Stranger Things star David Harbour says season 4 takes Hopper “back into the warrior realm”

The show’s ‘American’ will return for Stranger Things season four.

By Flora Carr

Published: Friday, 30 July 2021 at 12:00 am

Star of Stranger Things, David Harbour, has revealed that he wanted his character Jim Hopper to return to “the warrior realm” in season four, following his fears that the sheriff was turning into a “dad”.

“One of the interesting things about Hopper this season — although you do see a lot of that fatherly stuff is — I did want to take him back into the warrior realm because there’s something as you get to be the dad role where, you know, it’s a bit like the dad gene,” the actor told The Hollywood Reporter.

He continued: “You start to become less of a viable presence in the world. They’re more like, ‘Oh, dad’ — like someone who people are humiliated by, and like, I’m not quite ready for that. I still want to be, like, a presence.”

At the end of season three, Hawkins sheriff Hopper was presumed dead by the other central characters – although we now know that he’s alive.

The official synopsis for season four highlights Hopper’s plight: “It’s not all good news for our ‘American’; he is imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, where he will face dangers both human… and other.”

Hopper’s ‘death’ was particularly devastating for Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown), who Hopper – in all intents and purposes – adopted following the events of season one.

“Millie and I have always had sort of a special relationship because I knew her when she was so young. I knew her before any of this big fame hit,” Harbour said. “I have a real protective feeling for her. I have a real, like, worry. I worry about her and the fame and all that she has to struggle with. And I’ve just always felt this kind of deep fatherly affection for her.”