Stranger Things star David Harbour opens up about the end of Hopper’s story. He even promises Season 5 will feature “the biggest thing that happens for him” in the entire series.

Speaking to ScreenRant, Harbour was asked about his final day on the set of Stranger Things. “I mean, I can’t tell you what our last day on set was, because it’s a huge spoiler,” the actor started. He teased, “But it was a very big culmination… and I couldn’t believe that that was our last day.”

The Thunderbolts* actor continued, “I was like, ‘Oh my god. They really did time it so that the biggest thing that happens in the series for him, in a certain way, is this moment.’ And so I was really focused on playing the crap out of that moment too.” Of course, he didn’t detail what it was.

“And then it just happens, and it’s just over,” Harbour continued. The Stranger Things star went on to discuss the time it took to come to terms with the series coming to a close, especially after so many years working alongside the creators Ross and Matt Duffer. “And I’ve known those guys, the Duffer Brothers, for 10 years, and we’ve been through so much together, and that cast and that crew, it’s just like, it’s really hard to process. It took me, like, another six months to really know how I felt to be honest… It felt very, very surreal.”

Harbour has portrayed Hawkins Police Chief Jim Hopper since Stranger Things premiered on Netflix back in 2016. The hit sci-fi thriller series is set to kick off its fifth and final season on Nov. 26, with fans waiting in eager anticipation of whatever comes next. The series finale will come on Dec. 31. While Season 5 will see the return of the core cast of Stranger Things, it will also mark the debut of at least one brand-new character in the form of Linda Hamilton’s Doctor Kay.

Although details regarding the part that Doctor Kay will have to play in Season 5 remain under wraps, the official logline for Stranger Things Season 5 points to her potentially being a serious problem for the would-be heroes of Hawkins, Indiana. The logline for Season 5 reads, “Our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding.”

What Comes After Stranger Things for Creators Matt and Ross Duffer?

Shortly after Stranger Things comes to a close, so too will the Duffer Brothers’ working relationship with Netflix. In August, it was confirmed that the Duffers had signed a deal with Paramount, where they will begin working once their Netflix deal reaches its end in April 2026. The new deal will see the Duffers focus on larger-scale projects, including feature films, which will be developed under their Upside Down Pictures banner with company president Hilary Leavitt.

The move will also see the Duffers reunite with Cindy Holland and Matt Thunell, who were instrumental in bringing Stranger Things to Netflix. In particular, it was Holland who initially greenlit Stranger Things for the platform, of which the Duffers said in a statement, “They took a chance on us in 2015, and they’re taking a chance again – we can’t wait to create new stories together.”

Stranger Things is currently available for streaming on Netflix. Season 5 begins on Nov. 26 and will be released in three parts, with new episodes released on Dec. 25 and Dec. 31, respectively.