David Harbour, who plays Chief Hopper in Netflix’s series Stranger Things, has compared season 4 of the show to ABC’s Lost. The series started with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) accidentally opening a portal to an alternate dimension. Throughout its three seasons, Chief Hopper, Eleven, Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Erica, Max, Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Robin and Joyce Byers, fight the Demorgorgons and the Mind Flayer. At the end of season 3, Hopper was caught in an explosion that closed Upside Down’s gate and was seemed killed.

However, earlier this year, the first teaser for Stranger Things season 4 was released which revealed that Hopper had survived during the events of season 3. Presumably, Hopper dove into the Upside Down before the explosion and is now a captive of the Russians. In the past, Harbour has teased parallels between his character arc in season 4 and that of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The filming of the season wrapped last month and Netflix released the teaser later.

Harbour attended the series panel at New York Comic-Con Saturday (via EW) to discuss the opening season of Stranger Things. He talked about setting up Stranger Things’ endgame as to not commit the same mistakes some associate with the convolution of Lost. Read what he had to say below:

“What we’re trying to do, as we elaborate this thing, [is] to draw it back and make sure that we don’t have an end game like, some of us thought about, that show Lost. ‘What happened to the polar bear?!’” joked Harbour. “We’re trying to draw in, so the [elements of the story line] starts to come to a head and becomes a complete piece…Season 4 lays a lot of pipe for that.”

Harbour went on to say season 4 feels like “the deepest season we’ve got to go” with Hopper, mentioning the “cardboard boxes in the attic.” He also promised season 4 has “action on a level that we’ve never done before.” The other cast has said the same that Stranger Things will be bigger, darker, and more mature.

The shooting of the film was delayed due to COVID 19. It has allowed the Duffer Brother a lot of time to plan Stranger Things season 4 out compared to previous seasons. During the NYCC panel, Harbour said that fans will be getting one more trailer before the season premiere sometime in 2022.