Is Hopper still alive?

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David Harbour

The brains behind Stranger Things have stunned fans of the Netflix show by revealing David Harbour's character, Hopper, is still alive in the first trailer for season four.

The beloved Indiana police chief was killed off in an explosion at the end of the last season, prompting devotees to slam the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, but they were given a glimmer of hope when Harbour demanded to know what had become of his character.

During an appearance on U.S. show Late Night With Seth Meyers in October, the actor said, "I always knew that Hopper had to make a sacrifice. He's a jerk and he needs to pay for that in some way, so I thought he'd make the sacrifice and then the script came out and... at the end, (in) the post-credits scene there's 'the American', and I'm like, 'Oh, clearly I'm the American...!' And then, I haven't gotten many phone calls."

In a post-credits scene at the end of season three, Russian prison guards referred to one captive as "the American".

He then agreed to FaceTime the Duffer Brothers and ask them what their plans were.

"I have a question...," he said. "Am I dead? Is Hopper dead?"

"I mean, we're still figuring it out, David," Ross Duffer responded.

Harbour shot back, "You guys are a lot of help, thanks. Really wonderful work. Good luck with season four. Love you guys, love you, bye."

But now the Duffers have revealed Hopper's character survived the blast, placing his character in Russia, working as a prison labourer on a railway line.

Netflix dropped the first look at the highly-anticipated fourth season of Stranger Things on Friday.

"We're excited to officially confirm that production on Stranger Things 4 is now underway - and even more excited to announce the return of Hopper!" a statement from the Duffer Brothers reads. "Although it's not all good news for our 'American'; he is imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, where he will face dangers both human... and other. Back in the states, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long buried, something that connects everything.

"Season four is shaping up to be the biggest and most frightening season yet, and we cannot wait for everyone to see more. In the meantime - pray for the American... From Russia with love."