Stranger Things' Matthew Modine Has A Theory About Papa's Origins

When thinking about Dr. Brenner, aka "Papa," from "Stranger Things," there's a quote from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" that always comes to mind: " ... the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape." Matthew Modine, who plays the role, has the kindest smile when he looks at Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). While he's smiling at her, though, he's manipulating her (and a number of other children) to access the special gifts she has. Papa has been — well, "killed" might be too strong a word here — defeated twice, and I doubt anyone would be surprised if he showed up in the upcoming fifth and final season of the Netflix series. Though he appeared to die in season 4, episode 8, another Papa resurrection isn't out of the realm of possibility. 

How would he have survived? In a 2022 interview with Men's Health, Modine laid out a possibility that has to do with the character's origins. To be clear, this is just Modine's theory and hasn't been confirmed by series creators the Duffer Brothers, but it certainly leaves the door open for a return if he's correct. 

Modine was asked if he would confirm the fact that Papa is gone for good after seemingly dying in the desert at the end of season 4. Of course, within the fantastical genres of sci-fi or fantasy, it helps to see a character motionless with their eyes open to really confirm a death — and even then, it's no guarantee. Ultimately, Modine wasn't sure if he was coming back or not. He said: 

"I wish I had an answer for that. The Duffer Brothers were asked that question and said, 'Brenner is no longer with us.' Does that mean he's dead? I don't know. The fascinating thing about Brenner is not just that he survived the Demogorgon, but he also survived 001's attack. He and Eleven were the only ones who were alive after that attack. It wasn't just surviving one monster; he survived a second."

"No longer with us" certainly sounds like a door was left open, first because that wasn't a definitive confirmation, but "no longer with us" means we have to ask who "us" is. Perhaps the "us" is the kid gang, and if so, no, he's no longer with them because they rode off in the pizza van. We didn't see his eyes open and staring lifelessly as the camera pulled away from his bleeding body. A shot in the chest like the one he got should kill him, but we merely saw him pass out, not necessarily die, and his eyes are closed. Modine's theory explains why that might be. 

Here's where his idea gets especially fascinating:

"The interesting thing to me was when Eleven regained her powers in episode 5 ['The Nina Project'] and began to escape. She dispatches three or four guards trying to stop her. Brenner shows up, and she tries to use her abilities against him. It doesn't work, and Brenner says, 'You didn't think it'd be that easy. Did you?' That's fascinating to me because now I believe Brenner starts to enter into the realm of the supernatural, or perhaps he's 000. But this is only existing in my imagination. The Duffers are very secretive about what they're doing, and I respect that."

Papa being 000 and having powers would certainly explain why Eleven wasn't able to use her powers against him. It might also explain why he could have survived that shooting in the desert. It would also give more context to why he started working on this project with the children in the first place. Of course, we're going to have to wait for some time before we find out. "Stranger Things," like everything else, has paused production because the studios have not agreed to fair deals with the writers and actors guilds, so the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are still on strike. In the meantime, it might be worth a rewatch to see what other clues about Papa's history might be hiding in the first four seasons. 

"Stranger Things" seasons 1-4 are currently streaming on Netflix.