Eddie Munson

Character portrayed by: kayncli. A main character in Stranger Things: The Fall of Hawkins.

## History

#### Background

Prior to the opening of the Upside Down, Eddie Munson was a student at Hawkins High and the leader and Dungeon Master of the school's Dungeons & Dragons club: Hellfire. Eddie lived with his Uncle Wayne in the small trailer park at the edge of town. Not much has been revealed about his biological parents, other than his father having been Wayne's brother and leaving Eddie to him before ending up in prison. Eddie does not speak often of his parents, other than noting that his father only taught him how to hot-wire. Eddie attended Hawkins Middle School with Chrissy Cunningham, where he formed and performed with his band Corroded Coffin.

### 1984-1985

Eddie was a senior at Hawkins High, set to graduate in 1984 and again in 1985; but was held back due to poor performance and his rebellious tendencies. Eddie was aware of the events occurring Hawkins from a public perspective (such as the taking of Will Byers and the battle at Starcourt Mall), but his focus prior to 1986 was himself; keeping his world small and contained within his band Corroded Coffin and his group, Hellfire Club.

During this time, Eddie began dealing with public backlash against his hobbies due to the rise in popularity of the concept of Satanic Panic, which primarily focused its ire on metal music and Dungeons & Dragons.

### 1986 (non-canon)

In 1986, Eddie was a super senior at Hawkins High School and met Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair by inviting them to join the Hellfire Club. On March 21, 1986 Eddie met with Chrissy Cunningham and her friend Nicole Moyer in the forest outside of Hawkins High to discuss illicit options to assist with their visions and nightmares. Needing something stronger than what he had on-hand, Eddie asked the girls to go to his trailer with him after the basketball game that evening. That night, the Hellfire Club wrapped up their campaign involving the Arch-Lich Vecna with the assistance of Erica Sinclair.

Afterward at the trailer, Chrissy and Eddie watched as Nicole was taken as a victim of some supernatural force (later revealed to be Henry Creel/001/Vecna). Chrissy and Eddie escaped together, ending up at Reefer Rick's and meeting Tommy Hagan and a mysterious young man named Ambrose on March 22. During this time, Eddie was made the prime suspect in Nicole's murder, as well as being assumed to have kidnapped Chrissy. The death of Nicole was very traumatic for Eddie, causing him to carry immense survivor's guilt and shame for his response being to run away, rather than help the girl.

On March 26, this small group met up with everyone else and conceptualized and implemented a plan to attack Vecna in the Upside Down. Eddie played the part of distraction, performing a song to draw the attention of the Demobats. When it came time to escape, Eddie attempted to remain to buy more time but was forcibly rescued by Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson and Chrissy Cunningham.

### Apocalypse (current)

Eddie struggled initially to find his place in a world with no structure for him to break out of. Being accustomed to the interest-based caste system of Hawkins High, he also found it challenging to harmonize with people he originally clashed with, such as Jason Carver.

## Personality and Traits

Eddie is a self-proclaimed non-conformist metalhead. He has no qualms speaking his mind, and tends to prefer living on the outskirts of normalcy. Eddie often comes across as abrasive, loud, and off-putting; but is known by those closest to him to be considerate, comforting and open-minded. Eddie loves to joke, often to mask any sort of deeper feelings he may be on the fringes of sharing.

Eddie is shown to be intelligent and creative, but struggled in school (as being evidenced by repeating his senior year multiple times). This is likely due to his lack of focus and constant daydreaming rather than practical knowledge. He has an encyclopedic mind when it comes to Dungeons & Dragons, and is able to complete simple math quickly as Dungeon Master.

Despite coming across abrasive and wearing metal and leather, Eddie has shown himself to be easily frightened and quick to panic under pressure. Eddie often comments on his cowardice, his fixation leading him to attempt to self-sacrifice at a pivotal moment in the battle against Vecna before his friends stopped him.

## Skills

* Eddie is a proficient guitarist, having successfully learned and performed a song that had been released only a matter of weeks prior to Vecna's attack on Hawkins. He is the guitarist of his band, Corroded Coffin.
* Thanks to years of illustrating monsters and characters for his Dungeons & Dragons campaigns (and copying Heavy Metal magazine covers), Eddie has become a decent illustrator. During the apocalypse, he likes to draw up accurate maps of the state of Hawkins, and tag random buildings in graffiti when he can find supplies for it.
* Eddie has a decent amount of mechanical skills, as evidenced by his ability to quickly hot-wire an RV.

