Even months after the series dropped on Netflix, Stranger Things still has a death grip on internet debates, and nobody is more talked about than Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), the scene-stealing rocker and breakout star of season four. Eddie’s unapologetic personality and strong bond with Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) made him an instant favorite among fans, but just as we were getting to know him, he met an untimely death at the hands of Vecna… or did he?

Since the moment the episode hit Netflix, fans have been in denial that Eddie Munson is actually gone for good – and though his grizzly death-by-bats in the upside down certainly seems final, there’s still plenty of evidence out there that Joseph Quinn’s lovable weirdo may make a return in season five. Though the speculation is by no means definitive, there’s still absolutely an argument to be made: so here’s the breakdown of all the evidence against (and for!) the return of Eddie Munson to Stranger Things.

The Evidence: Why Eddie Munson *Isn’t* Coming Back

As far as whether or not Eddie is actually dead, most of the most obvious, straightforward evidence would seem to suggest that yes, he is gone for good. His heartbreaking death scene didn’t leave much room for interpretation – though there’s a common sentiment in horror that if a character dies offscreen, they’re not actually dead – we see Eddie take his final breaths onscreen and die in Dustin’s arms, so that immediately rules out the ‘he never died in the first place’ argument.