Stranger Things: Hopper's Tragic Daughter Backstory Was Always Planned
Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things season 4, volume 1!
Stranger Things star David Harbour explains that the details revealed in season 4, volume 1 concerning Hopper’s tragic backstory were almost always part of the show's plan. When Matt and Ross Duffer’s nostalgia-laced series premiered on Netflix in 2016, audiences were introduced to James “Jim” Hopper, Hawkins’ (borderline) alcoholic police chief who, despite being pretty rough around the edges, is a pretty decent guy. Stranger Things season 1 flashbacks elaborate on the chief’s depression, revealing the death of his 7-year-old daughter Sara due to an unspecified illness and his subsequent divorce.
In the fight against the Upside Down’s Demogorgons and Mind Flayer, Hopper gains a new sense of purpose thanks to the relationship with Eleven, his surrogate daughter/telepathic superhero, and Joyce Byers (among others). After seemingly sacrificing himself to save his loved ones, Stranger Things season 4 picks up with Hopper in a snowy Russian prison waiting to be rescued as he and his fellow prisoners prepare to combat a Demogorgon. “Chapter Five: The Nina Project” finds Hopper at his lowest point, where he reveals to Dimitri (and the audience) how, in Vietnam, his unit unknowingly mixed the chemicals for Agent Orange. Those in his unit went on to have kids who developed congenital disabilities and other illnesses. In Sara’s case, she was diagnosed with cancer.
Related: Stranger Things Really Didn't Need To Explain Sara Hopper's Death
In a recent interview with The Wrap (via Yahoo), Harbour discusses how Hopper’s season 4 monologue makes him indirectly responsible for his daughter’s death. According to the actor, further explaining Hopper’s immense guilt was always part
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