5 Most Impactful Deaths in Stranger Things, Ranked

Over the course of five seasons, Stranger Things slowly drew us in until it became the global hit we know today. At first, everything was so mysterious that it was hard to tell exactly what we were dealing with. But after the first death, it became clear that tragedy was going to be a major part of the show. And the interesting thing is that every time a character fell, it wasn’t just to shock us — it was meant to push the story forward, develop the arcs of the main players, and crank up the tension. However, there’s what these deaths left behind for the audience: impact.

Some caught us off guard, others made us feel every second of pain alongside the characters, but each one changed something or someone in a meaningful way. Here are the 5 most impactful deaths in Stranger Things, ranked. They made history, and if you’re a fan, you’ve definitely been hit by at least one of these.

5) Chrissy Cunningham

Season 4 marked the start of a darker, more threatening Stranger Things, showing just how dangerous Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) really is. To set the stage, some new characters are introduced, and Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Dien) doesn’t appear much — but she’s the first death of this batch of episodes, and it leaves a mark. She’s killed by the villain in a completely surreal and gruesome way that the series hadn’t shown before. And why is it so impactful? The explicit brutality: her body breaking and her eyes sinking in while she’s suspended in the air — it instantly gives that “no one is safe” vibe. Chrissy is the popular girl, seemingly untouchable, and suddenly, she’s dead in a blink.

It’s a quick death, but it sets the tone for the season and shows that Vecna is unlike any evil Hawkins has faced before. Her death motivates the gang to start investigating and ramps up the tension, proving that the Upside Down was closer to everyone’s lives than ever — and it’s this sense of vulnerability that gives the scene real weight. Even as the first victim, Chrissy’s death plays a huge narrative role. The scene is terrifying even by Stranger Things standards and immediately sticks with the viewer in the season’s opening episode.

4) Billy Hargrove

If Chrissy’s death is devastating, Billy Hargrove’s (Dacre Montgomery) is on another level when it comes to pure impact. He’s the kind of character you start out hating, but by the end, you’re rooting for him because you realize he’s just a victim of circumstances and his death is a sacrifice. He dies in the Season 3 climax in a way that’s extremely satisfying narratively: after being possessed by the Mind Flayer, he manages to fight off the possession for a few seconds and chooses to protect Max (Sadie Sink) and the others. It completely changes how we see him, turning the abusive bad boy into someone who makes a heroic choice at the very end.

And the impact goes beyond that single moment: Max carries this with her for the rest of the series, and it’s her grief that Vecna later exploits. Billy’s death isn’t just shocking — it’s an emotional catalyst that shapes her character and proves that in Stranger Things, even villains can find redemption. It’s sad, intense, and utterly insane to watch him get torn apart by the monster with brutal force and rage. But it’s smart storytelling and a crucial moment because it drives the development of not just Max, but other characters too, including Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

3) Eddie Munson

Eddie Munson’s (Joseph Quinn) death is one of the saddest moments in Stranger Things. He was supposed to be just a supporting character in Season 4, but somehow he completely stole the spotlight and fan favoritism without warning. He’s basically the perfect outsider of the series, and he dies heroically — and that’s what makes it so impactful. It’s not just the way he goes, but the emotion it leaves behind. During the final battle against Vecna, he stays behind to face the Demobats so the group can escape, and the scene is unforgettable because it’s completely in line with what we know about him: brave, loyal, and fully aware of the risk when the rest of the town thought otherwise. You feel loss, but also respect. Eddie doesn’t die for nothing; he dies doing something that actually matters and that carries weight.

And just like Billy’s death impacted Max, Eddie’s tragedy drives Dustin’s (Gaten Matarazzo) arc in the final season. This isn’t just a plot twist — it shifts the series’ dynamics again, in an even crazier way for the audience: if a character this beloved can die like that, no one is really safe. By choosing to remove Eddie from the series, Stranger Things started making fans genuinely afraid for what could happen to every character going forward. It’s a perfect (and heartbreaking) closure for his arc, but more than anything, it’s a gut-punch of reality for the audience.

2) Vecna/Henry Creel

There was a lot of anticipation over what would happen to Henry/Vecna. Even before Season 5 dropped, fans already knew he was going to die — the real question was how. In the series finale, the villain (along with the Mind Flayer) is taken down by the gang, but officially killed by Joyce (Winona Ryder). That marks the end of Hawkins’ worst nightmare made real. For so long, he manipulated, terrified, and killed people in almost ritualistic ways, and when he’s finally defeated, it feels like the show closes a massive chapter. His death isn’t just physical — it’s symbolic. After seasons of psychological terror and endless mystery, seeing the antagonist who tied everything together finally go down is deeply satisfying.

The whole scene is brutal, but in the way fans wanted: each strike Joyce lands on his neck is like a reminder of every loss the characters have endured throughout the series. The sequence is emotional and delivers real justice. Vecna was never just a monster; even after it’s revealed he was also a victim, he chooses evil, and that choice shaped the story of everyone in Hawkins. Seeing him destroyed this way is a perfect conclusion, giving weight to all the events that came before and making it clear that evil finally meets its end.

1) Eleven

What exactly would happen to Eleven was never certain. She had a role more than central to the story, but whether she would live or die in the end was always up in the air. The series finale keeps that uncertainty alive, leaving both the characters and fans imagining the possibilities. Still, seeing her at the edge of the portal, facing everyone and ready to leave forever, is heavy. Compared to some of the other deaths, it might not seem as shocking at first, but the impact comes from it being the culmination of everything. It’s the peak of Eleven’s journey, and it’s painful to watch, though completely in line with who she’s become: someone who understands the cost of her powers and is willing to sacrifice herself for others. It’s not just a sad scene; it’s literally a defining moment of Stranger Things.

And when you really pay attention to how the other characters react to her unexpected choice, that’s when the emotional punch hits even harder. This isn’t a death meant to shock — it’s meant to move the story forward, reinforce the stakes the show has been building, and open the door for the next chapter of this universe (even if there’s hope she survived thanks to Mike’s (Finn Wolfhard) theory). Eleven’s “death” is by far the most impressive, the one that affects the narrative the most, and the one that hits the audience right in the feels. It could not be any other way.

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