Dustin Henderson, played by Gaten Matarazzo, is one of the main characters in ‘Stranger Things.’ He is best friends with Mike, Eleven, Lucas, Will, Max, Eddie, and Steve, and is also dating Suzie.

In ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4, Dustin faces a tough journey. He forms a strong friendship with Eddie Munson, played by Joseph Quinn, who becomes his new best friend. However, their bond is tragically cut short when Eddie sacrifices himself to the Demobats in the Upside Down to help the group.

While Season 4 didn’t have much time to show how deeply this loss affected Dustin, it looks like his grief over Eddie’s death will play a major role in his character’s story in the upcoming final season as Matarazzo recently told The Direct.

In an interview promoting ‘LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy,’ Gaten Matarazzo teased Dustin’s storyline in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5. He confirmed that while Dustin will still be the same character fans know and love, he will also be dealing with “intense grief at a young age.”

Gaten explained that the trauma and loss Dustin experiences will weigh on him early in the season, and viewers will see him grow and work through this emotional journey.

… He’s still the guy we know and love, but there is a context of that trauma and that weight of loss that seems to carry on with him through the early process of the season, and hopefully, that’s something that people like to see, see him grow through that arc, and see him start to deal with intense grief at a young age.

The actor shared that he believes many people, including himself, will relate to Dustin’s confusion and anger. He explained that dealing with grief can be enraging, and he’s excited for viewers to see how Dustin navigates those intense emotions.

I think a lot of people, myself included, can really resonate with and understand what that confusion and that rage can feel like. Because it is an enraging thing to deal with. So, I’m stoked for people to see that.

The actor shared that the vibe in the new season will feel different, especially because Hawkins is in chaos. He explained that while Season 4 had small victories like Vecna being subdued, it also ended with a major loss and Hawkins in disarray. The new season will begin in the aftermath of all that, with things being much more uncertain.

…. I think it’s a different vibe, for sure, because obviously, things are a lot different going into this season, comparatively to past ones. Whereas in the last season, in Season 4, we kind of see there are small victories around in the sense that, it seems like Vecna has been subdued… But also, there’s a big, major loss where we see the rifts open in throughout Hawkins. We see, at the end of Season 4, Hawkins is in real disarray. And so we’re starting this season in the aftermath of that.

Quinn’s character is for now out of the picture, however, he can still return through some careful storytelling in whatever form. The actor even addressed the fan-demands and rumors but refused to give us a straight answer on whether he will be back in the upcoming season or not.