## Relationships

#### Familial

**Wayne Munson**

Wayne is Eddie's paternal uncle and legal guardian. Not much is known about Eddie's history with his father, but he has made it clear that his father was unable and unwilling to care for him from a young age. Wayne stepped up and took on the responsibility, always putting his nephew's needs ahead of his own (as evidenced by the sole bedroom in the Munson trailer being given to Eddie, while Wayne slept on the couch). Wayne stood by Eddie throughout his accusations of being a murderer, constantly putting up missing posters for his nephew and arguing with anyone that doubted his innocence.

#### Non-Familial

**Chrissy Cunningham**

Eddie and Chrissy have known each other since they were very young, though the details of what they remember haven't been outlined aside from mutual respect during a middle school talent show. In high school, they ran in vastly different social circles and didn't interact. After the death of Nicole Moyer, Eddie and Chrissy were forced to go into hiding together at Reefer Rick's and quickly bonded through their shared trauma. Eddie looks to Chrissy often to make sure she is alright and to gauge the severity of a situation, feeling a protectiveness and safety with her. During the Apocalypse, Eddie sticks to her the closest when he can.

**Mike Wheeler**

Eddie took Mike under his wing when the younger boy entered high school, instantly clocking him for the type of nerd who would participate in his Dungeons & Dragons club, Hellfire. Eddie often held the power in their relationship, with Mike looking to him as inspiration for his style in high school. During the attack on Vecna, however, Eddie found himself attempting to sacrifice his life to protect the others, and Mike was the one to step forward and adamantly prevent that from happening. Eddie knows that Mike saved his life, and is still processing the implications of what the group of them went through and what this means for his future - but his level of respect skyrocketed for the younger boy after this event (even though he would never openly admit it).

**Dustin Henderson**

Similar to Mike, Eddie took a liking to Dustin instantly upon his arrival at Hawkins High. While Eddie tends to lovingly bully Mike, he is softer towards Dustin. During the apocalypse, he bequeaths his puffer vest to Dustin, a symbol of his desire to keep the boy safe in a dangerous world.

**Lucas Sinclair**

Upon meeting Lucas, Dustin, and Mike, Eddie absorbed them into Hellfire Club and welcomed them with open arms. Eddie has always seen Lucas as a friend, but his entry into the basketball team created more of a rift between the two of them than his relationship with Mike and Dustin.

**Erica Sinclair**

Eddie was unsure of Erica at first when she was introduced as an alternate player for Lucas' absence in Hellfire Club, but quickly grew fond of her when she adamantly stood up to him and proved her knowledge of the game. His respect for her only continued to grow as she quickly became a skilled member of the party.

**Ambrose Holloway**

Eddie met Ambrose while on the run and accused of murder. Ambrose mysteriously stumbled in to Reefer Rick's, and Eddie quickly took to the boy and bonded, along with Chrissy. During the attack on Vecna, Ambrose quickly betrayed the group to Eddie's dismay.

**Tommy Hagan**

Eddie met Tommy while hiding at Reefer Rick's, despite having attended Hawkins High at similar times, the two of them never really socialized prior to this. Eddie took a liking to Tommy, seeing in him a bit of an outsider now that they were no longer under the societal confines of High School.

**Jason Carver**

Eddie has been at odds with Jason ever since they first met in school. Jason was always a popular student, conforming to societal norms and judging Eddie for his different interests. They often publicly butted heads, and Jason was quick to follow through with suspecting Eddie of murder and kidnapping during the events of 1986.

**Billy Hargrove**

Eddie knew of Billy when he originally moved to Hawkins and transferred to Hawkins High. Much like Eddie, Billy seemed to have a similar taste in music and style, but unlike Eddie, Billy's personality was magnetic and he quickly became the talk of the school. Eddie admired him from afar and his ability to draw in strangers, but kept his distance for fear of clashing with the boy. Eddie had heard of the incident at the mall (an area of Hawkins he actively avoided), as well as snippets of what happened after, but only ended up back in Billy's orbit in 1986's attack on Vecna.

## Gallery

Eddie Munson's yearbook photo, 1985Eddie playing his guitar solo in the Upside Down.Eddie in his natural state of confusion and mild panic.Eddie about to suggest some absolutely unhinged bullshit.Eddie's acoustic guitar, featuring his own customization - a reference to "this machine kills fascists"; a term coined by country musician Woody Guthrie.Eddie in his middle school Corroded Coffin days