What Happened to Eddie in 'Stranger Things'? (SPOILERS)

Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4, Vol. 2.

It's only natural for folks to become attached to certain characters while they're watching their favorite show. In fact, sometimes entire series are rewritten because of what an actor is able to accomplish with a specific role. Take Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead for instance: showrunners knew that they'd piss off a lot of people if they ever killed him off, and he became one of the most beloved survivors in the series.

Eddie is a fan favorite on Netflix's Stranger Things, and fans of the series want to know: What really happened to him at the end of Season 4, Vol. 2?

The finale of Stranger Things Season 4, Vol. 2 features Eddie doing some heroic-ass stuff in order to lure Vecna outside of the facility and kill him. The mullet-rocking metal head gets paired with Dustin in order to carry out a distraction/decoy mission. Steve tells Eddie before their big plan: "If things here start to go south, I mean at all, you abort, OK?"

Steve continues, "Draw the attention of the bats, keep them busy for a minute or two, we'll take care of everything. Don't try to be cute or be a hero or something, OK?"

Eddie replies, "I mean, look at us. We are not heroes."

Except he totally is. While Nancy, Robin, and Steve are all twirled up in Vecna's vines, Eddie decides to take more than a minute or two distracting the bats, who mercilessly attack him. By the time they get to the rocker, he's sustained a lot of damage and his injuries appear to be mortal.

As he's dying, however, he isn't upset. He confronted his fears and didn't abandon his friends. "I didn't run away this time, right?" He then adds, talking about the kids younger than him, "You're gonna have to look after those little sheep for me. I think it's my year, Henderson. I think it's finally my year [to graduate]. I love you man."

Dustin tells him, "I love you too," and then Eddie dies in his arms. Of course there were a bunch of Stranger Things fans who were quick to point out that maybe Eddie wasn't really gone, kind of like how everyone thought Hopper was gone, but it turns out he was back in business in Season 4.

It seems like it, as the finale ends with Dustin speaking to Eddie's uncle about his nephew fondly. It appears that in no uncertain terms, he is indeed, dead. "I wish everyone had gotten to know him. Really know him. Because they would have loved him, Mr. Munson. They would have loved him. Even in the end, he never stopped being Eddie," Dustin says.

Dustin continued, "Despite everything. I never even saw him get mad. He could’ve run, he could’ve saved himself. But he fought. He fought, and died, to protect this town. This town that hated him. He isn’t just innocent, Mr. Munson. He’s a hero."

The dynamic between Dustin and Eddie is one that fans are sure to miss, and before their final mission, the two shared a fan-favorite moment where Eddie says, "Never change, Dustin Henderson. Promise me?"

"Wasn't planning on it," Dustin says.

And while Eddie did go out with a bang and leave Dustin with some positive vibes before kicking the bucket, at least, that hasn't stopped fans from hoping that he'll somehow make a return.

What do you think? Is Eddie gone for good? Do you want him to come back? Or do you think that an-out-of-nowhere return would ruin his character arc?