‘Stranger Things’ Series Finale Paid the Perfect Tribute to Eddie Munson With Just 1 Scene

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Eddie Munson sitting down outside in his jean jacket.

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Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for the Stranger Things Season 5 finale.

With Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers set out to create a show that championed outcasts, and we were given the best “freak” of them all in Season 4 with Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson. Eddie was seen as a troublemaker, held back in high school, and desperate to graduate without putting in much effort. He was unapologetically himself and a new older friend and mentor for Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), much to Steve Harrington’s (Joe Keery) concern. Quinn’s ability to make Eddie quirky and dangerous yet lovable put him firmly in the Stranger Things history books — and what happens when you fall in love with a newly introduced character in Stranger Things?

Eddie’s story ends tragically in the Upside Down, where he sacrifices himself by distracting the Demobats away from Dustin, Steve, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and Robin (Maya Hawke). He dies in Dustin’s arms, a loss that sends the “Bard” spiraling into a deep depression, with that grief and anger carrying into Season 5. Eddie embodied everything the early seasons of Stranger Things stood for: defiance, friendship, and the courage to be unapologetically yourself. By the series finale, Dustin pays the greatest tribute to Eddie’s legacy through his graduation speech — something Eddie never lived to achieve himself.

Eddie Munson, by Joseph Quinn, Season 4 Flipping The Bird In The Caffetteria

In Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1, Dustin is still deeply grieving Eddie to the point of emulating parts of his friend's identity, whether consciously or not, as a way of keeping him alive. Eddie represents a kind of freedom Dustin had never fully embraced before, as well as his refusal to conform, his confidence, and his joy in being exactly himself, no matter the consequences. So Dustin makes a point of keeping the Hellfire Club alive, treating it as more like a symbol of resistance than a Dungeons & Dragons group. He continues to wear his club shirt well into Season 5, even though it makes him a target for bullying. He grows his hair long and wavy like Eddie’s, and his attitude shifts, alienating all who care for him. Where Dustin was once enthusiastic, excited, and seeking approval from the popular crowds, he now carries a darker, defiant attitude and pushes back against authority.

Henderson is still trapped in the rawest stage of grief during Season 5, Volume 1 and his pain manifests as anger and combativeness, especially toward Steve Harrington, the person who has consistently been his closest protector and friend. Dustin acts recklessly and shirks his responsibilities, including one of Hopper’s (David Harbour) crawls. Later, while stalking Hawkins Lab for a shield generator, Dustin and Steve find Dr. Brenner’s plans for “exotic matter” and race to the roof to stop Nancy and Jonathan from disturbing it. Eager to help Nancy, Steve illogically tries to climb from one part of the melting building to another, but Dustin breaks down crying, saying that he cannot go through the same feelings of grief again by losing his other close friend. It’s after this reconciliation with Steve that he starts to grow closer to his friends again and understand what Eddie actually stood for. Eddie wasn’t just rebellious or confrontational for the sake of it, he was genuinely happy being himself and celebrated people’s differences. His defiance came from confidence, not anger. As Season 5 Volume 2 progressed into the finale, Dustin begins to channel only the best parts of Eddie, and he honors his memory by becoming a fuller, braver version of himself.

Dustin's Graduation Speech Ensures "Hellfire Club Lives!" in 'Stranger Things' Season 5

Dustin’s arc comes full circle in the Season 5 epilogue of Stranger Things, set during Hawkins High’s 1989 graduation ceremony. He is rewarded for his academic achievements by being named valedictorian, a title that traditionally represents conformity and success within the system. But when Dustin steps on stage to deliver his speech, he refuses to let the moment pass without making Eddie proud. Standing before the graduating class, their families, teachers, and Principal Higgins (Bill Winkler), Dustin openly admits how “pissed off” he’s been at how much has been taken from the people of Hawkins. Rather than encouraging a return to “normal,” Dustin calls Higgins “a square” and mocks the identical orange graduation gowns that make everyone look the same. To shocked but satisfied faces, Dustin takes off his gown, shirt, and tie to reveal a new T-shirt linked to his favorite club, declaring that “Hellfire Lives!” This time, the crowd cheers for Hellfire and, in a way, finally recognizes Eddie as a hero. If Hellfire lives on to graduate in 1989, Eddie makes it too.

Dustin’s memorable graduation moment is a direct parallel to Eddie’s introductory speech back in Season 4's “Chapter One: The Hellfire Club.” He mocks the jocks for obsessing over parties and “throwing balls into laundry baskets.” He proudly shares his plan to “walk across that stage” at his own graduation, where he'll “look Principal Higgins dead in the eye” and “flip him the bird” before snatching his diploma and running like hell. In the series finale, Dustin delivers on Eddie’s dream. He does, in fact, flip Higgins off and grab his diploma, but earns cheers from the rest of the graduates, his mother, and even other original outcasts like Murray Bauman (Bret Gelman) and Mr. Clarke (Randy Havens). Dustin finally proves Eddie’s approach to life is right through his speech — and the spirit of Hellfire lives on, not as a physical club but as a philosophy to never apologize for who you are.

Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will put their hands together while outside.

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Dustin Carries Out Eddie's Legacy in 'Stranger Things' Season 5

Dustin’s graduation speech is not just deliberately structured to sound like Eddie’s iconic introduction in words, but the soundtrack also sets it up as one big final tribute to the character. When Dustin shouts “screw the system,” "The Trooper" from the 1983 Iron Maiden album Piece of Mind begins playing, which is the very album Eddie held up in Season 4 when the Party was trying to find a song to bring Nancy out of Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) trance.

Ironically, Iron Maiden has a mascot of their own, named Eddie the Head, who appears on all their album covers and merchandise, much like Eddie’s own demon icon in the Hellfire Club logo. The band’s 1986 album Somewhere in Time, released in the same year Eddie Munson claimed would be his for the taking, features graffiti on the cover artwork reading, “Eddie Lives!” This prompted many eagle-eyed Stranger Things fans to theorize Eddie may make a return in the fifth season, but the Duffer Brothers stuck a stake through the heart of that idea, saying to Deadline, “No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.”

Eddie Munson’s true legacy in Stranger Things isn’t his cult following off-screen or his tragic death; it’s Dustin Henderson. Eddie taught Dustin the most important life lessons — to embrace differences, to live proudly, and to never apologize for who you are. Eddie never got to walk that stage, never got to physically escape the label Hawkins forced upon him, and never got the future he wanted so badly. But through Dustin in Stranger Things Season 5, Eddie gets one final act of rebellion.