What To Expect From Hopper In Stranger Things Season 2, According To David Harbour

Hopper in his office in Stranger Things

It's almost hard to believe, but it's been about a year since Stranger Things hit Netflix and took the world by storm. The sci-fi period piece was almost instantly beloved, and spawned endless memes and Halloween costumes. And while we'll have to wait until October for Season 2 to finally arrive, the cast has been able to slowly begin teasing what to expect from the show's sophomore season. This includes the always delightful David Harbour, who plays police chief Hopper in the popular series. And while Hop was a major hero in Season 1, it seems like he's going to be a bit shadier when Stranger Things returns.

David Harbour recently did an in-depth interview about the process of crafting his character in the first season of Stranger Things. Eventually he looked to the future, and teased the morally grey Hopper that we should expect in Season 2, saying:

There's a bit of a cover-up kind of going on that Hopper is head of. We don't need people to know about the interdimensional monster that was running around town. He's also got the Barb thing. Barb was never found, so that's addressed. And then he's got this reemergence of Eleven, which he knows something about at the end of last season. There is some interaction on that front, in terms of his relationship with Eleven, and we see what that becomes in season two, which is very complex. Hopper is sort of pulled in a lot of different directions.

Now this sounds interesting. While the overall narrative of Season 2 has been kept tightly under wraps, David Harbour's comments to Uproxx tease some of the dynamics we'll be observing when the show finally returns. And it looks like things are going to be just as complicated, if not more, than Season 1.

One of the loose ends that was left with Stranger Things' Season 1 finale was the presumed secrecy of the protagonists' journey. The principal cast was introduced to concepts like The Upside Down, The Demogorgon, and a little psychic girl named Eleven. And although Will Byers was eventually saved and the monster was presumably destroyed, the characters are going to have to keep their secret indefinitely. Now it appears that Hopper is actually helping to cover up the whole mess, which is an interesting choice for the police officer.

Additionally, it looks like we're going to have plenty of scenes between Hopper and Eleven, which should be interesting. One of Hopper's more questionable actions in Season 1 was telling the folks at Hawkins Lab where to find the telekinetic girl, which then allowed he and Joyce to freely enter The Upside Down to rescue Will. But he's also been leaving Eggos in the woods for her, so its unclear how their relationship is after the events of Season 1.

Stranger Things will release Season 2 in its entirety Halloween 2017 on Netflix. In the meantime, check out our summer premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.