Stranger Things tinfoil: Sheriff Hopper is a clone in season 4

Like every season that’s come before it, the fourth season of Netflix’s Stranger Things will present viewers with plenty of mysteries to solve. But one of the biggest questions fans already have heading into the new season is whether Jim Hopper actually survived closing the gate to the Upside Down — and if so, how?

To recap, Hopper sacrificed himself at the very end of the third season, getting caught in an explosion while he tried to shut the gateway between Hawkins and the sinister Upside Down dimension. Of course, fans started scratching their heads when Joyce checked the area and didn’t find his body — and the teaser trailer for season 4 confirmed what fans had already expected: that Hopper isn’t completely gone from the show, although we still can’t make sense of the fact that apparently he’s working on a Soviet chain gang:

Fans have brainstormed numerous theories to explain Hopper’s current predicament, covering everything from him avoiding the blast and infiltrating the ranks of the Russian guards to him getting transported to Russia through the Upside Down: we already know the Soviets opened another portal on their end.

A new theory, however, suggests that the Hopper in the teaser trailer might not be the same character fans know and love.

According to Screen Rant, some fans are rallying behind the idea that season 4 Hopper could be a clone. It wouldn’t be the strangest thing that’s happened in the series thus far (although it’d be close) and it would explain why he’s seemingly made no effort to escape whatever Russian prison he’s being held in.

It’s clear the Russian military has some advanced technology if they’re able to open portals to the Upside Down and toy around with alternate dimensions. With that in mind, if Hopper did manage to join the other officers, he could have gotten caught and cloned. If Russia is planning something — something they presumably don’t want Eleven and the others to discover — having Hopper in their arsenal would be incredibly useful. The kids who have foiled their plans time and time again know and trust Hopper, and they’d likely trust Hopper 2.0…so long as they don’t find out his secret.

Under this theory, it’s unclear what happened to the real Hopper. It’s unlikely the Russian army would keep him alive, unless they needed something from him. So if you’re holding out hope for the Hopper we know being alive and well, you’re probably better off subscribing to another theory.

Another theory is that the Hopper we see in Russia is the real Hopper, but that he’s been possessed by the Mindflayer, like Billy Hargrove in season 3. If Hopper spent some time in the Upside Down prior to finding himself in Russia, it’s very possible. And if the monsters from the Upside Down are using Hopper to wreak havoc on Earth, our characters are in for a world of trouble. (And we, as the fans, are probably in for a whole lot of tears.)

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