Warning: contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4, volume 2.

A persistent Stranger Things theory suggests how Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) could actually return in season 5. One of the more emotional moments of the season 4 finale, “The Piggyback,” is Eddie’s sacrifice to the Demobats. Eddie went into hiding since Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) first victim Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Dien) died in his trailer, which marked a point of shame for him despite his reasonable reaction of running away. Throughout season 4, Eddie outwardly expresses how running away from conflict feels like a flawed part of his identity instead of a proper defense mechanism. Because Eddie sacrificed himself largely as a form of self-redemption for his perceived cowardly behavior without realizing how brave he had already been, his heroic death becomes all the more tragic.

Still, in a few ways, Eddie had to die in Stranger Things at some point. If nothing else, his death makes sense for his character arc. Eddie is wrongfully framed as a Satanic serial killer in Hawkins, which is a nearly impossible accusation for him to redeem himself from. Furthermore, Eddie’s sacrifice brings a sense of closure by showing his growth after previously running away and avoiding danger. For this reason, it’s understandable that the Duffer brothers have made it clear that Eddie is not coming back from the dead in season 5.

However, this isn’t stopping one Stranger Things theory from gaining momentum. A whole Reddit discussion page is dedicated to the theory that Eddie will return as an iteration of the Dungeons & Dragons character Kas the Bloody-Handed. While there have been other disproven fan theories about Eddie, like the theory that Eddie was Stranger Things’ Ten, there’s actually compelling evidence for the Eddie-Kas theory, despite the conclusiveness of his death. In D&D‘s World of Greyhawk campaign, Kas is introduced as Vecna’s loyal servant, who ultimately betrays him. Breaking years of loyalty, Kas attempts to kill Vecna with a sword convincing him to usurp Vecna’s power. After his battle with Vecna, Kas falls into the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Ash, an alternate dimension of negative energy. There, Kas eventually becomes a vampire carrying the added title “Kas the Destroyer.” While Eddie was never loyal to Vecna, there are still many ways in which he could become Stranger Things’ Kas.

Stranger Things Hints At A Kas Inclusion

From the beginning, Stranger Things has drawn heavy influences from Dungeons & Dragons. One of the more obvious D&D influences in the show is the villains’ names as given by the main characters. Vecna carries a few similarities to the D&D Vecna, from Stranger Things Vecna’s half-practical, half-CGI appearance partly caused by the corroding influences of his dark powers, to his position in an alternate dimension. Understandably, Stranger Things hints that D&D could heavily influence Vecna’s demise.

The dark sorcery similarity is the most blatant example of a D&D inspiration for Stranger Things’ Vecna. When naming Vecna in Stranger Things in season 4, episode 2, Dustin and Eddie explain that D&D’s Vecna is “an undead creature of great power…a spell caster…a dark wizard.” As a result of their dark powers, both Vecnas from D&D and Stranger Things exhibit an element of immortality. There are other more superficial similarities, too. For example, both D&D and Stranger Things’ Vecnas are connected to spiders: D&D’s Vecna sits on the Spider Throne, and the black widow symbolism following Stranger Things’ Vecna includes him floating with spider-like tendrils out of his back (acting like his own Spider Throne).

With all of the similarities Stranger Things’ Vecna has to D&D’s Vecna, the Kas allusions throughout season 4 seem more purposeful than coincidental. In Stranger Things season 4, episode 1, “The Hellfire Club,” Mike (Finn Wolfhard) name-drops Kas emphatically after Eddie reveals that Vecna is alive in the game. Eddie and Dustin also ward off the Demobats with spiked shields, which D&D’s Kas is known for using. However, the Kas links also run deeper with Eddie’s character as a whole.

How Vecna Could Make Eddie Kas

Stranger Things’ The Hellfire Club quotes during the D&D campaign that Vecna’s cultists lowered their hoods to reveal that the players were surrounded by recognizable faces. This could further foreshadow how Vecna will return after Stranger Things season 4, using familiar, fallen characters to build an army. Possibly, Vecna could resurrect Eddie as one of these familiar faces. One moment of resurrection symbolism in Stranger Things season 4 includes the moment when Eddie yells, “This is music!” while holding up Iron Maiden’s “Piece of Mind” cassette. Iron Maiden’s mascot is a skeletal zombie figure prominently featured on “Piece of Mind’s” album cover. Granted, many metal album covers in the 1980s included undead skeletal figures, but what makes the “Piece of Mind” moment feel more purposeful is the fact that Iron Maiden’s mascot is also coincidentally named Eddie. The cover also shows Eddie in a straightjacket with chains around his neck fastened to the walls and floor. With strangulation and entrapment being common Vecna tactics, this Iron Maiden album cover feels a little more symbolic as a result.

Eddie’s Stranger Things tattoos also indicate clues about his fate. The bats on his arm foreshadow the Demobat attack, his Puppet Master tattoo references his “Master of Puppets” guitar solo, and a black widow spider tattoo on his chest alludes to Vecna. However, the tattoos could indicate more about his future post-death. Looking at the Reddit discussion, Vecna could take Eddie’s body and become his  “puppet master.” With Eddie’s body still being in the Upside Down, his transformation creates another Kas connection, who in D&D became a vampire by staying in an alternate dimension.

