Who Will Die in Stranger Things Season 5?

This nonfiction contains spoilers for Stranger Things, up to (but not including) Season 5, arsenic good arsenic Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

We’re astir astatine the extremity of the roadworthy for Stranger Things. After astir a decennary and 4 blockbuster seasons, arsenic good arsenic a Broadway play, the Netflix deed is closing the publication connected the Upside Down with a three-part Season 5. With the amusement creators, the Duffer Brothers, promising this 5th and last play volition wrapper up each the show’s mysteries – and possibly much importantly to the absorption of this article, the quality arcs – fans are connected precocious alert, wondering who if anyone is going to dice by the series’ end.

To beryllium clear: cipher has to dice successful this last season. It’s wholly imaginable the amusement could extremity with each the characters alive, happy, and settled, starting a caller beingness with Demodog pets and Demogorgons moving astatine the section plot shop. In fact, contempt immoderate large quality deaths implicit the past 4 seasons, the Duffers person been precise cautious and calculated astir making definite those deaths person the due impact.

“It’s important that each decease resonates successful a large way,” Matt Duffer told Time Magazine successful an interrogation past month, “which is wherefore we’re precise cautious who we termination due to the fact that it has these monolithic season-long ripple effects. Otherwise it conscionable doesn’t consciousness similar it has immoderate value to it.”

That’s each good and bully – 1 could propulsion retired that cipher volition dice due to the fact that the amusement doesn’t person clip to woody with the deaths – but let’s beryllium honest: each bets are off. Nobody is safe, and with the municipality of Hawkins nether siege by the villainous Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and predominant incursions from the Upside Down, things are looking much dire than ever for everyone involved. Heck, the Duffers person teased that you’ll beryllium “crying successful beforehand of strangers” if you spot the finale successful theaters. Probably not crying with joy, right?

With that successful mind, we’re going to interruption down each large subordinate of the show’s main formed and springiness our champion educated conjecture arsenic to who volition footwear the bucket successful Stranger Things Season 5, from slightest apt to astir likely. And we’ll propulsion successful plentifulness of instrumentality theories and conspiracies on the way, truthful let’s tally up that elevation 1 much clip and fig retired which Stranger Things characters are astir apt to dice successful Season 5!

Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson)

You can’t spell America without Erica, and adjacent though she was a comparatively precocious summation to Team Hawkins, we can’t ideate Stranger Things without Lucas’s bitingly sarcastic small sister.

Why she’ll astir apt die: Honestly? Erica isn’t going to die; we’re not adjacent going to entertain the thought. This isn’t instrumentality blinders truthful overmuch arsenic the information that the interaction of sidesplitting 1 of the younger members of the formed would necktie into thing the Duffers person avoided for the past fewer seasons: It would beryllium unnecessarily sad.

Why she astir apt won’t: The bigger reason, though, is that Erica is the aboriginal of Hawkins. She’s grown into a almighty and devoted Dungeons & Dragons subordinate of her own, and portion the aboriginal connection is that spinoffs won’t beryllium tied to Stranger Things arsenic each the plotlines volition beryllium wrapped up, it lone makes consciousness that Erica volition beryllium carrying the torch astatine the extremity of the play successful a caller D&D game, whether that’s picked up successful a caller bid oregon not. If immoderate quality is wholly safe, it’s Erica.

Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono)

The Wheeler matriarch has been curiously featured heavy for a genitor quality passim the enactment of the erstwhile seasons. While she doesn’t technically cognize what’s been going connected with the Upside Down, there’s ever been the proposition that possibly she knows much than she’s letting on. In fact, there’s a fashionable mentation that she is secretly Alice Creel, the sister of Henry Creel, aka Vecna, and did not, successful fact, dice erstwhile Henry attacked his ain family. Seems far-fetched, but hey, wherefore not; aft all, they’re some blonde! That’s however theories work; they’re based connected the colour of people’s hair.

Why she’ll astir apt die: The juice-loving Holly Wheeler is yet a main quality successful Season 5, with twins Anniston and Tinsley Price replaced by histrion Nell Fisher. While we don’t expect the amusement to execution a child, putting Holly beforehand and halfway means that her mom, Karen, whitethorn beryllium successful information protecting her.

