In case you missed it, Linda Hamilton will be joining the cast of Stranger Things season 5. Yes, it was recently announced that the ’80s action star will be joining the series in an as-yet undisclosed role.
Hamilton made a cameo appearance at TUDUM to announce joining the cast of Netflix’s flagship series. She also managed to sneak in a dinner invitation to former Terminator co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was there to promote his TV seres FUBAR, with Hamilton saying, “Good to see you, Arnold. Let’s get dinner soon. And everyone else, I’ll see you in Hawkins…”
Stranger Things season 5 is set to be the final season of the streaming hit. Previously, the Duffer Bros. have stated that they didn’t intend to introduce any new characters for the fifth season, so it looks like Hamilton’s addition is likely a necessary one that will impact the story.
Hamilton is one of the biggest female action stars of all time. Her performance as Sarah Connor in Terminator is iconic, having defined a generation of women action stars. Before being killed off in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the story of the Terminator franchise was the story of Sarah Connor.
With Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers frequently like to cast ’80s icons in specific roles. For instance, Robert Englund played Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) father; Englund’s spooky appearance in the show, and Vecna’s overall abilities and look, are a direct homage to Englund’s Nightmare On Elm Street role of Freddy Krueger. It’s not a stretch of the imagination that Hamilton’s appearance will similarly mirror her famed character of Sarah Connor.
Hawkins is now in a post-apocalyptic scenario following the opening of a monster gate into the Upside-Down. Though a time jump is reportedly on the way, the situation will probably be quite dire from the beginning of season 5. With that in mind, it’s quite possible that Hamilton will be playing a hardened survivor — after all, we know she has the acting chops for it.
Interestingly, the character of Sarah Connor also appears to be one that the Duffer Bros. like to channel as inspiration for Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer). Both are young women that start out as traditionally feminine characters, but who are hardened by trauma. Could it be that Hamilton will have a role in Nancy’s plot line? And if they do intersect, how will the characters meet? Is Hamilton perhaps an agent of the US government or military, sent to help contain the situation in Hawkins?