'Stranger Things' Season 4: David Harbour talks Hopper's death and uncertain return

David Harbour is uncertain about Jim Hopper's fate in "Stranger Things" Season 4 and says his death was necessary for him to make up for his past.

The actor took time answering questions from fans about the installment of the Netflix series at the German Comic Con Dortmund over the weekend. He especially touched on Chief Hopper's fate and said the character's death in Season 3 was an essential part of Hopper's redemption story.

Harbour said that he feels like Hopper "needed to die" to make amends for how he has been living his life after his daughter's death. In the beginning, in Season 1, the detective was this "dark" person who drowned his sorrows in liquor.

"...He's trying to kill himself, and he hates himself for what happened to his daughter... He needed to make some sacrifice to make up for the way he's been living for the past like 10 years, the resentments that he's had. So he needed to die," Harbour said, as quoted by Comicbook.

The actor then teased about an "interesting" arc to Hopper's story if the character returns to "Stranger Things" Season 4. He said he would love to see the detective in "some sort of resurrection" story if ever there would be a "second act." Harbour likened it to Gandalf the Grey's transformation as Gandalf the White in "Lord of the Rings."

"Anybody watch Lord of the Rings? Gandalf the Grey fights the Balrog, descends into darkness, battles him forever, and everyone thinks he's dead. And then he re-emerges as Gandalf the White, with sort of a new strength and a new power. That would be an interesting arc for him," Harbour added.

However, the actor declined to share details about Hopper's fate in "Stranger Things" Season 4. He is presumed dead from the explosion at Star Court mall in Season 3, but fans believe he is the American prisoner of the Russian soldiers.

Harbour said that he honestly does not know if Hopper is alive or dead because the creators, The Duffer Brothers, would not tell him anything. They have since said though, that if there is no body or corpse, then it is likely that the person is still alive. This makes the actor hopeful that Hopper is alive and told fans to wait since they will "find out at some point" in "Stranger Things" Season 4.