Why she astir apt won’t: One could reason that leaving the 3 Wheeler kids motherless would propulsion them toward increasing up and taking the household lead, possibly a taxable of the last season, but there’s truly thing to beryllium gained by sidesplitting disconnected Karen… unless that chaotic Alice mentation is revealed to beryllium true. On the different hand, her clueless hubby Ted Wheeler (Joe Chrest) tin spell astatine immoderate time, and honestly, cipher would adjacent announcement oregon care. Hey, helium whitethorn person died seasons agone and cipher thought to effort and aftermath him from his armchair.

Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder)

The mama carnivore of the Byers household has ever been close successful the halfway of the action, and with her lad Will successful peculiar successful adjacent much information than ever before, is it connected the one-time Lydia Deetz to marque the eventual sacrifice?

Why she’ll astir apt die: As 1 of the fewer characters who hasn’t “died” but been portion of the main action, Joyce surely could beryllium successful occupation successful this last season. Based connected trailers for Season 5, her lad is successful a pugnacious spot with Vecna, and we cognize she’ll bash thing for her kids. There’s besides the substance of the crippled of the play, The First Shadow, which finds Joyce acold much tied to Henry Creel than has been fto connected successful the TV show. Fans person besides enactment Joyce beauteous precocious connected their “to die” tier list, mostly due to the fact that they expect the cursed Byers household to endure immoderate benignant of nonaccomplishment by season’s end.

Why she astir apt won’t: Again, determination doesn’t look to beryllium thing gained by Joyce dying. Per the repercussions thing, there’s a bully accidental the Duffers privation to springiness arsenic galore radical a blessed ending arsenic possible; having Joyce find retired her cursed household isn’t truthful cursed mightiness beryllium a bully happening indeed.

Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo)

Dustin is ever starring the squad into information and naming the monsters, but is his sanction astir to travel up… for death?

Why he’ll astir apt die: Dustin is the slightest apt of the halfway radical of kids to die, which means he’s possibly the most apt to die, due to the fact that we won’t expect it? There’s different crushed helium could footwear the bucket, astatine slightest according to fans: His line, “If you die, I die” successful Season 3, spoken to Steve Harrington. While that wasn’t written into instrumentality oregon anything, Steve and Dustin person been truthful tied together, it mightiness beryllium a mercy to instrumentality them retired astatine the aforesaid clip alternatively than eliminating 1 oregon the other.

Why helium astir apt won’t: He’s Dustin; he’ll beryllium fine.

Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin)

Lucas has seen important maturation passim the tally of the series, but his Achilles’ bottommost is Max Mayfield, who helium loves much than anything.

Why he’ll astir apt die: Max was near successful a comatose authorities astatine the extremity of Season 4, and we’ve already seen footage successful the trailers of Lucas trying to support her successful the hospital. Their narration has deed aggregate rocky points, but what amended mode for Lucas to beryllium his emotion than to marque the eventual sacrifice for Max?

Why helium astir apt won’t: Other than his nexus to Max, there’s not a batch moving against Lucas successful a “gonna die” pool. It would rip Max’s bosom retired (assuming she wakes up), and destruct the remainder of the D&D enactment – not to notation Erica, her blasé cognition beryllium damned – but arsenic with a batch of these deaths, Lucas dying would beryllium much of a bummer than a triumphant exit.

Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard)

Okay, present we’re getting somewhere. We learned Mike was the “heart” of the enactment past season, and determination are surely immoderate romanticist feelings Will seems to person towards him that a conception of the fanbase would precise overmuch similar to spot resolved. But erstwhile those are retired of the way…

Why he’ll astir apt die: Mike has been curiously sidelined successful the enactment for idiosyncratic who is expected to beryllium the halfway of the party. He’s been determination arsenic Will’s friend, Eleven’s boyfriend, and adjacent settled his beef with Hopper. But it’s hard to reason that Will hasn’t rather stepped up to prevention the time successful the aforesaid mode arsenic the different characters. It’s wholly imaginable that helium could bash conscionable that present successful the last season… astatine the outgo of his life.

Why helium astir apt won’t: You whitethorn beryllium alert of this, but a assemblage can’t past without the heart. Whatever anyone thinks astir Mike arsenic a character, the Duffers intelligibly consciousness helium is cardinal to the endurance of the party, truthful past helium shall.

Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer)

In immoderate ways, Nancy is the person of the full kids’ group. She knows however to marque a plan, she’s an intrepid newsman and sleuth, and she fires a mean shotgun. But erstwhile you’re the halfway of the action, you’re besides smack dab successful the mediate of danger.

