7 reasons why David Harbour's Jim Hopper is the real hero in Stranger Things

At the premiere of the newest Season 5 of Stranger Things, the cast was spotted embracing and getting photographed together. Millie Bobby Brown re-joined David Harbour on the red carpet on November 6. This comes on the heels of a November 1 report by The Daily Mail concerning Brown's alleged harassment and bullying complaints against Harbour before the shooting of the final season.

The upcoming and final season of the series is scheduled to drop in batches of three: Volume One on November 6 (four episodes), Volume Two on Christmas (three episodes) and The Finale on New Year's Eve, as per Deadline.

One of the most popular characters of Stranger Things is Jim Hopper. David Harbour portrays him in a courageous, truthful, and emotional fashion. Hopper defends the residents of Hawkins and struggles with monstrosities, government agents, as well as his own pain. Flawed and real, he is big-hearted, as is his love for Eleven and other people. This list will explain why Hopper is the show's legitimate hero and why so many fans like him.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

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This is the list of 7 reasons why David Harbour's Jim Hopper is the real hero in Stranger Things:

7. Inspire and make sacrifices for others

In Stranger Things, Jim Hopper epitomised heroism by always looking out for others before himself. He made many brave sacrifices to protect the people of Hawkins. In Season 3, Hopper made the supreme sacrifice: his life was the price he paid to save the town from destruction. Even though he knew it would endanger his own survival, he let Joyce lock the gate to the Upside Down in the episode titled "Battle of Starcourt." At this point, he saves Eleven and all of Hawkins from evil.

In Season 1, Episode 8, he saves Will Byers by venturing into the Upside Down without any fear. In Season Two, he protected Joyce from the Demodogs, who believed she had witnessed Bob's death. Repeatedly putting his life in danger in the series, he fights corrupt government officials and monsters.

The youngsters and adults around him are inspired by his bold actions, which motivate them to keep fighting even when things appear bleak. David, portraying Hopper, illustrates how heroes put others ahead of themselves, even if it means losing everything.

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6. Portrayal of imperfect heroism

David Harbour brought Jim Hopper to life as a person full of flaws and problems. Hopper is not a perfect hero. After his daughter's death, his drinking problems developed & he took excessive alcohol and pills to get numb. He is obstinate and indignant at times, and has proven to be mean when he is angry or frightened. During Stranger Things Season 3, Hopper became too controlling of Eleven and Mike's relationship. He got angry and jealous when Joyce stood him up for dinner. He even threatened violence against the mayor for information.

Hopper, broken and messy in many ways, made his character human and relatable. He revealed to us that heroes need not necessarily be good or powerful all the time. They are susceptible to bad habits and errors. Hopper is at his best as a character when he is weak and in need. His flaws have the potential to drag him down during heroic moments, but the struggle to battle both his own as well as people's demons while trying to save them makes him a real hero.

Also know: Find more about Eleven & Mike's relationship in Stranger Things!

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5. Honest and realistic

Jim Hopper is distinct because we see him refuse to ignore the genuine dangers around Hawkins. Realistic and blunt, he is truthful in a world where others want to avoid problems. In Season 1 of Stranger Things, when residents find a fake body of Will Byers, Hopper knows that something is off. He investigates further at the morgue and realises that the government is lying to all. Hopper listens to Joyce and has faith in her while the other grown-ups disregard her worries. He would peep behind curtains and point out corruption even at the cost of his life.

Hopper does not airbrush or cover harsh realities. He immediately accepts the bizarre environment of the Upside Down, while others reject its existence. David Harbour plays Hopper as someone who faces the hard truths head-on. This realistic method enables him to unravel mysteries and save people. He comes across as gruff due to his honesty, which is unsuitable in some situations but also makes him trustworthy. Hopper is someone that people can rely on to tell the truth and deal with real threats.

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4. Motivated by grief & love

Jim's intense grief after losing his daughter, Sara, to cancer drives all he undertakes. All heroic acts he performed in Season One of Stranger Things undercut such tragedy. Hopper had seen his little girl in the hospital, drowning in agony, and was unable to save her. This devastated him and also affected his marriage. When he moved back to Hawkins, he was drinking and using drugs in hopes of forgetting his pain. However, when Will Byers vanished in the pilot episode of Stranger Things, Hopper had the opportunity to save a child, just as he had failed to save Sara. His obsessive fixation with locating Will in the Upside Down stemmed from his daughter's memories.

