We went through four epic seasons of the smash hit series Stranger things on Netflix, and we clashed with Demogorgon, Demodogs, Upside Down Vines and Mind Flayer, with this season introducing us to Vecna and Demobats. But some will dare to say that even with the show’s history of such monsters, and this season’s most hated character Jason (mason dye), the show’s biggest villain is arguably Dr. Martin Brenner, aka Papa, played by Matteo Modine.
Dr. Brenner is responsible for the experimentation that plagued Eleven’s youth spent in the hospital, which ultimately led to her mother’s death. Although she claims she loves Eleven and the other children in her custody, he is a hateful boy who is not winning any viewers. Modine recently spoke with Vulture on the finale of the fourth season and his opinion on the future of the character. But before we dive in, there are spoilers on the way.
Modine was asked if he considers Dr. Brenner dead, after his alleged death, when he was shot in the desert. He responded by saying:
No, I wouldn’t. Because I wouldn’t want him for being dead. Three things are curious to me: How did he survive the Demogorgon? How did Uno survive? And when Eleven tries to use her power against Dr. Brenner after blowing up three guards, he stands in his way without batting an eye and says, “You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” She couldn’t get it to work on him. Is there something more in Brenner than it seems?
He continued by adding:
Yes. I don’t want to believe it’s over, because I love Duffers. I don’t want to believe it’s over, because I can’t wait to work with Millie again. I say Millie, because I have nothing to do with the other cast members, apart from Paul Reiser.
When asked if by some miracle Dr. Brenner actually survived and returned to season five, what Modine would like to see happen with the character, he said:
This is a good question. Obviously, the only children he tortured who are alive that we know of are Eleven and Kali. I imagine Vecna, if there is anyone who saves One. It would be that moment when they forgave Brenner and gave him their grace. The film comes to mind Full metal jacket, when my character, Joker, pulls the trigger. At the end of the film, Joker finds himself next to a young Vietnamese girl who is begging him to end her life, because she is suffering so much and she is bleeding to death. She has just been killed by some of the other marines. She says, “We can’t leave her here.” And the other guys say, “If you want to kill her, go ahead. Kill her.” Joker faces this existential decision. What will he do? He makes the decision to end his life. This is the horror of war.
And the horror of what Brenner did is accept and understand his guilt in the death of all those children because of what One did. So if Eleven and Kali, or just Eleven, forgave him and sent him away, he would spend the remaining days of his life knowing he was forgiven but having to accept responsibility for what he did. Do you think Donald Trump can sleep at night with a clear conscience? Or does he have to sit down and become a lying psychopath to justify the behavior and the things he did? Well, maybe he is. This is a bad example. [Laughs.] I think Dr. Brenner is a more moral person than that, and he should spend his final days acknowledging and accepting responsibility for the pain he has caused. This is the real nightmare: not being able to escape your thoughts and the things you have seen or done.
He’s a multi-layered character, that’s for sure! I trust in the vision of The Duffer brothersand can’t wait to see what they have in store for the final season of Stranger things. And you, would you like to see the return of Modine’s father?
by Jessica Fisher
Source: Geek Tyrant