Why she’ll astir apt die: Nancy is besides successful the halfway of a emotion triangle betwixt her existent boyfriend, Jonathan, and her aged one, Steve. Not to marque everything astir romance, but 1 mode retired of this pickle is to termination Nancy alternatively than having her take 1 oregon the other.

Why she astir apt won’t: While we’re lone talking a fewer seconds of footage here, there’s a country successful the trailer wherever Nancy is sobbing and washing humor disconnected her hands. That surely points to idiosyncratic other dying, not her.

Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink)

We already noted that Max was near comatose astatine the extremity of Season 4, truthful she’s going to person a hard clip fending disconnected Vecna and his minions. Sure, the baddie doesn’t request her to unfastened the portal to the Upside Down anymore similar helium did successful the erstwhile season, but that doesn’t mean she’s safe.

Why she’ll astir apt die: The amended question is: Will she get better? Eleven was incapable to find Max successful the void, meaning she mightiness beryllium gone for good. Fans person besides pointed retired that Sink was the lone formed subordinate to deterioration achromatic connected the Stranger Things Season 5 premiere reddish carpet, which they instrumentality arsenic a subtle hint that Max is with the angels now. While Lucas is trying to support Max’s assemblage safe, determination whitethorn beryllium thing near to save.

Why she astir apt won’t: There are a batch of ways retired of this one, and having Max narrowly past getting killed successful Season 4 lone to dice of earthy causes successful Season 5 isn’t a rousing extremity to the MADMAX story. There’s much to travel with her, her narration with Lucas, and her ties to Vecna and the Upside Down. She’s successful dire circumstances, for sure, but there’s nary crushed to deliberation she won’t aftermath up astatine immoderate constituent this season… astir apt sooner alternatively than later. Also, different formed members did deterioration achromatic astatine the London premiere, truthful that full formal mentation doesn’t clasp a batch of water.

Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke)

The erstwhile Scoops Ahoy worker and BFF of Steve Harrington whitethorn person yet recovered emotion successful the finale of Season 4 (maybe); volition it each beryllium ripped distant successful Season 5?

Why she’ll astir apt die: Robin is 1 of the lone characters without familial ties, which means the interaction of her decease would beryllium felt otherwise than a batch of the remainder of the cast. But if you’re going to termination Robin, you mightiness arsenic good person her and Steve stroke themselves up unneurotic successful a blaze of glory; we truly don’t privation 1 going retired without the other.

Why she astir apt won’t: Killing the 1 openly cheery quality connected the amusement (Will wasn’t rather retired yet the past clip we saw him) would beryllium a precise atrocious look for the series. Also, everyone loves Robin. Don’t termination Robin. Okay? Okay.

Steve Harrington (Joe Keery)

Steve has been marked for decease beauteous overmuch since the archetypal play of the series, and was successful information expected to beryllium a one-season bully character. But everyone liked Steve capable that they didn’t conscionable support him around, they gave the quality a monolithic redemption arc. He’s the babysitter, he’s a warrior, and he’s a loyal and devoted person and state of the LGBTQ+ community. Not lone that, but he’s rekindled a spark with Nancy, peculiarly aft revealing that helium ever dreamed they would get joined with six kids and an RV.

Why he’ll astir apt die: Like we said, Steve has the people of decease connected him. If Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) hadn’t bought it successful Season 4, it apt would person been Steve, peculiarly aft getting chomped connected by immoderate demo-bats. Pretty overmuch each play truthful far, fans person speculated that Steve is going to die, and having him sacrifice himself (with Robin oregon not) would decorativeness his redemption arc and wide the platform for Jonathan and Nancy arsenic endgame.

One further portion of “evidence”? Steve conscionable isn’t successful the Season 5 trailer that much. There could beryllium a batch of reasons for that; for example, it’s 3 minutes from good much than 8 hours of television. Then again, determination could beryllium the dire crushed that Steve is being sent to Hair-ven successful the archetypal fewer episodes.

Why helium astir apt won’t: Steve has been so heavy predicted for truthful long, determination would beryllium a consciousness of inevitability to his decease alternatively of surprise. But there’s besides a beauteous bully denotation that the amusement is leaning towards Steve and Nancy arsenic an endgame relationship, not Jonathan and Nancy. We’ve got a batch of existent property to get done earlier we spot the outcome, but the reports of Steve’s decease whitethorn beryllium greatly exaggerated. You tin archer mom: The babysitter’s not dead… astatine least, not yet.

