Is David Harbour‘s Sheriff Jim Hopper coming back for Stranger Things Season 4? Although Hopper’s fate was seemingly sealed in finale for Season 3, which marked Netflix’s most-viewed original series ever with 64 million views, new on-set photos seem to suggest that not all hope is lost for the fan-favorite character’s return.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things Season 3 and speculation for Season 4
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As fans will recall, Hopper went down in a blaze of glory in the Season 3 finale, seemingly perishing in an explosion at a secret Russian military base underneath the StarCourt Mall in Hawkins, Indiana, though hope for his survival was sparked in a post-credits scene mentioning “the American.” Now, a photo shared to Reddit seems to confirm that Hopper may not be dead after all.
Hopper’s car was spotted on the set of season 4👀👀👀
(via reddit/StrangerThings) pic.twitter.com/jn6pXPuEwd
— UPROXX (@UPROXX) October 17, 2019
Shared to Reddit earlier this month, the photo was taken in Rome, Georgia, where filming for Stranger Things season 4 is taking place, and shows what appears to be Hopper’s vehicle on location for filming.
The photo has not been confirmed by Netflix or anyone linked to Stranger Things, and it remains unclear if the vehicle, which seemed to have been destroyed in Season 3, was being used in a flashback or a current-day scene. It is also possible that the vehicle could be driven by another character should Hopper truly be dead.
Regardless, the image joins the growing list of evidence seeming to point to Hopper’s return. In July, IndieWire reported that Harbour, who has portrayed the beloved character since the series’ premiere, was contracted through Season 4 and possibly beyond, though that does not mean that he is required to appear in future seasons.
Additionally, Harbour himself has seemingly teased that he is not completely done with the character. During the same month as IndieWire‘s report, Harbour made a number of peculiar updates to his Instagram account, changing his profile picture to various numbers that, when put together (618-625-8313), became the number for of Murray Bauman, the private investigator/conspiracy theorist played by Brett Gelman.
When dialed, fans reported hearing a message from Murray telling Joyce (Winona Ryder) to call him because he had “an update. It’s about, well, its probably best if we speak in person. It’s not good or bad, but it’s something.”
Ultimately, fans will have to wait to find out if Hopper is still alive until Season 4 premieres at a yet to be announced date. Seasons 1-3 of the Duffer Brothers-created series are currently available for streaming.