'Stranger Things' Season 4 clues that suggest Hopper is dead

"Stranger Things" Season 4 may not see the return of Chief Jim Hopper if David Harbour's statements from an interview are any indication. Likewise, clues from the past seasons suggest he is really dead.

Fans have since tossed several theories that point at Hopper's return in the 4th installment including the importance of David Bowie's "Heroes." The song was played in the season 3 finale, when Eleven read Hopper's letter for her.

Interestingly, this is the same track played in Season 1 when the detectives fished out Will Byer's body from the quarry and he was presumed dead. It turned out it was a fake corpse and Will was, apparently, still alive.

The choice of song is said to be a sign that Hopper is not dead. However, it can also be the contrary. It would be such an obvious connection and a direct spoiler to Hopper's fate in "Stranger Things" Season 4.

Another clue pertains to Harbour's statements when he was asked about his character's return in "Stranger Things" Season 4. While he admitted that he does not know if Hopper is alive or dead, he agreed that Season 3 would be a fitting farewell for the character.

"I always knew that he was going to make a sacrifice. He's a jerk and like, he also needs to, he needs to pay for that in some way," Harbour said about Hopper's death during a guest appearance on "Light Night with Seth Myers."

Harbour then alluded to the Season 3 end-credits scene that talked about an American captive. He believed Hopper is clearly the American. But then he revealed that he has not heard back about returning to the show.

"So I thought he'd make this sacrifice and then the script came out and... you know the post-credit scene, there's this thing where it's the American, and I was like, 'Oh, clearly I'm the American'. And then I haven't gotten many phone calls," he added.

The creators, The Duffer Brothers, have remained tight-lipped on Hopper's fate in "Stranger Things" Season 4. But the show's writers may have hinted at his death in a tweet. A fan asked for any details about the character to which they replied, "Hopper is gone."