‘Stranger Things’: Inside Dustin’s Eddie Munson-Inspired Season 5 Transformation

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Stranger Things, Season 5, Volume 1.]

Stranger Things Season 5 is still unfolding on Netflix, and while many questions still loom after Volume 1’s release, one thing is quite clear: Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) is still grieving the loss of Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) after his Season 4 demise.

Season 5 opens with Dustin carrying on Eddie’s Hellfire Club at Hawkins High, despite pressure from the jocks to disband the Dungeons and Dragons group. But in Dustin’s efforts to keep Eddie’s memory alive, he’s gone through a transformation to better embody the rocker in his own look.

“That was obviously one of the first things I started working on,” hair designer Sarah Hindsgaul tells TV Insider. “I wanted to be as close to Eddie, but with Dustin’s signature curl in it,” she notes of capturing the mullet look on Dustin that Eddie iconically delivered in Season 4.

“So we still have Dustin, but it’s a complete homage,” Hindsgaul adds. “It is a complete copy. It is what Dustin would choose for himself to get as close to looking like Eddie.”

And it’s not just his longer locks, which were achieved with extensions, not a full wig. Dustin continues to sport his Hellfire Club t-shirt, which is ripped by bullies who attacked Dustin at Eddie’s grave earlier in Season 5.

Despite the physical attack Dustin endures, it doesn’t stop him from wanting to get justice for Eddie by hunting down Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). While he may have to ditch the ripped Hellfire Club t-shirt, the hair remains.

“I think it’s a beautiful thing that it’s his way of trying to keep him alive and reminds the world [Eddie] is still here with us,” Hindsgaul continues. “And it’s just very heartbreaking.”

Hindsgaul, who has worked on the series since Season 1, commended Matarazzo’s transformation outside of his new do, adding, “I thought it was interesting when I saw Gaten actually play the role on set, how he changed his walk and his whole demeanor. And it all really came together. When I saw him walk down that hallway, I was like, okay, this is working.”

By the end of Volume 1, Dustin was traversing the Upside Down alongside Steve (Joe Keery), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). Will he get the revenge he’s seeking for Eddie, and will he learn about pal Will’s (Noah Schnapp) newly-discovered powers? Keep an eye out as we approach Volume 2’s arrival and let us know your theories in the comments section.

Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 1, Streaming now, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 2, Premiere, December 25, 8/7c, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Finale, Premiere, December 31, 8/7c, Netflix