On Stranger Things, it's hard to deny David Harbour's Chief Hopper is a brute powerhouse. He showed it in Hawkins, Indiana, against a plethora of government agents, trying to help Eleven and the others steer clear of the MKUltra program. Events became even more dangerous in Season 4 when Hop was taken to Russia, but he did persevere and show new dimensions as a warrior.

It's most evident in his using weapons to battle a Demogorgon in a metal coliseum, which reminded fans how much of a gladiator he could be. However, Season 4 also refuted Hop's ranking as the show's best fighter thanks to the Kamchatka rescue mission. In the process, Brett Gelman's Murray Bauman upstaged Hop in a big way, showing himself as the real alpha in the Duffer brothers' series.

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Stranger Things' Murray Was a Punchline

Murray Stranger Things

Murray's role on the series was quite comedic before Kamchatka, coming off as a geeky reporter from Chicago who began investigating the missing Barb. In time, he'd turn into a conspiracy theorist, believing there was a government plot, aka Dr. Brenner's program, to break the barriers of physics in the real world. He'd eventually partner with Joyce Byers, trying to use his journalism and speculative skills to crack the case.

What was funny was how he claimed to be a martial arts expert known as the Bald Eagle when he wasn't all that skilled in battle. However, a big change was triggered when he lost his buddy, Alexei, as they tried to expose the Russian dealings in town with the Upside Down. Little did fans know Murray would eventually hone his craft and level up into a kung-fu master.

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Stranger Things Makes Murray a Deadly Weapon

Murray preparing to fight Yuri on the plane, Stranger Things

In Season 4, Murray and Joyce hatched a plan to fly to Russia to break out Hop, but when the pilot, Yuri, turned on them, Murray transformed into a straight-up badass. A brutal fight broke out where Murray actually beats down Yuri as the plane nosedives. Like a true martial arts master, he warned, "My fingers are like arrows, my arms like iron... my feet like spears!" as he knocks out the sinister Yuri, coming off like a true Bruce Lee fan against a seasoned military mind who held his own with weapons.

Eventually, Yuri would become inspired and try to help Murray after being taken hostage, buoyed by Murray's antics when they infiltrate the prison and the overall mission to save the world. In the process, Murray was a human wrecking ball, battering soldiers and taking their weapons, and doing it with attitude, panache and style -- a true testament to 1980s action heroes like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

It left Joyce and Hop in awe, marveling over how Murray did most of the heavy lifting. That's not to diminish their contributions, as well as Hop's ally, Dmitri. But while Hop always had help, Murray carved a path to him like a man on fire. Ultimately, it's why when they fled Russia and headed home for a happy ending, Hop was glad his buddy is in their lives. He paid respect to Murray as a one-man army no one saw coming and who folks hope to see more of in Stranger Things' final season.

Stranger Things Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.