Who dies in Stranger Things Season 5? It’s a question fans have long been wondering, and worrying, about. The Netflix series has been reluctant to kill off any of its main characters across the first four seasons, with the biggest casualties being supporting players like Barb, Bob, Billy, and Eddie. The closest it came to killing a major figure was with Jim Hopper’s death fakeout at the end of Season 3, but now that the show is approaching its endgame, there’s an expectation of that changing. Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1.
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With the threats of the Upside Down returning to Hawkins, and Vecna’s grand plan beginning to unfold, there’s plenty of peril in the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5… but no actual deaths. Despite expectations, and major harm coming to Karen and Ted Wheeler, nobody is killed off. Speaking with Variety, showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer explained this decision, saying:
“Once we decided we knew we wanted to do the Will power stuff this season, we knew that that’s how we had to end Volume 1. So there’s the low point of all the kids being taken, but the high point of Will has these powers. That was always the discussion. Vecna taking these children was the low point we needed for the end of Volume 1.”
Who Will Die In Stranger Things Season 5 (If Anybody)?
Still, just because nobody dies by the end of Stranger Things Season 5, Vol. 1 doesn’t mean there won’t be casualties to come. The show has generally saved its biggest deaths for later in the season, and with this being split into three separate parts, then Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 could reasonably each have at least one major fatality. That would fit with the necessary escalation of stakes, and more the emotion of those losses land even more.
However, fans still shouldn’t expect a bloodbath. When asked by Variety if there’ll be more deaths in Volume 2, Matt Duffer responded: “I’ve said this before: The show is not Game of Thrones. I’m hoping it surprises people. But there’s no Red Wedding, if that’s what you’re asking. That would be depressing.”
That makes sense, to a degree. This is, ultimately, a show about kids, and it wouldn’t be right to kill off too many of them. There are also other ways to make stakes feel real without killing people off, and any death that does happen needs to be right for the character, story, and themes of the show. That said, Stranger Things does need to commit to killing off some people. It wouldn’t feel believable for all this to happen with the Upside Down and none of the main characters to perish.
I find it hard to imagine that Will or Eleven will die, as they’ve been through the most and are the two characters who’ve most defined the show. Especially with Will only just coming out as gay, and El having never really been allowed to lead a normal life, neither of those characters dying would seem right. Just about anyone else seemingly could die; fans have been particularly worried about Steve Harrington for years (though… let’s hope not), but whoever it is, it needs to be the right choice and be emotional, not just done for the sake of it. In that regard, if they do indeed kill off a couple of characters, then the Duffers are taking the right approach.
Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Vol. 2 releases on Christmas Day, and Vol. 3 on New Year’s Eve.
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Read more of ComicBook‘s essential Stranger Things Season 5 coverage:
- Stranger Things Season 5: All the Confirmed New & Returning Cast & Characters
- Max’s Fate in Stranger Things Season 5 Explained: How She’s Alive & What It Means
- Stranger Things Season 5’s Surprising Returning Character After 8 Years Away, Explained
- Stranger Things Season 5 Timeline: How Much Time Has Passed Since Season 4
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