This article contains spoilers for season 3

'Stranger Things' season 3 ended on the crushing note of everyone's absolute favorite dad and Sheriff Jim Hopper (David Harbour) dying. He was last seen in front of the gate to the Upside Down while his partner-in-crime and almost lady love Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) attempted to close the gate with an inevitable expression.

Chief Hopper went out with teary eyes and a smile that, at once, gave us hope and broke our hearts. But hold on to that smile a little longer, because the post-credit scene also offered a bleak ray of hope on the possibility of Hopper still being alive. How? Through a portal in the Upside Down that could open up in Russia!

The post-credit scene in season 3 is set in what looks like an underground containment in Kamchatka, Russia, where authorities talk about 'The American' captive. Instead of letting 'The American' out, they move over to the next cell from where they escort a Russian captive who encounters a Demogorgon that we last saw in season one.

Now, this could mean two things: the Demogorgon is alive in Russia feeding off a portal through which the next Big Bad could come, which, by extension, means a portal of the Upside Down is active in Russia. So, when Hopper "died" in the explosion near the portal in America, it's possible that he got sucked into the Upside Down and came out through the other portal in Russia. That would explain "The American" in the Russian facility.

Moreover, to support the theory, one of the Duffer Brothers (the creators), Matt Duffer, shared with Entertainment Weekly that rescue teams would go ahead trying to save Hopper, as "the biggest thing that’s going to happen" in season four. The show will "open up a little bit, in terms of allowing portals into areas outside of Hawkins".

While they haven't confirmed the theory of Eleven and the gang going to travel to Russia particularly, season four is "going to feel very different than this season. I think that's the right thing to do and I think it'll be exciting". But when asked whether "The American" referred to in the post-credits was Hopper, Duffer also mentioned: "You definitely should not assume anything. The line that Russian guard said is purposely intended to spark debate. We need people to ask the very questions that you’re asking."

So there you go: another long wait until we find out whether Hopper is, in fact, coming back or not! But here's a little something to keep that ray of hope about him alive. When Forbes asked Harbour about Hopper's live-status, he hinted at the post-credit scene too, implying that "The American" is very much actually his character. Yay!

'Stranger Things' season 3 premiered on July 4 and is available for streaming on Netflix.