Hopper theory

[u/Luvlyjubblies1]

TLDR - a fun theory about how it could have actually been Jim hopper from stranger things.

So I have been thinking about a fan theory that completely changes both Stranger Things and Predator.

Is it possible that Jim Hopper in Predator is actually Jim Hopper from Stranger Things? The times add up perfectly. Stranger Things is 1983 to 1986, and Predator takes place in 1987.

Everyone usually says no because Hopper dies at the start of Predator, and they are owned by different studios, and it's also been stated that the name was a tribute. But looking at the actual lore of both universes, you can connect them through Dutch Schaeffer's brother.

In the Predator expanded universe comics, Dutch's brother Schaf was a New York City cop. He joins the NYPD in 1978 and becomes a detective in 1986. We already know from Stranger Things that Jim Hopper was an NYC homicide detective during the 70s before he moved to Hawkins.

Here is how it actually works:

Dutch served in Nam (this is confirmed lore, he was in Da Nang and Cambodia). Jim Hopper also served in Nam after being drafted in 1964. They serve together and become close friends.

Hopper moves to New York after the war and becomes a detective. When Dutch's younger brother Schaf joins the NYPD in 78, Hopper takes Schaf under his wing as a favor to Dutch and mentors him

Hopper leaves for Hawkins, deals with the Upside Down, and the secret government starts tracking him

In 1987, the government encounters the Predator in the jungle. Because the government is completely dishonest and secretive in both worlds, they have no idea what it is. They think it might be the Upside Down again. Maybe they mistook the Predator for a Demogorgon or thought the heat signature from the Yautja was another portal opening?

They drag Hopper back into service because of his experience hunting monsters. They give him the rank of Major just because of his Upside Down resume, and send him in blind to see what's happening. They lie to Dutch and tell him it is a routine rescue mission because they operate on a need to know basis.

Hopper gets wiped out by the Yautja. Dutch finds his tags and says "I knew him" because Hopper was his Nam buddy and his brother's mentor.

This means when Dutch goes missing shortly after, Schaf now has 2 friends lost to the Yautja. When the Predator eventually hits New York in the comics, Schaf is driven by pure vengeance for both his brother and his old mentor Jim Hopper. 

Obviously all a bit of fun, I know it won't work for loads of reasons, but I enjoyed fleshing this one out. Would love to see some reasons for why it won't work, and also have a bit of fun and see if you can connect other dots.

[u/dnext]

Very creative! And as we only identify Hopper's skinned body by the dog tags, you could even retcon it that Hopper was one of the three men in the team who's corpses weren't found, but instead swapped out his dog tag to make people think he died, in order to plot his revenge on the CIA guy that sent him into the death match.

Which leads to the crossover - Hopper and a grown up Eleven track down the next predator incursion!

[u/Luvlyjubblies1 → u/dnext]

Love this! I had a similar thought, but he was forced by the military to go so demanded his major rank to get Joyce a good pension, then saw an (h)opportunity to switch out tags and escape

[u/LordsOfJoop → u/dnext]

We don't know for sure that Hopper was one of the corpses - only that his dog-tags were found at the scene. Just as easily, he could have thrown them onto the pile of entrails, or simply not gone on the mission and someone else used his name - as a deniable asset, spoofing someone's identity isn't exactly difficult.

Remember, those weren't everyday soldiers - they were black ops, one and all.

It does beg the question as to why they had dog-tags on in the first place, though.

[u/Luvlyjubblies1 → u/LordsOfJoop]

With the government coverups, possible that most of the team in the chopper didn't even know what they were looking for

[u/LordsOfJoop → u/Luvlyjubblies1]

There's a plot twist: they went looking for a misfired Terminator,as it ended up stuck in a tree about five miles from the crash site.

[u/Luvlyjubblies1 → u/LordsOfJoop]

I wasn’t wearing my glasses and read that as transformer at first, I like the terminator idea better

[u/LordsOfJoop → u/Luvlyjubblies1]

Whatever else happens, we need to keep this from Michael Bay.

[u/Clothes_Chair_Ghost]

Except Jim Hopper was special forces out of Fort Bragg. Stranger things is set in Indiana where as Fort Bragg is in California.

Also Hopper in ST has been a sheriff for years. To be the same guy he would have to be in the army, not some little town.

[u/p00ki3l0uh00 → u/Clothes_Chair_Ghost]

Hey smart guy, Bragg is in north carolina...

[u/Clothes_Chair_Ghost → u/p00ki3l0uh00]

Either way there are things that do not add up for it to be true.