Note: This article contains major spoilers for Stranger Things season 3.
Following the cliffhanger ending of season three and some big burning questions, Stranger Things' writers have now revealed that they always planned that "darker ending" for one particular character.
And if you haven't seen all episodes of season three yet, this is your final warning to avoid spoilers down below.
Related: Stranger Things bosses tease "very different" season 4 that goes "outside of Hawkins"
Following a devastating turn of events, it seemed like Hopper (David Harbour) was killed off in the process.
The show's co-creators the Duffer Brothers have now explained that Hopper's death was something they've always had in mind.
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"We always talk about Empire Strikes Back, we always wanted to give him a darker ending, we always wanted to give him a Han Solo sacrifice moment," Matt Duffer told Entertainment Weekly.
"It was emotional to shoot but it was really, really quick. David never asked for music but I think we did play some emotional music when we shot David's final look at Winona [Ryder]."
Ross Duffer added: "There's a tragedy there but there's also a little bit of 'it's okay' to Joyce.
"There's so much going on in his eyes and you can only script that so much."
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On another note, there's a feeling that David Harbour's character might be back for the next season, not just because of that post-credits scene, but also because it's emerged that the actor is contracted for a fourth season.
And let's not forget, Han Solo came back alive and well for Return of the Jedi. Just saying...
Stranger Things season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.
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