Stranger Things has never killed off a main character, but the show has never shied away from heartbreaking character deaths. Every season, the series kills off a beloved side character, and usually one who has been introduced earlier that season. The show has had some truly heartbreaking death scenes so far, and that will likely be ramped up even more so when it returns for its fifth and final season later this year.
Even though it has a speculative element, Stranger Things isn’t the sort of show to bring characters back from the dead. That being said, there are so many Stranger Things characters who didn’t deserve their fates, which made their deaths all that more heartbreaking. As we move into Season 5, it’s time to look back on the Stranger Things characters who deserved better than their deaths, and one who could still be resurrected for the show’s final season.
7
Patrick McKinney
Played by Myles Truitt
Season 4 of Stranger Things heightened the stakes of the show with the addition of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the series’ most terrifying villain yet. Vecna took a number of victims, specifically preying on young people with histories of trauma. One of these victims was Patrick McKinney (Myles Truitt), a teammate of Lucas’ (Caleb McLaughlin) from the basketball team.
…It would have been great to see another character get a similar arc, but Patrick died not long after his introduction.
Although he made some mistakes while contributing to the hunt against Eddie (Joseph Quinn) in Season 4 due to his friendship with Jason (Mason Dye), Patrick seemed to be kind when separated from Jason. He shut down an insensitive joke about Chrissy’s (Grace Van Dien) death, and he was nice to Lucas. After Steve’s (Joe Keery) redemption arc went so well, it would have been great to see another character get a similar arc, but Patrick died not long after his introduction.
6
Chrissy Cunningham
Played by Grace Van Dien
Chrissy Cunningham only got one episode of screentime due to being Vecna’s first victim in Season 4, but she made quite an impact. She gave off the image of being the perfect high school student, who was the head cheerleader at Hawkins High School, and Jason’s girlfriend. Vecna preyed on Chrissy using her mental health struggles and difficult home life, which she kept hidden.
Chrissy’s death may have been a necessary event that set off the events of Season 4…
All of Vecna’s victims’ deaths were tragic, but Chrissy’s was especially heartbreaking. The glimpse of her scene in the woods with Eddie showed how kind she was, and the difference that might have been made in her life if she’d had a real friend who really knew her. Chrissy’s death may have been a necessary event that set off the events of Season 4, but it would have been nice to get to spend more time with this character.
5
Barb Holland
Played by Shannon Purser
The death of Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer) best friend, Barb Holland (Shannon Purser), is arguably the most important death in Stranger Things. It set a number of storylines in motion, bringing Nancy into the supernatural plotline, giving Nancy and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) something to investigate together before they were close, and indirectly leading to Steve’s character development as well.
It’s especially heartbreaking to think about Barb now that Nancy has grown so much from who she was.
That said, the way Barb died was very sad. She was killed by the Demogorgon right after a fight with Nancy, and the two never got the chance to reconcile. It’s especially heartbreaking to think about Barb now that Nancy has grown so much from who she was. They likely would have been able to get past the fight and keep being best friends if Barb had lived, but instead, her death and their argument continue to haunt Nancy.
4
Bob Newby
Played by Sean Astin
Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Jim Hopper (David Harbour) are Stranger Things‘ best couple, and have had a slow-burn romance building since the start of the show. It was a surprise when Joyce’s other love interest turned out to be so likable, but Bob Newby (Sean Astin) was an excellent addition to the show. Bob was a sweet and devoted boyfriend to Joyce, and he cared about Will (Noah Schnapp) and Jonathan as well.
Bob’s death cemented Stranger Things‘ tradition of one major side character’s death per season…
Bob’s death was heroic, and he saved Joyce and Will’s lives in the process. Hopper is a better fit for Joyce romantically, but Bob was a great character who was developing strong relationships with her sons. It was heartbreaking to see Bob die, and to see Joyce have to watch him die. Bob’s death cemented Stranger Things‘ tradition of one major side character’s death per season, but it would have been nice to see him live.
3
Dr. Alexei
Played by Alec Utgoff
Stranger Things has always done a great job at pairing small, unlikely groups together for season-long arcs. Season 3 did this with both the Scoops Troop, and the group of the four adults. Joyce, Hopper, Murray (Brett Gelman), and Alexei (Alec Utgoff) were such a fun and delightful group for the whole of Stranger Things‘ third season, until Alexei was sadly killed in the season finale.
Alexei quickly became a fan-favorite, and rightly so, due to his natural enthusiasm…
Alexei was first introduced as one of the Russian scientists interested in the gates to the Upside Down, who was then held hostage by Joyce and Hopper. Alexei quickly became a fan-favorite, and rightly so, due to his natural enthusiasm, and how well he bounced off of the other characters. His death scene was one of Stranger Things‘ most devastating, as he went from happily winning a prize at the carnival, to being shot and killed right after.
2
Eddie Munson
Played by Joseph Quinn
Three years later, Eddie Munson’s death is still upsetting for two main reasons. The first is that he was a wonderfully nuanced and compelling character who fit perfectly with the rest of the characters. The second is that his death was so unnecessary. Eddie was being set up as a character who was brought in late but would stick around, like Max (Sadie Sink) and Robin (Maya Hawke). Because of this, it was a surprise when Stranger Things doomed him to the fate of a one-season side character who dies sacrificing himself for the main characters.
Eddie was being set up as a character who was brought in late but would stick around…
Additionally, Eddie’s whole death was themed around this idea of him being a coward who always ran from danger and then redeemed himself in his final moments. The problem was, there was no evidence of this in the show, and Eddie was always very obviously a brave character who was scared for all the right reasons. His death was Stranger Things‘ most painful, and that hiatus between the first and second parts of Season 4 only made it worse, giving fans more time to get attached to this character and used to having him around.
1
Max Mayfield
Played by Sadie Sink
Of all the Stranger Things characters who have died in its four seasons so far, Max Mayfield is the only Stranger Things character who actually has a chance of being resurrected. As of the end of Season 4, Max is in a coma, due to both Vecna’s attack and Jason’s interference that prevented her from being saved. Max was a wonderful addition to Stranger Things in its second season, quickly becoming a member of the main friend group, and a major source of comedy for the show as well. Her arc took a much darker turn in Season 4, which showed Max suffering with depression and nightmares. This was primarily because she blamed herself for the death of Billy (Dacre Montgomery), her cruel and violent stepbrother who died in front of her while protecting El (Millie Bobby Brown).
It’s already been confirmed a number of times that Max will be back in Season 5, but it’s unclear yet what that will look like, and whether she will survive Vecna’s attack and her subsequent coma. Nevertheless, Max needs to be brought out of her coma for Season 5. She has become an essential character to Stranger Things, and the series just wouldn’t be the same in its final season without her. Additionally, Max’s arc in Season 4 was all about moving forward and healing in the face of depression, trauma, and grief. The scene of Max fighting for her life and running away from Vecna to the tune of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” is one of Stranger Things‘ all-time best scenes, not just because it was so well-executed, but because of the touching message behind it. Max needs to live after all that she went through, and hopefully Stranger Things will wake her up early in its final season.
