Get ready for the Seven Kingdoms and the Upside Down to collide in a big way as Stranger Things season four adds a former Game of Thrones star to its cast. The Duffer Brothers' sci-fi spectacle is already known for its impressive roster of adult actors, and now someone with a very familiar 'face' is joining Winona Ryder, David Harbour, and the rest of the gang.
Netflix left jaws on the floor with its spoilerific first look at Stranger Things season four earlier this month. While delivering a snowy postcard sent from Russia (with love), the show is living up to the tagline "We're not in Hawkins anymore". However, viewers might have been a little distracted by the shock return of David Harbour's Jim Hopper to notice that Thrones alumnus Tom Wlaschiha has also packed his winter warmers.
Related: Everything you need to know about Stranger Things season four
For those who need a refresher, Wlaschiha played the shadowy Jaqen H'ghar. He first popped up during Arya Stark's season two arc and grew to be one of the show's most mysterious characters. Sadly, we left H'ghar behind at the House of Black and White when Arya left Braavos in season six.
Heading to the 0:27 mark of the trailer, there's a fleeting glimpse of Wlaschiha in costume, with a – got to be honest here – not very impressive moustache. In case you weren't convinced it was Wlaschiha, the Stranger Things Writers' Room Twitter later posted a tweet welcoming the 46-year-old to the "family" and confirmed he's kept his Thrones 'face' and simply had a change of clothes to join Stranger Things. (H'ghar regularly changed his face.)
One of Thrones' many criticisms was the abandonment of plot lines and seemingly important characters. H'ghar was top of the list and fans hoped he'd make a last-minute cameo in the divisive final season. Weirdly though, showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss used Wlaschiha and Waif actor Faye Marsay as part of season eight's campaign to combat spoilers, and had them both hanging around on set in full costume to try and trick viewers into thinking they'd be coming back.
There were plenty of theories surrounding H'ghar, with some fans convinced he was actually Syrio Forel – Arya's pint-sized mentor who was cut down in season one. None of this came to pass, though, and H'ghar remains a question mark for die-hard Thrones aficionados. Whether George RR Martin's final two books deliver an equally unsatisfying end for Jaqen remains to be seen, but at least the author has promised his saga will end differently to the show.
Heading back to Stranger Things and Wlaschiha's similarly secretive role, the footage confirmed that Jim Hopper was the mysterious "American" teased in season three's post-credits scene and debunked those rumours that it's Matthew Modine's Dr Martin Brenner being held captive in Kamchatka.
Things aren't looking good for Hopper as he's seen sporting a shaved head and working as part of a chain gang. While it's unclear what part Wlaschiha will play, he looks to be a pretty official member of the Russian side.
While Hopper looks in dire straits right now, who knows, maybe Wlaschiha's character could be a man on the inside instrumental in Jim's eventual prison escape? Given that Joyce and the rest of the gang think Hopper is dead and gone following the climactic Battle of Starcourt Mall, it's doubtful he's got a rescue party on the way any time soon.
Adding fuel to the fire that Jim that will be going full Michael Scofield/Prison Break, there was also a special edition of Stranger Things' regular "Video Store Friday" social campaign, where "Robin and Steve" from Scoops Ahoy have been promoting famous movies to suggest season four's plot. Coming to VHS this time are titles including I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Papillon, The Great Escape, Stalag 17, and The Shawshank Redemption. Jeez guys, talk about spoilers.
Elsewhere, there's some Murray Bauman-inspired theorising that the Russians have also created their own team of super-powered kids who could go head-to-head with Eleven and the rest of her numbered pals, suggesting we'll be spending a fair bit of time at Kamchatka and possibly in Wlaschiha's company.
Although there's still no release date for Stranger Things season four, there's no denying the first teaser has put the Demogorgon among the pigeons.
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