Dating back to its debut in 2016, Stranger Things has never shied away from offering audiences unexpected deaths, with the loss of these characters not only being startling but also coming with heavy emotional ramifications for the remaining characters. The biggest death of the first season was Barb Holland, with the loss inspiring immense guilt in Nancy Wheeler for much of the second season. Another devastating loss was Bob Newby, who was in a relationship with Joyce Byers in Season Two, whose death by Demodogs shocked much of the audience. The third season has offered some of the most surprising losses of the series to date, which will surely leave the fandom in an uproar.
WARNING: Major spoilers below for Season Three of Stranger Things
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One of the biggest revelations about this third season of the show is that Russians have infiltrated Hawkins, Indiana and began constructing a device that will open up a portal to the Upside Down. Understandably, our heroes aim to prevent this from happening, putting them on a collision course with the dangerous device. The series saves most of its fatalities for the Season Finale, keeping audiences guessing until the final scenes.
The most surprising death is Chief Hopper, who found himself caught in a room with the device when Joyce has to activate a kill switch, causing the device to kill everyone in the room with it. What’s worth noting is that, while all of the characters react as though Hopper has perished, we never actually see his death scene, leaving the possibility open that his body could have somehow been transported to another place or time. In the moments leading up to Hopper’s seeming demise, he also took out the Russian assassin that had been pursuing him through much of the season.
Another major death was Max’s older brother Billy, who served as a host for the Mind Flayer for much of the season. In his final moments, Eleven confronted him about a memory buried within him, causing him to snap and sacrifice himself to save his sister and her friends as the Mind Flayer fatally wounded him.
The rest of the major deaths came from characters who were introduced this season, such as the Russian scientist Alexei, multiple employees at the local newspaper, and a number of unnamed residents of Hawkins who had also been infected by the Mind Flayer.
While the first season finale seemingly depicted Eleven dying, only for the final scenes to hint that she may have survived, the final scenes of the Season Three finale show the dramatic impact of Hopper’s passing, which would make his ultimate return seem less likely. However, given the ambiguity of his passing and the sci-fi nature of the premise, a return of Hopper will remain feasible indefinitely.
Season Three of Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix now.
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