Jim Hopper (David Harbour)

Hawkins’ sheriff has grown a ton implicit the people of the show, opening up tremendously aft the devastating decease of his girl to go a begetter for Eleven and a romanticist involvement for Joyce… arsenic good arsenic mostly tolerating the remainder of the kids. He’s the enactment leader of the show, the literal and figurative big successful the room, and ever throwing himself into information caput first.

Why he’ll astir apt die: Like we said, if there’s information and explosions, Hopper is close successful the midst of them. He’s consenting to die, and adjacent astir did backmost astatine the extremity of Season 3.

Why helium astir apt won’t: Fans person marked Hopper arsenic “safe” successful the demolition of Hawkins successful Season 5, mostly based connected the information that the amusement already did a fake-out decease with the character, and that’s fair. But, and we recognize this is the incorrect conception for it, that besides seems similar wherefore Hopper could footwear it for real this time. Harbour has been beauteous unfastened astir feeling similar the amusement has been spinning its wheels with Hopper for a while, truthful with not overmuch near to say, possibly there’s lone 1 connection left: Goodbye.

Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman)

The erstwhile newsman and conspiracy theorist has go a main portion of the big cast, palling astir with Joyce and Hopper, peculiarly during their Russian escapade successful Season 4.

Why he’ll astir apt die: Look, idiosyncratic has got to dice this season, right? Nothing against Murray, but he’s the easiest to termination disconnected successful a amusive way, acknowledgment to Gelman’s ever over-the-top delivery, It could besides person an affectional interaction – Joyce and Nancy would astir apt beryllium bummed successful peculiar – and past we could determination connected without it ripping isolated a full household oregon superior romanticist relationship. This is much astir logistics, but Murray’s decease could springiness the last play the gravitas it needs without sacrificing the remainder of the episodes (and the finale) to rioting fans.

Why helium astir apt won’t: Like we conscionable said, each apologies to Murray stans, but his decease wouldn’t person the aggravated affectional interaction of astir immoderate different 1 connected this list. So would it beryllium necessary?

Will Byers (Noah Schnapp)

There’s an statement to beryllium made that Stranger Things is Will’s story, not Eleven’s. The statement against that mentation is Will was mostly off-screen during Season 1. But it looks similar the younger Byers lad volition beryllium beforehand and halfway successful the enactment this play arsenic the archetypal 5 minutes flash backmost to Will’s clip successful the Upside Down, and we cognize that Vecna needs Will to decorativeness what helium started… immoderate that is (hey, possibly it’s conscionable a peculiarly hard jigsaw puzzle, who knows).

Why he’ll astir apt die: If you’re going to wrapper up Will’s story, 1 mode of doing that is to termination him off. One could besides task that Will making an progressive prime to sacrifice himself to prevention the satellite from Vecna is the other of wherever we archetypal recovered him: kidnapped to the Upside Down to service Vecna’s bidding against his (no pun intended) will. With the remainder of the D&D enactment increasing up faster than Will, what with their relationships and all, this could beryllium his last measurement into becoming an adult… adjacent if it would beryllium his last step, period.

Why helium astir apt won’t: There are truthful galore theories swirling astir Will, it’s hard to support track. One states that helium is (somehow) Eleven’s brother; different is that helium is the Earthly avatar of Vecna you spot wandering astir successful the trailer. Whatever happens, it’s wide that Will is vitally important to the crippled of Season 5, and that means determination needs to beryllium immoderate benignant of closure. Will, possibly much than anyone else, has been enactment done the wringer implicit the people of 4 seasons. Doesn’t helium merit a small happiness astatine the end, oregon astatine slightest a small buss from Mike arsenic a treat?

Eleven / Jane Hopper (Millie Bobby Brown)

Whereas there’s an statement to beryllium made that Stranger Things is Will’s story, there’s another, astir apt amended statement to beryllium made that it’s Eleven’s story. Whatever broadside you autumn on, the psychically-powered superhero is successful training, Luke Skywalker style, to instrumentality Vecna down, and that’s what she’s gonna bash by season’s and series’ end.

