10 Best Times TV Characters Returned From The Dead
7. Jim Hopper - Stranger Things
Leading up to the release of Volume 4, Stranger Things' worst-kept secret was the fate of Jim Hopper.
David Harbour's beloved Chief of Police was seemingly blown to Kingdom Come in Volume 3's finale, sacrificing himself in a cataclysmic explosion to close the Russians' portal to the Upside Down. However, the Duffer Brothers were hardly tight-lipped regarding Hopper's apparent demise. A post-credits scene made reference to an "American" being held prisoner in a Russian facility - wonder who that could possibly be?
Fans swiftly began speculating how Hopper could've possibly survived the blast, let alone how he ended up in Russia! The explanation was maddeningly simple - the classic get-out-of-jail-free narrative device of "he jumped away at the last second." Hopper was simply blasted clear of the explosion by the shockwave, and was found by Russian soldiers sifting through the debris.
Do better, Duffer Brothers.
The strength of Hopper's return derives entirely from David Harbour's performance, as opposed to the intricacies concerning his survival. One of the most popular television characters of all time, Hopper's purported loss highlighted the extent of the devastating narrative hole his character's death would leave. His tear-jerking reunion with Eleven is exactly the uplifting moment audiences need following Vecna's relentless campaign of evil across Volume 4.