New set photos of Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler in season 5 are making the rounds, which sadly underscore a harsh reality about the impact of Eddie Munson’s death. Though details about have been scarce since the season 4 finale in 2022, the show’s final outing recently starting production has led to several new revelations. In addition to the news that , recent set photos reveal first looks at Dustin and Mike following season 4’s tragedies.
The new photos of Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin Henderson reveal the teen with long hair, wearing a tattered Hellfire Club t-shirt, and standing in front of Eddie Munson’s vandalized grave marker.
With Dustin and the Hellfire Club President having become extremely close friends before , the new set photos confirm that his legacy continues to have an important impact on Dustin. Meanwhile, , including a shorter haircut for Wolfhard’s character in season 5, thus reversing a previous Eddie-related change from season 4.
seasons 1-4 are available to stream on Netflix. Season 5 has yet to receive a release date.
At the beginning of season 4, Mike returned with long hair that hinted at a more rebellious nature for the
-loving teen. It turned out that Mike had grown his hair out long because he was trying to emulate Eddie Munson, the president of the D&D club at Hawkins High who Mike looked up to. While Dustin still has his Eddie-inspired long hair and Hellfire Club shirt on in season 5’s set photos, Mike has a new look with a haircut that’s the shortest it’s been since season 1.
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New photos from the set of Stranger Things season 5 show Gaten Matarazzo's Dustin Henderson visiting Eddie Munson's vandalized gravesite.Mike’s appearance is a sad reminder that although he once thought of Eddie as one of his biggest heroes and inspirations, Eddie’s influence is understandably waning in the aftermath of his death.
This could partially be due to Mike distancing himself from the incorrect blame cast on Eddie rather than Vecna for season 4’s deaths, which emphasizes the idea that Eddie’s positive legacy is being erased in Hawkins. Though Dustin is apt to continue idolizing Eddie, it’s disappointing that he’s the only one still paying homage to him as Mike was also an important protégé for Eddie.
It seems Dustin will be the one prioritizing his memory.
Since Eddie’s other friends from the D&D club were hardly explored in season 4, the responsibility of keeping his legacy alive in the show largely falls on Hellfire Club members Dustin and Mike.
To a certain extent, Steve may play a role in paying tribute to Eddie given their budding friendship in season 4, but, overall, it seems Dustin will be the one prioritizing his memory. Just as Nancy was frustrated with others failing to remember Barbara, Dustin may find it upsetting that Mike, Eddie’s friend, doesn’t prioritize keeping Eddie’s memory alive to the same extent.
Both Mike and Dustin seemed to have the same level of respect and admiration for Eddie in
’ season 4 premiere, but Dustin is going to take his death a lot harder after battling Vecna together. Mike and Dustin were the two main characters closest to Eddie prior to the events of season 4, so their responses to his death will be extremely important in season 5. Dustin’s set photos reveal that the show will revisit the , and Mike’s reaction to the tragedy is necessary to explore after their friendship.
Since Mike was in California while Dustin and Eddie grew closer while battling the Upside Down in Hawkins, the two will have very different responses to his death. Dustin holding Eddie while he died will haunt him in
season 5, whereas Mike was more removed from the tragic event. However, both were major players in the Hellfire Club, so Dustin may have higher expectations for how Mike should respond, potentially creating some arguments between the two. Still, it would be better if the tragedy pulled Mike and Dustin closer together, with both honoring Eddie’s memory after defeating Vecna.
Though his hair no longer reflects the style worn by Eddie, Mike’s new haircut actually bodes well in returning to many of ’ sentiments from season 1. One of the biggest promises made by the creative team was that ’s character groups and Hawkins focus. With Mike’s hair now being closer to what it was back in season 1, it seems season 5 is truly taking the show back to the beginning, even down to the tiniest details.
Fantasy
Horror
Drama
Release Date July 15, 2016
Cast , joe keery , Jamie Campbell Bower , Brett Gelman , Caleb McLaughlin ,
, , Matthew Modine , Priah Ferguson , Gaten Matarazzo , , Charlie Heaton , Sadie Sink , , Joseph Quinn , Dacre Montgomery , Natalia Dyer , Noah Schnapp
Story By The Duffer Brothers
Streaming Service(s)
