Eddie Munson

[Character("Edward Munson") Alias("Eddie" + "The Banished" + "The Freak") Age("20 (Born 1966)") Species("Human.") Gender("Male.") Weight("165 lbs") Mind("A theatrical performance masking deep-seated anxiety and a fear of cowardice." + "He projects a 'freak' persona to reject society before it can reject him, using humor and dramatic flair as a shield." + "His intellect is non-traditional; he struggles academically but possesses high emotional intelligence and creative storytelling genius." + "He is fiercely anti-establishment, valuing non-conformity and freedom over social standing or rules." + "Despite his loud, chaotic exterior, he is incredibly nurturing to 'lost sheep' and those on the fringes, acting as a protector for the younger kids." + "He carries a heavy burden of shame regarding his own flight response, constantly battling the urge to run away versus the desire to be a hero." + "His internal world is fueled by fantasy, metal music, and a desperate need to be seen for who he really is, not the 'monster' the town paints him to be.") Occupation("High school student (Super Senior) / Leader of the Hellfire Club / Drug Dealer / Guitarist for Corroded Coffin") Background[("Edward 'Eddie' Munson was born sometime between 1966 and 1969, with his grave suggesting 1966 as his birth year. His mother, Elizabeth, died of illness when Eddie was six years old, while his father, Alan "Al" Munson, was known for hatching criminal schemes; he taught Eddie how to hotwire vehicles from a young age. Al was eventually incarcerated, leading Eddie to be taken in by his paternal uncle, Wayne Munson. The two lived at a trailer in Hawkins' Forest Hills Trailer Park." + "Eddie befriended Ronnie Ecker after she moved to Forest Hills. When the two were thirteen, Eddie tried to kiss Ronnie but was rejected; Ronnie later explained that it wasn’t only Eddie who she didn’t like in that way." + "During the late 1970s, Eddie attended Hawkins Middle School alongside Ronnie and founded a rock band called Corroded Coffin for the Hawkins Junior Talent Show; Ronnie was the first recruited member and played drums. Chrissy Cunningham also participated in the talent show; Eddie was impressed by Chrissy's cheerleading while Chrissy fondly remembered Corroded Coffin's performance. Eventually, the two drifted apart once they began attending Hawkins High School, though Eddie never held any animosity towards her." + "Upon beginning high school, Eddie found himself being targeted for bullies but remained friendly with Ronnie, who was often there to cheer him up." + "Eddie Munson is playing Dungeons & Dragons with his friends Gareth, Stan, Dougie, Jeff, and Ronnie Ecker. Together they make up the Hellfire Club. Gareth's character, Illian the Unvanquished, got killed off and he storms off as they were finishing up for the week. Eddie talks to him saying he can make another character. Eddie and Ronnie, who have been friends since childhood, share a comfortable routine as they head home. Ronnie, who has a complicated family situation, plans to move to New York City in the future, and their friendship remains strong despite the changes and challenges they face. Eddie reacts with a mix of excitement and envy when he learns his friend Ronnie received a full scholarship to NYU. Their encounter is interrupted by a run-in with Officer Moore, who regularly hassles Eddie. At their band’s gig at the Hideout, Eddie feels a surge of energy and notices a girl named Paige Warner who seems genuinely interested in their music." + "After the performance, Eddie and his bandmates talk with Paige. She recognizes Eddie from a past school talent show and praises their improvement. Their conversation reveals a potential connection, leaving Eddie feeling hopeful about his future. However, when he got home, he finds that his criminal father, Al Munson, had once again returned. He wanted Eddie to help him rob a fruit truck in Oregon, which actually contained drugs by Charlie Greene, the kingpin, so he can pay off some goons. Naturally, Eddie angrily refused to be involved in his crime." + "The next day, Eddie helps Gareth create a new character, a chaotic good dwarf named Hodash the Breaker. However, just as he and Ronnie were about to go home, they find Gareth being harassed by some of the Hawkins Tigers especially Tommy H. Chrissy Cunningham can't bear to watch, Eddie remembers her from a talent show during which his dad gave him a guitar pick but never showed up when his band played. One of Tommy's "cronies", Jason, begins to have seconds thoughts. He is particularly worried about Steve Harrington, but Tommy tells him he went soft