Presumably, you were overcome with exactly zero shock and/or awe when Netflix teased the upcoming fourth batch of Stranger Thingsby confirming that David Harbour's Hopper was indeed quite alive, albeit in Russia.
And now, thanks to a helpful spotting by IndieWire, footage from Harbour's March appearance at Liverpool Comic Con has surfaced that sees the star promising one hell of a backstory reveal for his character in the new season, production for which is currently on hiatus.
"So there are these three things that we've established in the season that if we don't pay off, it means that they're bad writers," Harbour—referencing a Season 2 moment in which Eleven discovers boxes labeled "Dad," "Vietnam," and "New York"—said in the clip. "And the Duffer brothers are very good writers. So I know specifically that in Season 4 we will give you a big, huge reveal about Hopper's backstory."
Elaborating further without giving too much away, Harbour noted just how stoked he is about the nature of this reveal, some of which he’s apparently known since "the first frame of the first shot" of the show.
"It's my favorite thing about him that you guys don't know about him yet, but it has to do with these backstories of New York, Vietnam, and dad," he added. "And I'm really excited for you guys to know more about that, and it relates, of course, to things he's doing with Eleven and Joyce and things like that."
Joe Keery also teased the upcoming season recently, saying it's "a lot scarier" than seasons past. "Oh man, it’s pretty amazing — the Duffer brothers have really done it again,” Keery told Total Film Magazine recently. “I think that this year — and I know I say this every single year — but this is definitely going to be a lot scarier than prior years, because last year was pretty dark."
While we probably won’t hear anything regarding a firm release date for Stranger Things 4 anytime soon thanks to COVID-19, we do know that the first episode (i.e. Chapter One) is compellingly titled "The Hellfire Club."
