David Harbour’s Latest Stranger Things Tease Will Make Hopper Fans Very Happy

David Harbour as Hopper

Netflix has been putting out a dizzying amount of original content, including both movies and TV projects. But certain properties have been able to stand out among the rest as fan favorites, and the science fiction show Stranger Things is certainly in that category. Unfortunately the wait for Season 4 was extended thanks to a COVID-related delay. But luckily actor David Harbour is still teasing big things for his signature character Hopper.

David Harbour's Hopper is in many ways the heart of Stranger Things, as well as the main hero of the series. The third season saw him seemingly sacrificing himself to save Hawkins, although the post-credits scene hinted he was very much still alive... and seemingly in a Russian prison. Stranger Things 4 might have been delayed, but we should expect some A+ Hopper content when it hits Netflix. As Harbour recently put it,

You really do get to see a lot of his backstory of who he was as a warrior in a sense and sort of the mistakes he made in the past come back to visit him.

Well, this is exciting. Hopper's motivations throughout Stranger Things' first three seasons are very much motivated by his past and and the death of his late daughter. And now it seems the show's fourth season will further peel back the curtain on what happened to him before the events of Season 1. And smart money says it'll contribute to how he's dealing with imprisonment.

David Harbour's comments to People are purposefully cryptic, but they should still be an enticing sliver of information as Stranger Things patiently wait for the show's highly anticipated fourth season. The teaser footage recently confirmed that Hopper was alive and in captivity in Russia, following the explosive events of the Season 3 finale. Although exactly how he survive is a complete mystery.

While Stranger Things audiences might have previously thought they knew everything about Hopper, David Harbour has made it clear that there are more layers to pull back from the beloved leading man. He's going to have to use all of his prior experience to get out the current precarious situation he finds himself in. After all, Hopper is a long way from home.

Clearly Season 4 of Stranger Things is going to be taking the story outside of Hawkins. Following Hopper's "death" in the last finale, Joyce (Winona Ryder) adopted Eleven/Jane and moved her family out of the town that had been the place of so much pain. Meanwhile, the rest of the group remains in Hawkins, while Hopper is clearly in Russia. Our party is scattered to the wind, and the dark forces of the Upside Down are still out there.

Production on Stranger Things 4 was underway back in March, when sets around the world were shut down over global health issues. Eventually production resulted in October, so unfortunately it's going to be some time before the beloved science fiction show returns to the streaming service. This isn't David Habour's only delayed project, as Black Widow was also pushed back a full year.

Stranger Things 4 is currently expected to arrive on Netflix sometime in 2021. In the meantime, check out our midseason 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.