Performing CPR on the lifeless body of Will, he is essentially reliving the moment his own daughter had passed away. Motivated by the death of his daughter, Hopper does not want anyone else to go through the same grief and loss. However, Hopper later turns into the loving parent to Eleven, to whom he gives the blue ribbons that belonged to Sara. In return, we see his love for Eleven heal a little pain within his heart. David Harbour in Stranger Things has shown that Hopper's heroism arises from his broken heart and his intention of protecting children because he lost his own.

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3. Protector & father figure

Jim Hopper begins Stranger Things as a broken man, deprived of all he values in life. He was a Vietnam War veteran who lost his daughter, Sara, to cancer. In addition to her death, his marriage also couldn't survive, and he turned to drinking. Although he moved to New York City after marriage, he ended up moving back to his small hometown, Hawkins, to become the police chief after Sara's death. When viewers first saw him, he was sleeping on his couch, surrounded by empty beer bottles and cigarettes. He consumed pills and gulped them down with beer. However, when he put on his police uniform and badge, he transformed into a professional and serious officer.

In Stranger Things, David Harbour made Hopper more real. The actor can nearly peel away the pain peeking beneath the crass appearance of this man. Behind his bitterness and anger is a protective heart. Hopper is not a one-dimensional character, much more than the shade of either morally black or white: a person packed full of contradictions. The Duffer Brothers, the writers of Stranger Things, gave Harbour a character with depth and complexity, allowing him to reveal various aspects of himself throughout the series.

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2. Acts of selfless bravery

Jim Hopper performed many heroic acts throughout Stranger Things, clearly revealing his true heroic nature. During the first season of Stranger Things, he enters the terrifying Upside Down with Joyce Byers to rescue Will. He finds Will and immediately performs CPR on his lifeless body for a long time until the boy resumes breathing. This scene is powerful because it depicts Hopper remembering his own daughter's death while fighting to save Will's life. Hopper investigates the fake autopsy at the morgue and punches a security guard to gain access to the truth. Beaten and tortured by government agents, we never witness him breaking down or giving them what they want. He saves the kids from Hawkins Lab agents by knocking a gunman unconscious with a single punch. Furthermore, although beaten up, tased and even fed an unknown serum by the agents of Hawkins Labs, Hopper refuses to expose the truth behind the experiments happening at the Hawkins Labs.

In Season 2 of Stranger Things, he shoots down Demodogs to protect Eleven while she is working to close the gate in the Upside Down. He even rescues Joyce & shoots Demodogs, and drags her out when her boyfriend Bob dies. In Season 3, we see him struggle against the Russian killer Grigori and kill him by throwing him into mechanical killers.

Above all, Hopper sacrifices his life to rescue Hawkins when he allows Joyce to close the gate. He is aware of his potential death due to an explosion. These altruistic acts of heroism to save his loved ones prove that Hopper is even ready to sacrifice everything.

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1. Complex & layered character

Throughout Stranger Things, Jim Hopper emerged as a wonderful protector/father figure to Eleven. He keeps Eleven in his cabin after finding her alive in the first season to protect her from government agents. He became her adoptive father and officially adopted her after Season 2. Hopper makes Eleven realise what life is like in the outside world. He educates her to be a typical teenage girl, and also presents her with old, blue hair ribbons to demonstrate his affection for her. The ribbons signify recollections of his only daughter, whom he had previously lost. Despite having difficulties with the way to become a good parent due to his grief and pain, Hopper actually loves Eleven and desires to protect her.

David Harbour illustrates that Hopper was passionate and protective of this broken girl, who had also undergone so much pain and struggle. He also ends up becoming a father figure to Will Byers, Jonathan, and all the other children in Hawkins. The entire town depends on him for the safety of their children. When Hopper gets back with Eleven at the end of Season 4, he puts his arms around her, and the pair cries. One of the most heartwarming aspects of Stranger Things is his relationship with Eleven.

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