So who dies in the Stranger Things finale?
Not to be ghoulish, but it’s hard to imagine anyone logging onto Netflix tonight who isn’t dying to know which of their favorite Stranger Things characters survived the final episode.
For years, fans have fretted over Steve Harrington’s (Joe Keery) fate, anticipated Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) demise, and wondered if Hopper (David Harbour) will ever die and simply stay dead. Now, we finally know who dies in Stranger Things…
**Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 8 “The Rightside Up,” now streaming on Netflix**
The epic Stranger Things finale takes us back into the Upside Down for one last time and not everyone makes it out alive.
We knew going into tonight’s finale that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) had decided to sacrifice herself, alongside sister Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), in order to prevent the government to ever experiment on her or other children again. However, could the Duffer Brothers really leave fans with such a bitter finale? Furthermore, would Jim Hopper ever really let Eleven do such a thing?
Elsewhere, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) was finally willing to put himself on the front lines of the fight, thanks to his newfound ability to tap into the hive mind and turn the tables on Vecna. Is Stranger Things ultimately the story of Will’s sacrifice? Does Will die?
And what about poor Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), Derek “the Delightful” Turnbow (Jake Connelly), and all the other kids Vecna took hostage? Do they survive their ordeal?
So who lives and who dies in the Stranger Things finale? Here’s everything you need to know about who makes it out of the Netflix show alive and who is forever trapped in the horror of the Upside Down…
Photo: Netflix
Who Dies in Stranger Things?
The good news is Steve Harington, Jim Hopper, Will Byers, and several other fan favorites thought to be on death’s door throughout the finale survive. The bad news? Not everyone does come home.
The first major character to die in Stranger Things is none other than Kali, El’s sister. She is shot by the villainous soldier Akers (Alex Breux) about halfway through the episode.
Even though Eleven, Kali, Hopper, and Murray make it to the Upside Down version of Hawkins Lab, they are stymied by two forces. First, Vecna uses Kali’s powers to trick Hopper into ripping Eleven out of her sensory deprivation tank, thus severing her connection with Vecna’s mind. After this happens, Akers and his men take on the laboratory with the device that immobilizes Eleven and Kali. When Hopper goes back to rescue Kali, the two of them are captured. Akers is about to shoot and kill Kali when Murray uses explosives to take out the copter holding the device. Akers shoots Kali in the blast and she dies of her injuries.
Photo: Netflix
The next two major characters to die are the Mind-Flayer and Vecna. Will learns through accessing Vecna’s memories that the Mind-Flayer is an inter-dimensional alien who took control of young Henry Creel as a boy, corrupting him in the process. While Will attempts to woo Henry back to the light, he rejects the idea that he and Will are the same and can resist the Mind-Flayer. He explains that he joined forces with the being and the two are one.
Vecna’s lair is revealed to be the hub of the Mind-Flayer’s physical form. The monster roars to life and almost kills the main party, but Eleven arrives just in time to fight the Mind-Flayer. She uses her powers to rip a hole into its body where she faces down Vecna. While she does this, the group attacks the monster’s body like it’s a Legend of Zelda boss, cornering it and fire-bombing it and stabbing its belly. Eleven has Vecna on the ropes, but he lunges at her. Just before he can choke her, though, Will takes control and breaks his arm.
With the Mind-Flayer dead, our heroes are able to save the kids from Vecna’s hive-mind. Vecna survives for the moment, impaled on a large spiny spike. Joyce arrives and remembers all the horrors our protagonists have endured and tells Vecna, “You’ve fucked with the wrong family,” before brutally decapitating him with numerous axe swings.
Photo: Netflix
It then appears that Eleven does indeed die, sacrificing herself in the exploding Upside Down to thwart Dr. Kay, who was naturally waiting for everyone on the other side. She uses her psychic powers to explain her decision to Mike, tearfully begging him to help the others understand. She declares her love, kisses him, and says goodbye to Prince’s “Purple Rain.” When the explosion goes off, the Upside Down disappears, leaving everyone grieving.
Eighteen months later, Mike is running another Dungeons & Dragon campaign where it seems the group has lost until they remember they can call upon the Mage. Mike then wraps up their party’s story by previewing all of their happily ever afters, and revealing a “theory” wherein Eleven survived.
According to this version of events, a dying Kali agreed to use her powers to hide Eleven from Dr. Kay. El escaped through the tunnels below Hawkins while Kali created the illusion of El dying. Mike says no one knows where Eleven is now, but he likes to imagine she’s in a far off, small town. We then see Eleven hiking in a gorgeous landscape with waterfalls.
Photo: Netflix
Crying, Max asks how they know this is true, because it’s just a theory, after all. Mike says he chooses to believe it’s true. Will, Dustin, Max, and Lucas all agree they believe.
It is unclear whether or not Eleven lived or died. It’s up to the audience to decide for themselves if they believe she lived on, per Mike’s version, or if she did in fact die. The other very real possibility? This happily ever after ending is Mike’s way of helping their friends “understand” El’s sacrifice, per her final plea.
This open ending for Eleven lets the audience choose their own ending to the adventure, but the optimistic tone of the final moments suggests the Duffers would prefer that you, like El’s friends, believe in that ending.
