Stranger Things is back and with its return fans have been gifted with a bunch of new characters. The best of this new bunch has no doubt been the rocking metal nerd Eddie Munson, played by the amazing Joseph Quinn. Throughout its seasons, Stranger Things has been able to introduce characters that fans have immediately fallen in love with, like Sean Astin’s Bob Newby. Quinn's character has been no exception, with the excellent addition of Eddie Munson being able to capture fans' attention in only nine episodes, even outshining some of the original cast.

Eddie Munson, Lord of the Nerds

Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson playing Dungeons and Dragons in Stranger Things Season 4
Netflix

Season four brings us back to Hawkins in 1986, with our gang navigating the muddy waters of high school. As classical nerds, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas have all joined the high school Dungeons & Dragons club, Hellfire. The Hellfire Club is run by Dungeon Master Munson, which means he runs and controls their campaign. At the start of the season, we learn the club has been working on a semester-long campaign called “The Cult of Vecna.”

Related: How Are Stranger Things Fans Responding to the Violence in Season 4?

Anyone who has ever played D&D knows that a Dungeon Master is the hardest job in the campaign, but for some, it is the most rewarding. Munson portrays your classic DM and fans of the game rejoiced as they were able to reminisce through Quinn’s performance. His heel-like ability to be a villain but continue to move the story along was perfectly done, as the Duffer Brothers gave us their most accurate D&D scene to date. Fans were instantly able to connect to Munson after this moment, which started his quick climb to favoritism.

Eddie Munson, The Banished

Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson in Stranger Things Season 4
Netflix

By the end of the first episode, we are completely in love with Munson. His reaction to Vecna’s first murder is both hilarious and completely real. Between Munson saying, “Wake up Chrissy! I don’t like this!” to his completely natural reaction to her gruesome death, Munson reacts as any logical person plopped into that situation would. We are screaming, possibly crying, and running away from that horrendous scene. Any person who says, “Not me. I would have stayed,” is probably lying to themselves. That is a freaky thing to witness and anyone with any self-preservation is going to run for the hills.

Stranger Things uses the 80s’ satanic panic surrounding D&D to create the idea that Munson and his Hellfire cult murdered Chrissy. Munson, feeling the heat, goes on the lam, just as any scared person would. The great thing about Munson is that he feels guilty about running and talks about how he feels like a coward. This completely human reaction causes fans' connection to the character to grow even stronger, with Eddie becoming an audience stand-in through his totally realistic responses to the bonkers chaos of Hawkins.

Eddie Munson, The Hero

Joseph Quinn in a scene from Stranger Things
Netflix Streaming

With the final two episodes of season four now streaming, the audience's love for Eddie Munson has only been solidified. Munson’s great moments with Dustin (like an older brother) show the kindhearted side of Eddie and again give us honest and truly grounding moments. Any person who is facing the potential last moments of their life would want to have a heartfelt moment with those they love most. It is why these types of scenes are so common before a big battle or death scene. They also tend to foreshadow our character's fate, which is exactly what Stranger Things did.

Related: Netflix Will Not Change 'Binge Model' Release of Stranger Things Final Season

In the last episode, we saw our metal king bring Metallica to the Upside Down, with an incredible rendition of Master of Puppets. This moment of Munson finally being able to use his talents to help the gang felt well deserved and gave fans an epic rock and roll performance. The monumental shift we see Munson go through the minute he is about to run away again is what just about any nerd would go through in that situation. As any D&D player knows, when you are facing the greatest villain you have ever faced, a choice must be made: continue to run or stay and fight. Munson finally chooses to fight and, like any good nerd under pressure, he rolls a critical fail. Even in his final moments, Munson is completely himself, mixing humor with heartbreaking emotion. Eddie Munson was never the courageous protagonist, but he was our loving antihero sidekick.

Eddie Munson, Audience Stand-In For Stranger Things

Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson in Stranger Things Season 4
Netflix

The reason Munson has cemented himself among the greats of Hawkins is because he is us. Eddie Munson is every fan who plays videogame or D&D and thinks they would be the hero if they were dropped into this universe. We felt it when Munson looked at Steve and said, “We know… we are not heroes,” because we realized how much we are like Munson. We all think we’d be Steve or Nancy, but unfortunately, we probably aren't.

We are the metal-rocking, Dungeon & Dragons-playing Eddie Munson with a Van Halen haircut. We are screaming when scary things happen, running away from brutal murder scenes, and realizing we are not, in any way, the hero. But that is alright, because every hero needs their sidekick. We are not the main characters, we are the fan-loving and entertaining best friends; Eddie is the closest the audience gets to a vicarious character, and that's what makes him so memorable.

Joseph Quinn said he can’t take credit for the character’s popularity, and in a way he is right. Of course, without Quinn, fans may not have connected with the character of Eddie Munson the way they did, and Quinn definitely deserves praise for his outstanding performance, but without the writers, this character would have never existed. The Duffer Brothers knew Munson would be the down-to-earth character that fans needed in the dark and violent season four, and it worked perfectly in their favor. Stranger Things reminded fans that when you are surrounded by popular Steve Harringtons, it's okay to be a nerdy Eddie Munson.