It’s in line with Vecna’s character to use his victims for his own personal gain. Therefore, depending on whether it’s within his scope of power, Vecna could take Eddie’s dead body and make him a lieutenant of sorts. Knowing about Vecna’s full connection with the Mind Flayer now, it’s entirely possible that Vecna is powerful enough to manipulate the resources in his environment in exceedingly creative ways. For Eddie to be a Stranger Things Kas equivalent in the first place, it helps for him to eventually serve Vecna in some way. Having Vecna resurrect him for servitude would accomplish this, and the clues that this could happen are there.

Why Eddie Is The Perfect Kas Candidate

While a few Stranger Things characters hold similarities to Kas, the connections made between Eddie and the D&D character feel the most obvious. The most direct allusion is Eddie and Dustin’s Kas-Esque spiked shields featured prominently in Stranger Things season 4, volume 2’s ending. While both Dustin and Eddie have one in the Upside Down, Eddie uses his spiked shield a lot more actively. Stranger Things also makes more of a point showing Eddie making and wielding his shield in season 4, episode 8, “Papa.” It may be coincidental, but considering that Dustin and Eddie could have easily done their Vecna attack plan part with much more effective artillery, the heavily D&D-inspired shield feels more like foreshadowing than a random prop decision.

The consistent bat symbolism surrounding Eddie could also connect to the Kas vampire angle. While Stranger Things will likely not turn Eddie into a vampire, the vampiric lore surrounding bats and the necessity of Eddie’s return requiring his resurrection into a new form could make for an Eddie-Kas connection. Not much is known about Stranger Things’ Demobats besides that they attack voraciously and work in clusters, but there could be more to their bites than what’s initially seen. The Duffer brothers stated that Demobat bites don’t resemble regular bat bites. In this way, considering how strongly connected everything is in the Upside Down, it’s possible that the Demobat bites could connect Eddie’s body to Vecna somehow.

Another Eddie-Kas connection that isn’t an outright D&D reference (yet deserves recognition nonetheless) is Eddie’s redemption-heavy character arc. D&D’s Kas attacks Vecna, which alone doesn’t redeem Kas, but is still an instance of standing up against the evil he initially served. Looking at Stranger Things, Hawkins sees Eddie as a Satanic villain, the root of the town’s evil. While Eddie dies by bravely standing up to the Demobat horde, his death still doesn’t resolve Stranger Things’ Satanic Panic subplot. If Eddie doesn’t serve Vecna outright, there’s a case to be made that the town already sees him as Vecna’s servant already. Therefore, Eddie is already a “Kas” character who needs to break from Vecna’s servitude, a.k.a. his Satanic Panic accusations. Looking deeper at his connection to adversity, Eddie’s outcast status drives him to prove to himself that he’s needed and worthy of love by facing conflict directly. Since both the Vecna and the Hawkins Satanic Panic-Eddie plots aren’t fully resolved, Eddie’s arc is open for further redemption in the future.

Should Eddie Return In Stranger Things Season 5?

With all of the possible Kas connections surrounding Eddie, it’s worth wondering whether Stranger Things should bring him back in the first place. Killing off characters is always a risky TV move, and resurrecting characters even more so. Stranger Things already has a fake-out death reputation with Hopper (David Harbour) and, in Stranger Things’ season 4 ending, Max (Sadie Sink). However, while bringing characters back can often feel like a cheap fan service-style move, TV shows can resurrect characters for legitimate reasons if doing so genuinely benefits the show.

Eddie’s death felt conclusive, and leaving him dead would honor a character with little chance of having a better life in Hawkins anyway. Stranger Things marked Eddie for death well before the season 4 finale, and to bring him back to life would mean that he either must die again or his initial sacrifice may become cheapened. With that in mind, it’s possible for a resurrection to be central to Eddie’s arc as well. Redemption is key to Eddie’s journey – redemption for Hawkins, redemption for running away, and even redemption for his reputation as an unapproachable-looking “freak.”

Of all the Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 deaths, Eddie’s was perhaps the most emotional. Still, if Eddie is Stranger Things’ Kas, a resurrection is vital and would be in line with the “rebirth” redemption theme surrounding his character arc. As a result, it’s not terribly out of line to bring him back in season 5 if he is truly meant to be Stranger Things’ version of Kas.

Does A Kas Character Need To Help Kill Vecna?

In Stranger Things’ “The Piggyback,” Vecna is temporarily defeated thanks to the actions of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Hawkins crew. Yet this fleeting win is short-lived, with Vecna’s attack on Hawkins shown to be in full swing in the final moments of Stranger Things season 4’s finale. However, there’s a chance to give Eleven and company the final push needed to defeat Vecna once and for all. 

As Stranger Things proved, Vecna is more than just a physical being. If he’s still present after vaporizing into red smoke and simultaneously falling out of a window while burning, the nature of his existence is more complex. Stranger Things’ D&D influences absolutely spell out the possibility of a Kas-type character being needed to stop Vecna. A Kas character wouldn’t likely deliver the final hit to Vecna, considering that D&D’s Kas was unsuccessful on this front. Nevertheless, D&D’s Kas does deal Vecna a hefty amount of damage prior to his defeat, and something similar may be needed in Stranger Things season 5 to tip the balance once again.

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