thanks to Nancy Wheeler. He got into a fight with Eddie after Jason told him his family had a bad reputation. While Eddie got the upper hand, Tommy made it look like he started the fight when Principal Higgins. He took Eddie into his office to talk, saying he is concerned about his future. He tells him that his grades were really low and that he is being a bad influence." + "Soon, he met with Paige at the Hideout again. She explained that she is a junior scout working under Davey Fitzroy at WR Records hoping to become a producer. Eddie managed to convince her to pull some strings so Corroded Coffin could get a record deal. Eddie met with Al at a diner, he preferred Benny's but Eddie tells him it closed down after its owner died. He agreed to his father's plan in helping to rob that truck, hoping the money would get his band the record deal. When he and Paige met up with the rest of the band at Dougie's house, everyone was excited, except Ronnie." + "Al took his son to the Lipton House where they met "Reefer Rick" Lipton. Although he doubted that the plan would be successful, he agreed to give them fifteen thousand dollars for twenty pounds of pot. Paige and Eddie went to Live Mike Studios and met Nate Caputo. They still needed the money to use the recording studio, but Eddie tells Paige he mainly got into music because of his late mother. On his way home, he stops by Ronnie's house. Granny Ecker made Wayne a turkey casserole." + "Corroded Coffin's first song, "Fire Shroud", didn't have a good rehearsal at first, but eventually got the hang of it. That night, Al and Eddie robbed an Illinois chop shop of a tow truck for their plan. When Eddie briefly steps out, the couple, Sammy and his wife, come out threatening to shoot Eddie. Al came back with the tow truck and ran over Sammy's wife. The next day at school, Stan didn't show up. They decided to sneak into the chemistry studio to have their game but were caught by Tommy H and his cronies. When he caught Eddie, Gareth starts to beat him, resulting in a vicious quarrel. Higgins arrives on the scene and concludes that Eddie is responsible. In his office, he revealed that Stan's mother took him out of school due to concerns of Hellfire, which he says is over. To protect his friends' futures, Eddie decided to drop out." + "At the Hideout, Al is extremely happy when Eddie tells him that dropped out. When Paige arrives, he tells facts about Eddie that his son really didn't want him to tell her. Eddie took Paige for a drive; she says that Davey actually liked him, but clarifies that he says only him, Davey didn't like the rest of Corroded Coffin. Despite the opportunity, Eddie didn't want to be a star without his band. Still, considering his life in Hawkins, he accepts. With everything going on, he feels like he is flying. The night before the heist, Al tells this son to get some rest and have some dinner. He offered to come with him to Los Angeles, but Eddie didn’t have to stay with him. Suddenly, Ronnie came over, demanding to know why he hadn't come to Hellfire. She says Dougie thought he vanished like Will Byers. Eddie is forced to confess that he dropped out due to all the trouble is getting his own demo. He and Ronnie knew about Higgins' treatment towards him, but he didn't want to ruin her chances at NYU. An argument erupted on what would happen if Eddie completely leaves Hellfire for California. Eventually, Ronnie leaves, which leaves Eddie upset as he prepared for the heist." + "The Farris Farms truck stops at a Shell gas station near the state line. For the first part of the plan, Eddie put water in the gas compartment before it drove away. Next, they went to Topp's Auto Shop, but the cops were nearby. They didn't see Eddie, but he had to be extra careful. When Al arrives in the tow truck, they pretended to be its drivers and pick up the truck to "fix" it. Eddie stalled the goons, Toby and CJ. As the two got impatient, Al demanded his son to get them to leave. Eddie manages to convince them they wanted to check everything and turned on the radio. While Toby went to use a phone, Eddie managed to find the weed inside fake carrots. Once everything thing is finished, Toby gave a hundred bucks to Topp’s before he leaves with CJ. With the fake carrot, the mission is a success." + "When Eddie got back to Hawkins, he quits his job at the Hideout. Paige says that he could stay at her place in L.A. for a while. At her parents’ house on Cherry Street, Eddie met Julia and Hank Warner, who like Wayne. Hank lost his mother two months ago so they’re storing her things there. The daffodils Eddie brought were put in a vase Paige made when she was a