'Stranger Things' Season 5: Duffer Brothers Say They're Resisting Adding Any New Characters

After a four-season run ahead of their fifth and final, Netflix's Stranger Things creators, Matt and Ross Duffer have no doubt built up a world of meaningful characters. From the very beginning, audiences have watched each one of the main cast experience the adventures and dangers together, watching as they develop their arcs, all leading up to whatever is waiting for them over Season 5's threshold. In an interview with IndieWire, the brothers claim that while their many lovable side characters have been wholeheartedly embraced by fans, going forward the writers of Stranger Things will be refraining from introducing new faces.

In the most recent season, the Duffer Brothers might have built an empire on the back of a character they may never live down. After the shocking death of said beloved character Eddie Munson, fans rallied together to petition for their favorite to be brought back in the last season. Between the Munson uprising, and the legion of fans who were heartbroken at where Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) wound up by the end of Season 4 Volume 2, the Duffer Brothers made a decision. In order to contain their storylines, they said, "We’re doing our best to resist [adding new characters] for Season 5. We’re trying not to do that so we can focus on the OG characters, I guess."

When asked about the strong reactions viewers had to a number of their characters that were introduced later in the game, like Maya Hawke's Robin Buckley, Ross Duffer said:

"Whenever we introduce a new character, we want to make sure that they’re going to be an integral part of the narrative. So that’s something with Eddie this season, where we go, “Well, we need a character here for this storyline to really work, and to give it the engine that is needed.” But every time we do that, we’re nervous, because you go, “We’ve got a great cast of characters here, and actors, and any moment we’re spending with a new character, we’re taking time away from one of the other actors.” So we’re just very, very careful about who we’re introducing."

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Between all the talented actors and the writers, it's difficult not to adore the patchwork of people within the Stranger Things universe. While the writers may include a side-character like Eduardo Franco's Argyle, and give him only a fraction of a storyline (that is to say, a love story with Audrey Holcomb's Eden that transcends thousands of miles), fans get invested, and depending on the fans, those types of frayed ends can really make or break ratings. Fanfiction is scattered all across the internet for a character who barely made it past the first episode of Season 4 because Grace Van Dien's Chrissy Cunningham had such great chemistry with Quinn's Eddie. People still mourn for Season 2's Bob Newby (Sean Astin) even if they are hardcore Jopper stans.

Again though, it wasn't until this most recent season that Season 1 alum Lucas Sinclair's (Caleb McLaughlin) story even began to cement itself, following the evolution of Max and even his kid sister Erica (Priah Ferguson). With one season left, predicted to be shorter and more concise than its predecessor, the Duffer Brothers will have a difficult time cleanly wrapping up the characters they already have, and bringing the massive scope of the show full circle. With all these mains needing to soak up some of that spotlight, it looks like Eddie stans may be out of luck on that vampire theory.

All four seasons of Stranger Things are streaming on Netflix so you can catch up before Season 5.

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