She Is Back: Terminator Legend Linda Hamilton Joins 'Stranger Things 5' Cast As Arnold Schwarzenegger Tees Up The Announcement

There was a huge Netflix TUDUM global fan event on Saturday based in Brazil, and damn did they punctuate the entire proceedings by dropping the bomb that Linda Hamilton will be in Stranger Things 5.

Just to be clear: I'm not implying Linda Hamilton "left" or went away or anything. It's just a cheesy Terminator pun, fitting for the badass hero that is Sarah Connor. Her costar for three of the films in that franchise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, teed up the video announcement with a hilarious intro, spoken deliberately in only the way AHNOLD can articulate such beautiful things.

No word on what sort of role Hamilton is playing. Probably best to keep it close to the vest. Given that Hamilton showed she has plenty of action chops still in her last big-screen appearance, 2019's Terminator: Dark Fate, the Duffer Brothers are bound to thrust her into the heat of whatever grand finale they have in store. Not that they can't give Hamilton a weighty dramatic part to supplement the spectacle, but there'll be a lot of storylines to wrap up as is. So many characters to attend to already. The Duffers usually figure it out and execute at a high level across the board. If they're bringing Hamilton in, they must have some pretty special plans regardless.

One of the Russian assassins who chases Jim Hopper around the Fourth of July Fun Fair and wreaks further havoc in Season 3 was very much inspired by The Terminator.

It's great that Stranger Things is bringing in yet another 80s icon in Hamilton to pay even more homage to the era they've nostalgia'd us to death with. And that's a compliment, not a complaint!! It was awesome to see Robert Englund (Freddie Krueger himself) have a small but pivotal supporting role in Season 4. Could be something similar for Hamilton.

How fucking dope must it be to be Linda Hamilton, though? Like I said, she never left. She's been steadily working for many years. Still doing plenty in the TV world. But...Stranger Things is a whole other deal. Now she's in two projects that are universally beloved, pop culture phenomenons with two of the catchiest, most memorable theme songs of all-time.

DUH-DUH-DUN / DUH-DUN. DUH-DUH-DUN / DUH-DUN.

Doo-doo-doo-doo-DOO-doo-doo-doo / Doo-doo-doo-doo-DOO-doo-doo-doo…

I know, I know, I know…

Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok