WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 4 that may influence your enjoyment in discovering the plotlines. Read at your own risk.
Is Hopper not coming back on Stranger Things season 4? Viewers have been left wondering about the chief's fate from that ending last season, and it seems even David Harbour, who plays Hopper, hasn't been told whether his character is dead or alive.
While stopping by on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Harbour revealed that, like most viewers of the series, he thinks he is The American in that final season from Stranger Things season 3. He's confident that his character is still alive but housed as a prisoner in Russia.
Yet, Harbour also admitted that he hadn't received any phone calls to return to work for Stranger Things season 4, which Netflix has renewed last Sept. 30. Because of this, he now thinks Hopper might not be back on the show after all.
To help him figure this out, Meyers arranged for a phone call with Harbour, and the show's creators, The Duffer Brothers, live on television. Ross Duffer told Harbour that they are still trying to figure out the fate of his character. So, they still cannot confirm or announce if Harbour is part of Stranger Things season 4.
Despite how things played out, fans of the series are convinced Harbour will return and the actor is just teasing everyone. People who follow his Instagram have noted that Harbour has been giving clues to his character's fate. More than that, a theory is going around that Hopper has traveled through time and space during that third season finale.
Viewers will recall that there was an explosion at the Gate that supposedly pulverized Hopper's body because he stood right in front of it. Fans think that the explosion dispersed Hopper to another dimension, similar to the Upside Down.
There have been some foreshadowing of Hopper's time travel in the previous season. The markers are three similar stuffed animals appearing in different scenes throughout Stranger Things season 1 to 3.
Netflix has not yet announced the return date for Stranger Things season 4 since production has not officially begun. There are also theories that the upcoming installment will be ready to drop on the streaming platform by April 3, 2020, based on The American's shirt number shown in the third season finale.
