The Duffer Brothers Almost Killed a Beloved ‘Stranger Things’ Character

Stranger Things creators and showrunners, Matt and Ross Duffer, have opened up on changes they’ve made to the scripts – from the original versions to what we see streaming on Netflix. One of those changes saved fans from heartache when it comes to Tom Wlaschiha’s character Dimitri ‘Enzo’ Antonov.

“In terms of who makes it, who lives or dies. I think there was a version where Dimitri, AKA Enzo, didn’t make it,” Matt Duffer reveals to Collider. “Then he ended up making it. But that’s [the most] radical of a departure from the original idea versus what we ended up with.”

The Duffer brothers are always focused on “sticking the landing” when they start to write a new season of the show, and they make sure to have big plots points set from the beginning.

“So when we’re breaking a season, that is one of the first things we’re talking about is, where do we want this story to end up?” Ross Duffer adds.

“So the ending is always that goal post. Even as we’re breaking episode one, we know exactly where we’re going,” Ross continues. “I don’t think we’ve deviated truly in any season for the finale, we’ve always stuck to it. I believe the case is the same here.”

Improvised Moments That Made It To Screen

Meanwhile, some moments aren’t even in the script at all, with Winona Ryder and David Harbour given the freedom to improvise when their characters Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper shared a spontaneous kiss in the finale.

A message on the ‘Stranger Things’ Twitter account stated: “This kiss wasn’t scripted, Winona and David added it on the day of filming.”

In the scene, Joyce was struggling with flashbacks to her former boyfriend Bob’s (Sean Astin) death and Hopper reassured her with a sweet kiss.

Speaking previously about the romance between their characters, Harbour says: “The fans, they call it, like, Jopper or something. They all ship this relationship with Hopper and Joyce, and I do too because I feel like they’re two really lonely, lost people that really need each
other.”

The second volume of Season 4 started streaming on July 1, and Stranger Things Season 5 has already been renewed. The Duffer brothers have confirmed that Season 5 will be the end of the series. However, there is at least one Stranger Things spin-offs in the works. 

We’ll keep you posted as more news surfaces on Stranger Things Season 5!

Featured Photo Credit: DFree