It’s going to be a while until we get to see Stranger Things season 4 thanks to the shutdown, but in the meantime fans will be looking into as much of the past seasons as possible in order to figure out just what they might be getting in upcoming fourth installment. When it comes to backstories we’ve seen at least a couple but nothing in it’s entirety about any one character as of yet. Jim Hopper is one individual that’s been given a backstory that’s been teased from season 1 but never really dug into with any fervor since the story didn’t allow for such up until now, but it does sound as though, according to Damion Damaske of Joblo, that we could be seeing more of his past in this coming season. It’s hard to say how all of it will have much to do with the actual story, but knowing how the Russo brothers connect the dots it could be interesting to find out.
Here are a few backstory ideas that might be used for Jim Hopper in the next season.
5. How he came to Hawkins.
It might be interesting to see what prompted his settling in Hawkins and how he decided upon the role he took as sheriff, though it might not be the most exciting of stories. But it could possibly lead up to the first season and show the mind of Jim Hopper and just how he devolved from being the family man to being the kind of guy you’d worry about if you saw him with a gun and a badge. Hopper was kind of hard to get used to in the first season so it’s fair to state that seeing him as he is now is a far cry from what people might have thought would happen to him in the seasons following the first.
4. What might have happened in New York.
There’s plenty to Jim Hopper’s life we don’t know about and the three boxes that Eleven finds in the last part of the third season bear a lot more explaining. Otherwise fans are bound to accuse the Duffer brothers of poor writing and that’s not only bad for their reputation, but it’s not true either. Thus far the brothers have given the fans quite a bit when it comes to story and a killer ride when describing the Upside Down and the various locations that have shown up. Seeing Hopper in New York for a flashback though is an idea that a lot of people can get on board with since it would take us a little deeper into his character.
3. What his dad was like.
What exactly goes into making a person like Hopper? This would likely be a short flashback since otherwise it might take up too much time in the show. But it would still be explaining a clue that was left behind that could give a little more insight to Hopper and just who he is and why. Sometimes finding out what a parent is like and the upbringing a character had can go a long way towards explaining how they really fit into a story and what kind of process had to occur to make them the kind of personality they would eventually become. In Hopper’s case it might explain at least a little more of his personality.
2. The Vietnam connection.
Hopper has been in the military obviously since he’s familiar with a number of different weapons and has skills that a lot of people don’t learn on their own outside of enlisting. Plus, with the show being set in the 80s it’s not that far removed from the Vietnam War and there’s plenty of time to go back and see what might have happened in Hopper’s life and if it has any bearing on what’s going on at the moment in the show.
1. What happened to his family.
This would be the most tragic backstory since we already know that his daughter died of cancer and that his wife left him, but the period of time in between those events and now is something we haven’t seen as of yet. It could play a big role in how Hopper came to Hawkins and why he is the way he is since losing a child is, as some might attest to, one of the absolute worst things in the world since as a parent it’s an experience that’s bound to hollow a person out and make them question their place in the world from that point on, and possibly question if there’s a real meaning to life at all. Out of all the backstories that Hopper could be given in the upcoming season this one does feel as though it would be the most personal and the most painful, but also the most telling.
We’re going to have to wait and see what happens for some time yet, but there’s plenty of material to keep cranking through the rumor mill.
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