Hawkins is Turning on Eddie in Stranger Things Season 5: The Real Reason

Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1 wastes no time reminding us that Hawkins still has it out for Eddie Munson. Yes, even after his very metal, very heroic exit, the town is still convinced he was a killer. Here is why that hate is somehow louder 18 months later.

Why they still blame Eddie

Season 5 opens in the shadow of Season 4: Vecna slaughtered multiple teens and ripped open massive portals across Hawkins. The town is cracked to pieces, literally and emotionally. But only a small circle actually knows what caused any of it. The official line has been vague, and most folks chalk the earthquakes and fissures up to natural causes. When you do that, you also keep the most convenient target in place: Eddie.

He already carried the small-town rumor baggage: a laid-back, outsider vibe that got him tagged as a freak, plus the Dungeons & Dragons club he ran, the Hellfire Club, which busybodies spun into satanic nonsense. That panic did not evaporate. It calcified.

• It starts with Chrissy Cunningham. Vecna kills her in especially brutal fashion while she is at Eddie's trailer. The town immediately decides Eddie did it.
• Two more teens die the same way. Chrissy's boyfriend, Jason Carver, turns his grief into a crusade and rallies people against Eddie and Hellfire.
• Fast-forward 18 months. Authorities still have not told Hawkins what actually happened. The town keeps its scapegoat.
• Back at school, Dustin keeps wearing his Hellfire Club T-shirt to honor Eddie, which only pokes the bear. Jason's buddy keeps harassing him and eventually takes it to the cemetery.

"Burn in Hell"

That is what ends up scratched onto Eddie's tombstone. Subtlety is not exactly the vibe in Hawkins right now.

The hero they refuse to see

For anyone who missed the Season 4 finale: Eddie died saving his friends. He played bait in the Upside Down, drawing away Vecna's demobats so Dustin could survive. It was sacrificial, it was brave, and it should have rewritten his story. Instead, Dustin is left carrying the torch with that shirt while the town clings to a lie.

The first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1 are now streaming on Netflix. Vol. 2 lands on Christmas.