It Took 9 Episodes, But Stranger Things 4 Justified Hopper's Survival
Warning: contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4.
Hopper's survival was a foregone conclusion going into Stranger Things season 4, but after 9 episodes his continued presence was finally justified. Despite not explicitly confirming it with an appearance by David Harbour, the post-credits scene from the Stranger Things season 3 finale heavily implied that Hopper was still alive and imprisoned in the Soviet Union. Hopper eventually gets word of his survival to Joyce (Winona Ryder) early on in season 4, setting up a season-long storyline that sends Joyce and Murray (Brett Gelman) on a rescue mission to the Soviet Union.
It's part of a clear intention by the Duffer Brothers to open up the world of Stranger Things beyond Hawkins. As well as Joyce and Murray's trip to the Soviet Union, season 4 also sends its characters to California and the Nevada desert. The broader geographical scope of Stranger Things season 4 continues season 3's Cold War storyline, drawing comparisons between the American and Soviet governments' real-world nuclear arms and space races with their fictional attempts to explore and potentially weaponize the Upside Down. Hopper's season 4 storyline plays an integral part in exploring this aspect of Stranger Things' overall story, going some way to justify surviving his apparent death at the end of season 3.
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Initially, Hopper's survival continues a Stranger Thingsdeath trend of being squeamish over killing its main characters. For example, questions over the fate of Max (Sadie Sink) are regularly deployed throughout season 4 to lend its Vecna story some jeopardy. However, despite putting the character and her friends through the emotional
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