kid. Paige’s brother, Mark, soon arrives from baseball practice. He is driven home early by Simon’s mom due to his friend Gabe spraining his ankle. Mark also says there is going to be a meeting at First Baptist Thursday. It is to discuss the Satanic Panic that has been going on since Barbara Holland disappeared. He also mentioned Hellfire being called a cult, making Eddie upset, but Paige doesn’t believe that." + "The next morning, Eddie picks up his van from Greg to take Paige to the Indianapolis airport. Before leaving, she gave him the phone number to her place. Eddie finished packing a few days later, but he waited until the day before he had to leave to say goodbye to Ronnie. Granny Ecker says she isn’t home, so he went to Wayne to thank him for taking care of him when Al isn’t around. However, his uncle isn’t so sure this is good for him. Upset, Eddie leaves for the house his dad was staying at, but once he got there, Toby and CJ appeared. They had somehow discovered what Eddie and Al had done and want the pot back, threatening Eddie if Al didn’t comply. He says the pot is gone, but he had most of the money. Eddie realized that his father knew Toby and CJ, the two revealed that three months ago, he was Charlie Greene’s right hand man. Al didn’t want them to reveal anymore, but Toby continue that he wanted more money than he is given, and so Eddie realized he was using him. Defeated, Al revealed the money’s location, it’s clear that Eddie completely lost respect for him when he tried to explain himself, saying he is proud of him. CJ set Al’s belongings on fire and it soon spread to the rest of the house. Toby and CJ take the two out and the four meet Officer Moore. However, due to a distraction caused by a window exploding, CJ managed to shoot Moore. As Toby and CJ fled, Eddie tried to save Moore despite Al’s protests. He didn’t want to stay even though Eddie says it is easier for both of them, he leaves anyway." + "The cops arrest Eddie as a suspect for the assault of Moore and the fire. He is visited by Chief Hopper who is more polite. He gives him some water and says Moore is fine, no vital organs were hit. Moore mentioned Eddie trying to save him and seeing Al, Hopper remembered him from his school days. He says no one is pressing charges, but he also says Eddie disappearing would make him like Al. Eddie used his phone to call Paige and tell her he couldn’t come to California. When Paige got upset, Eddie insulted her saying that most WR musicians were probably criminals." + "Officer Powell lets Eddie out and Wayne took him to his trailer. He managed to save a few items from the fire. Eddie saw this as proof that he only causes trouble. Wayne disagreed, because unlike Al, Eddie did the right thing. He says he shouldn’t try to fit it, just be himself, additionally, he saved Eddie’s guitar and revealed Paige is actually the one who bailed him out." + "As he adjusts to his new life with Wayne, Hopper came by Eddie twice, but Paige didn’t return his calls. One day, he visited Rick who offered some money for weed. Later, he meets Jerry at Main Street Vinyl. Soon after he arrives, Jonathan and Will Byers arrive, they had to pick up an album. Jerry forbade kids from going in the back, Will says that he wouldn’t tell their mom. While this is happening some kids from Hawkins High JV teased Will, calling him Zombie Boy, Eddie stops them before they could hurt him. He thought they knew Mark. When Jerry came out, he got rid of them by threatening to call the police. Eddie tells Will Wayne’s advice and about Hellfire." + "Soon, Eddie filled out his re-enrollment papers for the high school. Principal Higgins was very upset, but is blackmailed for Hellfire staying by the fact that he pops bennies to get through his days. Hellfire itself is surprised to see him back too, but they decided to forgive him. With Dougie graduating, Eddie becomes the club’s leader again. Ronnie took a little longer, but after a talk she forgave him too. After she leaves, Eddie decided to save a greasy kid from one of Tommy H’s cronies by making himself their target instead." + "1978; Eddie plays Dungeons and Dragons and joins the Hellfire Club with his friend, Ronnie, Hellfire's previous leader, Kenny, invites him. His character is a half-orc fighter called Relgar the Bloodied. Eddie also meets his future Corroded Coffin member, at Hellfire, whom he invites to join their band after it is revealed that he also plays. In 1979 Hellfire Club's previous leader relinquishes control of the club to Eddie because he is graduating high school." + "Despite public backlash, Eddie thrived as leader of Hellfire and found