I’m still not over Eddie Munson. The Duffer Brothers officially crushed my fan theory about his return by confirming he won’t be back, and I’ve been upset ever since. I swear, I had the best theory ever!! In short, he was totally coming back as a vampire.
So, to cope in the most logical way possible, I went back to my list from when I asked ten Stranger Things fans which three characters they thought wouldn’t make it out of season five alive. I pulled together the data from their answers, and the results… brutal.
Will Byers topped the list (poor guy can’t catch a break), followed by Max, Eleven, and Steve.
Here are the results:
- Will Byers — 7 votes
- Max Mayfield — 6 votes
- Eleven — 4 votes
- Steve Harrington — 4 votes
- Nancy Wheeler — 3 votes
- Jonathan Byers — 2 votes
- Dustin Henderson — 2 votes
- Hopper — 1 vote
- Mike Wheeler — 1 vote
Because I clearly love emotional pain, I decided to break down how I think each of these characters might die…
Will Byers — He’s been connected to the Upside Down since day one. If anyone’s going out in a heroic sacrifice, it’s him. I can see him sacrificing himself to help close the gate for good.
Max Mayfield — I really can’t see how she’s going to make it out of her condition. So, if she can’t recover, Vecna will kill her for good. Personally, though, I think she’ll live. If she was going to die, they would’ve just killed her off instead of ending season four with her in a coma. We’ll see, though!
Eleven — Either she survives and loses her powers forever, or she doesn’t make it out of the Upside Down. If she dies, it’ll be by going into the Upside Down, closing the gate from there, and then battling it out with Vecna or some other creatures in there. Either way, something tragic will happen to her.
Steve Harrington — He’s going to sacrifice himself for either Dustin or Nancy. He’s definitely going out in a heroic way by killing some creature in the Upside Down. Sadly, I can see him dying in this season. If he dies, I’m suing Netflix (joking).
Nancy Wheeler — She will definitely die by chasing the truth about something mysterious. She’s a journalist: it’s what they do. She might not make it out of the final fight, unfortunately.
Jonathan Byers — He’ll die by protecting Will, for sure.
Dustin Henderson — If they kill Dustin, the show’s over. He’d do anything for his friends. He may die in place of Mike, Lucas, or Will. I personally can’t see him dying, though.
Hopper — He already “died” once, so I think he’ll make it out alive. If he does die, it’ll be because he’s protecting the kids and Joyce.
Mike Wheeler — I don’t think he dies, but he is going through some major emotional damage this season. He’s going to lose either Eleven or Will (or maybe even his mom), and that’ll destroy him.
I’m so excited for season five, but I’m also so sad that this is the end. Hawkins has been our home for so long, and we quite literally grew up along with the cast. Bring on the chaos, Duffers.
Here’s when each episode drops:
- Volume 1 (Episodes 1–4): Nov. 26, 2025, at 7:00 PM CT
- Volume 2 (Episodes 5–7): Dec. 25, 2025, at 7:00 PM CT
- Series Finale (Episode 8): Dec. 31, 2025, at 7:00 PM CT
The finale will also be available in over 350 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, starting at 7:00 PM CT on December 31, 2025, and continuing through January 1, 2026. (yay!)
So long, nerds, over.
