Matthew Modine is making a strong argument for his return in Stranger Things season five.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) technically left his character, Dr. Brenner, to die in the desert in the penultimate episode of season four, but he's not ready to believe this is the end of the road for the mysterious character, who is the source of so many questions.
"Three things are curious to me," Matthew told Vulture. "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?"
Matthew makes some fair points, but admits he's hoping to reappear for more personal reasons: "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 again."
There's a part of him that wants to see Dr. Brenner be forgiven too. While Matthew understands Eleven's anger and the injustice of using children as lab rats, he feels Dr. Brenner is misunderstood. "The way I chose to portray him was as somebody who believed what he was doing had some benefit," he explained. "How could he not love the children?"
But the Duffer Brothers seemed pretty clear that Dr. Brenner was a goner. In a conversation with the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Matt and Ross Duffer specifically referred to Dr. Brenner as "toast."
However, there's a possibility they meant that he's dead in the present and they'll bring him back for a flashback scene. After all, there's still a lot to be learned about One (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the creation of the Upside Down, as well as Vecna's ties to Will Byers (Noah Schnapp).
Even Joseph Quinn is holding out hope Eddie Munson will somehow return in season five. "It'd be fun, wouldn't it?" Joseph recently told E! News. "I'd be very up for it. But yeah, let's see."
Stranger Things is streaming now on Netflix.