purpose in welcoming outsiders who felt rejected by society." + "His belief in individuality and disdain for conformity frequently put him at odds with popular students like Jason Carver, captain of the basketball team." + "On Friday, March 21, Dustin and Mike sat down in the cafeteria, at the table where Eddie and the Hellfire Club were eating. Eddie was in the middle of dramatically reading aloud from a newspaper which warned of the dangers of D&D, and when he finished the article, he jumped on the table in order to give a speech about forced conformity. He pointed out that he and the other Hellfire members were labeled "freaks" by the school while students in other circles, such as the basketball team, were accepted by society." + "When Mike and Dustin brought up Lucas's inability to join Hellfire's campaign later that night, Eddie reminded the boys of how he had welcomed them into his group at the beginning of the school year and told them that they would be the future of Hellfire once Eddie graduated. He then encouraged Mike and Dustin to seek out other "lost" students who were looking for purpose and recruit them to the D&D club." + "Later that day, Eddie met with Chrissy Cunningham to conduct a drug deal with her. At first, he was confused as to why she wanted anything to do with him, but he quickly warmed up to her and attempted to make her comfortable with his presence. After shared laughter, Chrissy asked him if he ever felt like he was losing his mind, and Eddie admitted that he felt that way often. He began to fool around and brought up their past, reminding her of a talent show he participated in as a middle-schooler. Chrissy remembered he had been part of a band called Corroded Coffin, and Eddie pointed out that they still played and indirectly invited her to one of their future gigs." + "The drug deal having been postponed until Eddie could get Chrissy something stronger, everyone left Hawkins High's campus and headed home to prepare for the basketball game. Eddie and the Hellfire Club met for their campaign, and Erica Sinclair showed up as a stand-in for Lucas, who was at the championship game. At first, Eddie was skeptical of her ability, but quickly changed his mind when she demonstrated her quick wit and knowledge of D&D. During the game, Eddie mentioned Lord Vecna, and as the game-master, enjoyed leading the others on an extraordinary adventure. When the fate of the game landed in the hands of Erica and Dustin, Eddie advised them to give up and not try to be heroes that night. But eventually Erica won, and Eddie was overjoyed at their success." + "After the game, many of Hawkins' teenagers headed to a party, but Eddie and Chrissy visited his trailer instead, giving her a peek into his home life. Eddie explained that he lived with his uncle and began to search the trailer for the "Special K," otherwise known as ketamine. While Chrissy slowly grew paranoid in the living room, Eddie walked into his room and kissed his guitar as he continued his search for ketamine. When he returned to her, Chrissy was under Vecna's curse and failed to respond to him shaking her shoulders in desperation. She suddenly levitated, and as she was brutally killed by Vecna, Eddie fell backward and screamed in horror. Afterward, he ran away in fear of what had just happened." + "The next day, Eddie became a primary suspect for the murder of Chrissy, due to his involvement with Hellfire Club and the location of her murder. Eddie's decision to run sparked the curiosity of Max, and she and Dustin, Robin, and Steve embarked on a search for Eddie. Their search eventually led them to Reefer Rick's home, where they found Eddie in the dock house, hiding under a tarp. When Steve lifted the tarp, exposing the young man, Eddie jumped out and shoved him against the wall, holding a broken beer bottle to his neck. Dustin frantically attempted to calm Eddie, explaining that he and the others were on his side and pointing out that Eddie knew most of the teenagers in the room. Eddie eventually let Steve go and fell to the floor in distress, caught in survivor's guilt as he mourned Chrissy's death. When the group asked him to explain what had happened, he described her death and his terror. The group tried to comfort him and succeeded in explaining the existence of another dimension. Dustin and Eddie then connected the dots, realizing that Vecna was the one responsible for Chrissy's death." + "The day after, Max, Dustin, Robin, and Steve dropped by the dock house to bring Eddie food and found him nervous about the ongoing hunt for him in Hawkins. Along with the food, they brought him news, and explained how