Stranger Things ends but Hopper could face a dark future in Montauk

Movieweb reports that Stranger Things has wrapped its fifth and final season on Netflix after nearly a decade, but Hopper's horror story may just be beginning.

The series finale shows Eleven's death and its devastating impact on Hopper, who had adopted her as a pseudo-daughter. The show skips over much of his grieving with a time jump that ends on a happier note: a long dinner with Joyce and Hopper getting down on one knee to propose. Before that proposal, Hopper mentions a friend has a possible job for him as the new sheriff in Montauk, though he never confirms whether he will take it.

The Montauk reference echoes the real-world Montauk Project conspiracy about Camp Hero — alleged experiments in mind control, psychic warfare and time travel — and ties back to the Duffers' original pitch name, Montauk. That connection works as an Easter egg for fans, but it also raises the possibility that, if Hopper accepts the Montauk job, he could be walking into another Hawkins Lab–style situation; it remains uncertain whether the creators intended that darker future, though the option is on the table if the character is ever revisited.

Key Topics

Culture, Stranger Things, Hopper, Eleven, Montauk Project, Camp Hero