Why she’ll astir apt die: To instrumentality things a small further, if you spell conscionable by the TV show, past this full happening is her fault. Sure, Henry Creel is simply a weirdo who liked to capable jars with spiders and loved sidesplitting his family, but Eleven is the 1 who opened the portal to the Upside Down and sent Henry there, which yet turned him into Vecna. This is each Eleven’s doing, and if she’s going to marque things rightside up, she’ll person to springiness up everything successful the process.

Why she astir apt won’t: To get into large spoilers for The First Shadow, this really isn’t each Eleven’s fault; it’s the Mind Flayer who corrupted Henry Creel and has been manipulating things since the precise beginning. The Upside Down and its corruption predates thing that has happened connected the show, and if the bid works successful any of this mythology, it absolves Eleven of a batch of the idiosyncratic guilt she apt feels astir everything. A late-in-the-season revelation could alteration the people of the plot, allowing her to unrecorded retired her beingness blessed and escaped of the torture she’s been done since her commencement successful Hawkins Lab.

Henry Creel / Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower)

The large bad, Vecna, is coming to destruct not conscionable Hawkins but the full world. Nancy already had a imaginativeness successful Season 4 of what his program is: full penetration of Earth, including monsters we’ve ne'er seen before. Can anyone halt him? Yes, probably.

Why he’ll astir apt die: He’s the villain; of course helium has to die. And he’s caused truthful overmuch symptom and suffering for decades, and killed truthful galore people, that there’s nary way of redemption for Vecna. He’s a full psychopath who needs to beryllium stopped astatine immoderate cost. Is determination immoderate mode this doesn’t extremity with Vecna dead?

Why helium astir apt won’t: ...Actually, determination benignant of is. As we mentioned above, The First Shadow presents Henry arsenic a disturbed kid who does conscionable request love, and finds it acknowledgment to his person Patty Newby, the sister of Bob “The Brain” Newby (Sean Astin). Patty is, arsenic acold arsenic we cognize by the extremity of The First Shadow, live and good successful Las Vegas, wherever she went to find her mother. Henry is besides benignant of befriended, oregon astatine slightest not bullied, by younger versions of Joyce and Hopper, arsenic good arsenic Bob. If you’re wondering wherefore they ne'er mentioned it earlier (not to get excessively successful the weeds), but arsenic of the extremity of Season 4, Joyce and Hopper person been successful Russia and person nary thought the antheral manipulating things is their aged classmate.

So determination are a fewer options for radical to scope retired to Henry connected a quality level, to get backmost to the kid who was infected by the Mind Flayer and further corrupted by Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) astatine Hawkins Lab. Heck, it’s just to speculate that Eleven beats Vecna not by obliterating him, but by healing him; aft all, clip and again the amusement has doubled down connected however emotion is far, acold stronger than hatred erstwhile it comes to the powers of the Upside Down*. The last occurrence is titled “The Rightside Up,” truthful it’s not arsenic chaotic a mentation arsenic you mightiness think.

*The First Shadow explains that each the psychic powers Henry, Eleven, and the remainder of the kids grounds are each from the Upside Down and not people occurring, truthful there’s a batch of mythology to propulsion successful determination if they do privation to see the play astatine all.

Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton)

The older Byers member has been astatine a nonaccomplishment astir what to bash with his beingness implicit the past fewer seasons, and recovered meaning successful his narration with Nancy. With that connected the rocks, is Jonathan going to extremity Season 5 nether the dirt?

Why he’ll astir apt die: In the trailer, there’s a precise telling country we referenced earlier of Nancy sobbing and rubbing humor disconnected her hands. While fans person gone to Steve, we’re going to play a hunch and accidental Jonathan is going to beryllium the 1 to die. Rather than Steve proving his love, it’s Jonathan who yet steps up and makes a decision, either to prevention Nancy oregon others by making the eventual sacrifice. Yes, it clears the mode for Nancy and Steve to beryllium unneurotic successful the end, and it’ll wreck them arsenic good arsenic Will and Joyce. But there’s not a batch other to bash with the quality astatine this point. If we were betting, we’d enactment each our chips connected Jonathan being the large decease of the last season.

Why helium astir apt won’t: Look, this is mostly based connected a hunch. But dissimilar Murray (sorry again, Murray), Jonathan’s decease would person existent affectional impact, and besides align the pieces connected the committee the mode they apt request to beryllium placed earlier the finale. Even much than Vecna, we’re definite Jonathan isn’t making it to the extremity of Season 5.