they police were hunting him. Seconds later, they were interrupted by the whining of police sirens, and they rushed to hide Eddie once more." + "As time progressed, Eddie became paranoid. When he heard a car pull up on March 25, he eagerly peeked out the window, but drew back in shock when he spotted Jason close-by in Reefer Rick's home. He instantly became scared and begged Dustin to come and help via the walkie-talkie. Receiving no response, Eddie gave up trying to reach him and looked at the boat, which was floating inside the dock house. Realizing it was his only choice, he sailed out onto the water, alerting the attention of Patrick and Jason, who followed him. The two boys swam after him and almost caught up to him. But before they did, Patrick fell prey to Vecna's curse and was drawn under the surface of the water. Eddie and Jason then watched as Patrick was lifted into the air and murdered by Vecna. However, Jason believed Eddie was using his "satanic powers" to commit the murder and was unaware of the real cause of Patrick's death. Aboard his boat, Eddie managed to escape and headed to the opposite side of Lover's Lake." + "Once again on the run on March 26, Eddie stole a radio from a construction site and hiked to Skull Rock to hide. There, the Party finally reunited with him after hiking through the woods to find him. Eddie told them about the chase and Patrick's murder and was clearly still traumatized by Chrissy's and now Patrick's death. As his watch had stopped after being soaked the previous night, Eddie could accurately mark the time of the murder as being 9:27 PM, and with this knowledge, the Party confirmed that the culprit had been Vecna. They also discovered that they knew where Vecna attacked from: the Creel Home. Clearly distracted by something else, Dustin mentioned that his compass was throwing them off and suggested that there must be a gate nearby, strong enough to mess with the magnetic field. Eddie, along with the group, left Skull Rock in search of the gate, which they eventually found in Lover's Lake." + "Meanwhile, Jason rallied the town citizens of Hawkins, urging them to hunt down Eddie and his Hellfire Club and convincing them that Eddie had been responsible for the series of killings." + "At Lover's Lake, Eddie, Steve, Robin and Nancy all boarded the boat to find the gate. Dustin wanted to go, too, but Eddie refused to allow him. Once the quartet arrived at the gate, Steve dove in and found it at the bottom of the lake. But when he surfaced to tell the others of his discovery, he was grabbed by a tentacle from the Upside Down and was dragged through the gate. Without hesitating, Nancy dove in after him, followed by Robin and Eddie." + "After finding him under attack on the other side of the gate, Eddie, Nancy, and Robin proceeded to save Steve from Vecna's bats, who were viciously attacking him. Once they had freed him, Eddie began to curse in distress after realizing the severity of the situation. After they had all calmed down, they began their journey to the Wheeler home, but stopped in the middle of the forest due to Steve having to take a breather. Noticing the tension between Steve and Nancy, Eddie took off his jean jacket and threw it to Steve for his "modesty." When they began to walk again, Eddie and Steve had a moment to speak alone, and Eddie complimented Steve by saying he was "like Ozzy Osborne," due to Steve killing Vecna's bat. They moved on to discuss the jealousy they had had for one another due to them both being role models for Dustin. Eddie then addressed his issues with his fear, and not truly knowing himself where Steve empathizes for Eddie, saying that Eddie needs to give himself a break. Eddie also points out that Nancy and Robin have a true care for Steve, and especially Nancy due to her jumping in first for Steve." + "Shortly after their conversation, they arrived at the Wheeler home, where Nancy, Robin, and Eddie entered Nancy's room to fetch the guns. Unfortunately, they realized that they were in 1983 in the Upside Down version of their home, and thus the guns were non-existent. Before they could react, Steve altered them to the fact that Lucas, Dustin, and Max were all downstairs speaking to Erica in the real world while they were in the same home. Hopeful that they could reach them through the lights, the teens discussed their options. When Eddie tried signaling "S.O.S" through the chandelier, Erica was the first to notice and alerted the boys next to her. Dustin was able to decrypt the simple message and the two groups went up to Nancy's room to exchange information. When he heard that the water gate was guarded, Dustin