Despite his late arrival and relatively short arc, Joseph Quinn’s “Stranger Things” Season 4 newcomer Eddie Munson is easily one of the biggest breakout characters of the Netflix sci-fi horror adventure show. A fun mix of Dungeons & Dragons fandom, Metallica, and a threatening outsider image that hides a heart of gold, Eddie fits seamlessly into the show’s ensemble while becoming a target of “Stranger Things” Season 4’s Satanic Panic-fueled manhunt. Eddie’s character is further elevated by Quinn’s committed performance, which captured both the character’s lovable rogue nature and his vulnerability. Unsurprisingly, Quinn’s star has continued to rise since, fueled by high-profile projects such as “Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
Quinn embodied Eddie so perfectly that it’s difficult to imagine that the show even considered anyone else to play the lovable metalhead. Notably, one actor who auditioned for Eddie later became a “Stranger Things” star himself: Eduardo Franco, who played the long-haired pizza delivery worker Argyle in “Stranger Things” Season 4.
While Argyle is an important character, his cultural footprint and narrative weight do not quite match Eddie’s. Even so, Franco has said he is more than happy with how things turned out and fully supports Quinn’s casting. “I read for Eddie,” Franco told Entertainment Insider at the MTV Movie & TV Awards red carpet in 2022. “I’m so happy it went to Joseph Quinn. He’s incredible. He’s so lovely. They made a beautiful decision. I back it 100%.”
Eduardo Franco Envisioned Eddie Munson’s Scene Differently
Eddie shows all the signs of a fan favorite from his first appearance as the leader and dungeon master of the Hellfire Club. However, the moment that truly defines him comes in the “Stranger Things” Season 4 finale (“Chapter Nine: The Piggyback”), when he lures the flock of Demobats away from the Upside Down equivalent of Creel House so other protagonists can confront Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). The scene in which Eddie stands atop a dilapidated building and lures the Demobats by playing Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” is a desperate Hail Mary that succeeds but ultimately costs him his life. It’s also the single most metal moment on the show, complete with ominous red lightning flashing on the horizon.
Franco shared his own vision for the scene during the red-carpet interview. “‘Wake Up,’ Rage Against the Machine.’ Something like that, something banging, something to get my blood pumping,” said Franco, revealing which song he would have gone with [even though it wasn’t released until 1992, a handful of years after the events of “Stranger Things”] instead of “Master of Puppets.” He would also have liked to take the fight back to the master of the Demobats — that is, Vecna himself. “I might not even leave [the Upside Down]. I might just stay there, and f****** fight Vecna. I think if that song came on and I’m in the Upside Down, I’m not going nowhere.” However it might have played out, Eddie Munson’s legacy was sealed the moment Joseph Quinn plugged in, cranked the volume, and made the character his own.
