Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and Stranger Things star Sean Astin cast doubt on his character’s return in Season 5 during an appearance at LA Comic-Con.
The Direct was in attendance when the topic came up when discussion among the panelists (including Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd) pivoted to their work outside of the LOTR franchise.
Astin brought up Stranger Things, where he briefly played Bob Newby in Season 2.
He noted how fans would always come up and ask if he’s going to be in new episodes, to which he always responds, “No, I’m dead.”
When Bob was first introduced in Season 2, the man dating Winona Ryder's Joyce Byers quickly became a fan-favorite. He was nice and beloved by everyone who met him.
Sadly for him, his life crossed paths with the wrong family. While he dreamed of a joyful life with Joyce, he instead met his end, sacrificing himself to save others—resulting in him getting torn to shreds by a Demodog.
But the actor went on to ask aloud, “Why couldn't they do a flashback [for Season 5]?:”
"[Fans would] say, 'Are you gonna be in 'Stranger Things',' and I would say, 'No, I'm dead.' But why couldn't they do a flashback [for Season 5]... to a happier time with—I know why they won't. Because it's going to be Hopper and Joyce, and they're not going to want to flashback to a time when she was actually happy [laughs].”
Will Vecna Bring Back Sean Astin's Bob?
While it might not seem likely that Sean Astin’s Bob Newby would return, with Vecna in the picture, anything’s possible.
Perhaps, after tending to his wounds given to him in Season 4’s finale, Joyce ends up crossing paths with Number One. If Vecna were to torment her, bringing Bob back into her head would certainly be an effective option.
If that were to happen, perhaps it could lead to some trouble with Hopper. Though, at the end of the day, it's hard to see how their relationship needs any more testing.
With this last set of episodes being the final season, the Duffer Brothers are going to want to pull as many tricks in the book as they possibly can for their big send-off. If they do bring back Bob, perhaps fans could also get a surprise appearance of Barb as well.
Season 5 of Stranger Things does not currently have a release window, but production should be starting up any day now. Fans should probably expect new episodes to arrive by 2025.
