JIM Hopper has been at the centre of Stranger Things conspiracy theories since his disappearance at the end of season 3.
The Hawkins Sheriff was caught up in an explosion in the finale episode after teaming up with Joyce to close the portal to the Upside Down.
His body was never found, leading many to believe he had somehow survived the blast.
What’s more, in a post-credits scene two Russian soldiers are seen talking about a prisoner cryptically referred to as “the American,” hinting that Jim could be incarcerated abroad.
However, show bossed appeared to shoot down the rumours with their latest social media post.
The official account is known for teasing fans with all manner of clues and Easter Eggs and they opted to reply to one fan’s plea of “tell us about Hopper.”
The post simply read: “Hopper is gone.”
Considering Hopper’s car was recently spotted on the set of season 4 and David Harbour has hinted on more than one occasion he’ll be making a comeback, it’s no surprise that fans were divided when it came to processing the message.
“Didn’t say dead,” one pointed out, suggesting that Jim could instead be trapped in an alternate realm, which let’s face it, is hardly a stretch given the nature of the show.
A second echoed: “’Gone’, not ‘dead,’ very specific use of words there, fair play.”
Unfortunately others were decidedly more panicked.
“GONE?! He better not be after all this hype,” one pessimist fumed.
While another raged: “If Jim’s not in season 4 I’m not watching, period.”
Suffice to say there are going to be plenty of disgruntled viewers if Jim really has bit the dust.
It’s not the first time show bosses have whipped fans into a frenzy on social media.
Earlier this week, the writers confirmed that Robin would make an epic return in season 4, before immediately deleting the post.
Stranger Things seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Netflix now.
