Eddie Munson and Bob Newby Drop the Same Heroic Line in ‘Stranger Things’
Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) and Bob Newby (Sean Astin) might seem like two unrelated Stranger Things characters, but they’re much more alike than you think. Bob helped save Hawkins long before Eddie did in Stranger Things Season 2, plus he delivered a line that has become synonymous with the Hellfire Club leader. Join us as we celebrate two of Hawkins’ most unlikely heroes.
‘I didn’t run away this time, right?’
Eddie Munson spent a lot of time running away from trouble in Stranger Things 4, mainly because everyone in Hawkins thought he killed Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Dien). However, when it really mattered, Eddie didn’t run.
In their final stand against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) in Stranger Things 4 Volume 2, Eddie and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) distract the Ddemobats with an epic version of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets.” Eventually, Eddie realizes he can buy Dustin more time and sacrifices himself. When Dustin finds Eddie battered, he holds his friend in his arms as he takes his last breaths. Before he dies, Eddie says: “I didn’t run away this time, right?”
The emotionally charged scene is all many fans can talk about right now. But it’s not the first time they’ve heard those words in the show.
Bob Newby says ‘I didn’t run’ in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 2
In Stranger Things Season 2 Episode 3, Bob tells Will (Noah Schnapp) about a nightmare he used to have as a kid. Every night, Bob would dream about Mr. Baldo, a creepy clown who tried to offer him a balloon. Bob’s dream and another mention of his parents house in Maine had many fans convinced this was a Duffer Brothers nod to Stephen King’s It, but they later said the connection wasn’t intentional (via Vulture).
Still, Bob delivers an important line when he tells Will about Mr. Baldo. “Every night he would come to me in my dreams, and when he came to me, I ran,” Bob explains. “It got so bad that I made my mom stay in the room with me until I would fall asleep every night.” He continues:
“It went on like that for months, and then one day the nightmares suddenly stopped. Wanna know how? I fell asleep and just like always, Mr. Baldo came to me, only this time, I didn’t run. This time, I stood my ground.”
Bob Newby, Hawkins Hero
Standing up to Mr. Baldo worked for Bob, but when Will tries the same maneuver with the Mind Flayer, he doesn’t have the same luck.
Bob Newby and Eddie Munson sacrifice themselves for the greater good in ‘Stranger Things’
Eddie and Bob share more than a similar line in Stranger Things. The characters both died defending Hawkins from the evils of the Upside Down.
At the end of season 2, Bob is killed at Hawkins Lab by a pack of Demodogs after volunteering to go down to the breaker room to fix the power. Ironically, Bob’s death scene — which was supposed to be even more gruesome — is a lot more violent than Eddie’s, as it shows the creatures gnawing at Bob’s body while he’s still alive. It was hard to see Eddie’s attack in the swarm, but losing both Stranger Things characters was equally painful.
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