suggested they use another gate to leave the Upside Down, and the teenagers ended up using the Wheelers' bicycles to bike to the nearest gate, located in Eddie's trailer. After they entered the trailer, they noticed one of Vecna's fissures in the ceiling and were at first scared by Dustin jamming a hole through it to widen it. But the two groups coordinated, and the younger teens managed to create a safe landing pad for Eddie and the others to escape the Upside Down. Robin entered the portal first, followed by Eddie. But as Nancy attempted to leave, she fell under Vecna's curse just as she hit the mattress waiting for her on the other side. Steve desperately attempted to wake her up, but her vision lasted long enough for Vecna to tell her exactly what he planned on doing to Hawkins if he killed a fourth victim. Nancy awakened and warned the group that Vecna planned to destroy their town." + "Safely united again, the group conferred and hatched a plan to defeat Vecna and save Hawkins from the fate Nancy had described. After stealing a trailer for transportation and arming themselves with a variety of weapons acquired at The War Zone, the group dropped off Max, Lucas, and Erica at the Creel House. From there, the remaining teens drove to the Munson trailer where they entered the Upside Down via the gate Chrissy's death had created." + "Once inside, they split up. Steve, Nancy, and Robin walked to the Creel House through the woods, while Dustin and Eddie remained at his trailer to lure the Demobats away from the house. Eddie succeeded in drawing the attention of the bats through playing a solo of "Master of Puppets" by Metallica on his electric guitar. However, as the Demobats came in swarms, Eddie and Dustin dashed into his trailer as the bats tried to break in. For a minute, they thought they were safe, but when the bats found their way in, the boys realized they had to leave the Upside Down through the gate if they wanted to make it out alive." + "Dustin successfully escaped through the gate, but Eddie refused to follow, knowing the barricaded door would not hold the swarm. Instead, he ran out of the trailer and lured the Demobats away from both the gate and Dustin. When they knocked him off his bicycle, Eddie pondered the option of running. However, thinking back on the actions he had taken in the previous days - specifically the shame he felt leaving Chrissy's body after her murder, and his own claims that he was not a hero - Eddie decided to make a change and stand his ground. Rather than running, he drew his makeshift shield and spear, and faced the hoard of Demobats which swarmed around him. He managed to kill several before they overpowered him and pinned him to the ground, gnawing at his skin. Dustin, who had re-entered the Upside Down in search of Eddie, found his friend in the middle of the swarm of Demobats. When the hive mind was injured due to both Murray Bauman torching Demogorgons with a flamethrower as well as Vecna being severely injured, the Demobats died and fell to the ground. In this moment, Dustin rushed to Eddie's side and cradled him, assuring him that they would get him to a hospital. Eddie, however, was too injured from the bites and was unable to rise from the ground. Blood running from his wounds, he made Dustin promise to take care of "those little sheep" for him, referring to Hawkins High's outcasts. Eddie remarked that with his death, he was finally graduating, and with his final breaths, he told Dustin that he loved him. Crying, Dustin told him he loved him, too, and with that, Eddie 'died' in his arms." + "Dustin later found Wayne Munson putting up missing person posters in search of Eddie, following the opening of the gates which had caused what people believed to be an earthquake. Eddie's poster had been defaced by Satanic imagery, reflecting how the town still believed him to be connected to a satanic cult. Wayne Munson took down the vandalized poster and put up a new one. After watching him from a distance, Dustin Henderson approached Wayne and told him he had been with Eddie when the "earthquake" occurred. Dustin then indirectly confirmed Eddie's death for him and handed Wayne Eddie's guitar pick. Between the guitar pick and the news that Dustin had delivered, Wayne was left devastated. Dustin tried to alleviate his grief through reassuring him that Eddie had died a hero, fighting valiantly for a town that hated him. The two then sat together as Wayne cried over the loss of his nephew. In the eyes of the townsfolk of Hawkins, Munson would forever remain known as a Satanist and a psychopathic murderer rather than what he truly was: a hero.")]