'Stranger Things' Creator Says Post-Credits Scene Will Play Role in 'Potential' Season 4 [SPOILERS]

This article contains spoilers for ‘Stranger Things’ Season 3.

Stranger Things Season 3 came to a thrilling conclusion on July 4 (the same day as it premiered, thanks to the blessed graces of Netflix’s en masse releases), leaving fans in a state of emotional wreckage following the death of Jim Hopper, and deeply curious about the post-credits scene. This week, series creators the Duffer Brothers spoke on the importance of that scene to the possible fourth season.

“Assuming there’s a season four, obviously the question of who that American is in that cell and then also what they’re doing with the Demogorgon is a tease,” Ross Duffer said to Entertainment Weekly (via io9). “That’s obviously going to play a huge role in a potential season four.”

Though the series has not been officially renewed for a fourth season, the prospect seems likely, especially considering that, per io9, Netflix announced the series is already breaking records. As for what the future season might include, the Duffers kept themselves vague, with Ross noting that “We don’t know a lot, but we do know a lot of the big broad strokes.”

“The biggest thing that’s going to happen is it’s going to open up a little bit, not necessarily in terms of scale, in terms of special effects, but open up in terms of allowing portals into areas outside of Hawkins,” Matt Duffer added, referring to the fact that the post-credits scene teased the existence of another Demogorgon and an American prisoner in Siberia. Many fans, meanwhile, have postulated that the prisoner is Hopper himself, something that David Harbour has neither confirmed nor denied.

In any case, we’re glad to see that the Duffer Brothers are already beginning to develop the next chapter of the series--and we’ll keep our ears to the ground for whenever it’s inevitably (hopefully) renewed.