Stranger Things season 2 rumors: Will Matthew Modine return as Dr. Brenner?

We have plenty of questions about Stranger Things season 2, including whether Matthew Modine will return to play Dr. Brenner. Now we have a clue.

The last we saw of Matthew Modine’s character in Stranger Things, he was under attack by the Demogorgon that crashed through the brick wall at the school. We didn’t see the monster physically rip his limbs apart or swallow him whole and leave him dead. However, the viewer was left to come to their own conclusions about the fate of Dr. Brenner.

Throughout the first season, we developed a negative perception of Dr. Brenner because of his hands-on approach with Eleven and essentially brainwashing her and tormenting her in Hawkins Lab. His non-stop pursuit of Eleven and the body count he racked up to retrieve his project made him out to be the chief villain before we saw the actual monster manifestation. We don’t know exactly what the full extent of his experiments with Eleven, but we hope to learn more about it in season 2, but will Dr. Brenner be there?

Dr. Brenner himself may have given us the biggest clue about his whereabouts. For a show that shrouds itself in secrecy and doesn’t let out any secrets or possible spoilers, this could suffice as our biggest spoiler yet for season 2.

Matthew Modine posted a picture on Instagram with the caption, “more to be revealed, uncovered” with a Stranger Things season 2 graphic.

Is this a definitive statement that he’ll be in season 2? Not exactly, but it’s a pretty safe assumption that he will be, in some fashion. There are a few directions the show can go with this too.

Let’s say his character died when the monster attacked him at the end of season 1. That’s fine because Dr. Brenner can still show up in season 2 in flashbacks to the early days of Hawkins Lab. This would tie into a storyline that reveals more about Eleven’s origin and the experiments that led to her developing the powers she has. Heck, maybe the monster didn’t kill him, but merely swallowed him up and delivered him to the Upside Down, just as it did with Will and Barb?

Next: 25 Burning Questions for Stranger Things season 2

We may have questions unanswered about exactly how Dr. Brenner returns, but I think it’s safe to assume his character will be in season 2. We’ll find out for sure when season 2 drops on Halloween.