Unfortunately, we have a while to wait before we see any of the characters back on Netflix. Stranger Things won't be back for Season 2 until October. Take a look at our Netflix premiere schedule to see what you can watch in the meantime, and don't forget to check out our breakdown of what we know so far about Stranger Things Season 2.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).