Spoilers Ahead for Stranger Things Season 4Ever since Netflix's Stranger Things, fans have been delving into conspiracy theories surrounding the lore of the series. Even characters such as Mike and Nacy's dad has been the subject of a conspiracy theory. But perhaps no character is more deserving of one than Dr. Martin Brenner, AKA 'Papa'.
One of the best-kept secrets of the fourth season of Stranger Things was the return of Dr. Brenner after it was almost certain he died. In an interview with Vulture, actor Matthew Modine revealed his authentic thoughts on why he returned, whether he'll return again, and whether or not conspiracy theories about his character's superheroes are accurate...
Why Did Dr. Brenner Come Back From The Dead?
After his supposed demise in the first season of Stranger Things, fans were shocked when it was revealed in the fourth season that he survived. But Matthew always knew that his character would return.
"The Duffers always wanted Brenner to come back. There was going to be a big return for him in the second season. Writing a show like that — going through the creative process of the arc of the show and the seasons — it became clear as they were developing season two that there wasn’t a place for him. Then season three was quite a departure. I mean, they were in a mall. There was nothing about season three that really shouted “Hawkins.” That was a journey outward to get to the place where Eleven would lose her powers. Was there any other way to get her power back than returning to the person who was responsible for her having that power in the first place?"
Did Dr. Brenner Actually Die And Does He Have Superpowers?
In his interview with Vulture, Matthew Modine claimed that he didn't think it was "conclusive" that Dr. Brenner died at the end of Season Four. This is despite being shot and left for dead in the desert.
"Three things are curious to me: How did he survive the Demogorgon? How did he survive One? And when Eleven tries to use her power against Dr. Brenner after blowing three guards in the air, he unflinchingly thwarts her and says, 'You didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?' She couldn’t get it to work on him. Is there something more to Brenner than meets the eye?"
There have always been buzzing on the internet about Dr. Brenner actually being a gifted person like his children. When asked by Vulture about it, Matthew said, "Yeah. I don’t want to believe it’s over, because I love the Duffers. I don’t want to believe it’s over, because I can’t wait to work with Millie [Bobby Brown] again."
Does Matthew Modine Want To Return For Stranger Things Season 5?
While fans are speculating that Matthew Modine will return for the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix show, they aren't exactly sure if Matthew himself wants to return. But in his interview with Vulture, Matthew cleared that up. He explained that if he does end up returning he wants to find some closure between his character Eleven, Kali, and even Vecna (AKA One).
"It would be that moment of them forgiving Brenner and giving him their grace. I’m reminded of the film Full Metal Jacket, when my character, Joker, pulls the trigger. At the end of the film, Joker stands over a young Vietnamese girl who’s begging him to end her life, because she’s in so much pain and bleeding to death. She’s just been shot by some of the other Marines. He says, 'We can’t leave her here.”' And the other guys say, 'If you want to kill her, go ahead. Kill her.' Joker is faced with this existential decision. What is he going to do? He makes a decision to end her life. That’s the horror of war. And the horror of what Brenner did is accepting and understanding his culpability in the death of all those children because of what One did," Matthew explained to Vulture. "Grace is the ability to forgive. In this world we live in — this cancel culture — that stands in judgment so quickly of other people and condemns people for mistakes they’ve made in their lives, I think the power of forgiveness and the beauty of grace are two of the most powerful things in the universe."
Matthew went on to say, "So if Eleven and Kali, or just Eleven, forgave him and sent him off, he would spend the remaining days of his life knowing he had been forgiven but having to accept responsibility for what he did."
In his mind, Dr. Brenner is actually a very moral person who, deep down, totally understands that what he did to those children was horrific. Should he return for the final season, Matthew wants that to truly be discussed and for Dr. Brenner to fully acknowledge it.
