Stranger Things Season 5 Predictions

On November 26th, Stranger Things returns for its fifth and final season, closing out its ten year run. Created by the Duffer Brothers, the show is set in the 1980s and follows a group of friends in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. When Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) mysteriously disappears, his friends, family, and the local chief of police police uncover a series of supernatural events, a girl with telekinetic abilities named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), secret government experiments, and a parallel dimension known as the Upside Down. Over  the years, Stranger Things has become one of the most beloved TV shows, making it hard  for many people to say goodbye to it due to the nostalgia and emotions. So, as a way to prepare for the final season, I’ve put together my predictions for Season 5, including who might die, how the story could end, and how plotlines could be resolved.

Season 4 ends with Hawkins being torn apart as the barrier between the real world and the Upside Down begins to break, causing the two dimensions to become one and merge. After spending most of the season apart, some of the cast in Hawkins, some in California, and some in Russia, the characters finally reunite at the Byers’ house and realize that the final battle with Vecna is coming. With the world falling apart and the threat bigger than ever, many fans believe Season 5 will bring more major deaths than any season before.

I think the season could could go in one of two ways: either almost everyone dies, or almost no one dies. Throughout the series, the Duffer Brothers have struggled to kill off main characters. For example, in Season 3, they made Hopper seem like he had died, only for the audience to learn in Season 4 that he had faked his death, even after a dramatic death sequence that was written specifically for him.

Hopper’s “death” was beautifully written, especially with his heartfelt letter to Eleven. But in Season 4, the show moves past that emotional moment so quickly that it almost feels like the writers regretted their choice. It seemed as if they wanted to kill Hopper but liked the actor, David Harbour, too much to go through with it, so they brought him back. As a viewer, it’s frustrating because his return weakens the emotional weight of the Season 3 finale and diminishes its impact on Joyce, Eleven, and the audience.

When you look at the deaths in Stranger Things, it's clear that the show is careful about who it kills off. Most of the major deaths have been characters who were only meant to appear for a single season. In Season One, it was Barb, Season Two gave us Bob, Season Three introduced Alexei, a surprisingly lovable and innocent character that made many fans fall in love with him but all made his death even more cruel and sudden. And in Season Four, the fans fell in love with Eddie Munson, a misunderstood outsider, who died in the finale. 

The writers build up these characters through powerful backstories, personalities,  which makes the audience emotionally attached before ultimately killing off the characters. Even though the death of the character is painful, it does not affect the core storyline in the same way that losing a main character like Mike, Dustin, or Will would. 

However, in the final season, I don’t think the show will introduce new characters just to kill them, as it has done in the past. Instead, I believe it will do this and instead kill off the main characters. Because this is the last season, the stakes are higher than ever, and the story has reached a point where the sacrifice of a main character may be unavoidable. I still dont think a lot of the cast will be killed  off like many people are anticipating  because of the pattern The Duffer Brothers have been following for years, however, there are a few main characters that I do think are in grave danger. The character at the top of that list is Will. 

When Will was finally found in the Upside Down at the end of Season One, a long tube connected to the Demogorgon was found deep in his lungs. The tube wasn’t just keeping him alive, but was permanently linking him to the Upside Down. 

The tube put particles from the Upside Down, and maybe even parts of the Mind Flayer inside Will’s body. This explains why he continued to experience symptoms after returning home, like coughing up slugs, changes in body temperature, and visions of the Mind Flayer. These weren’t random side effects, but were proof that the Upside Down had claimed a part of him.

This is what makes Will different from any other character. Everyone else has fought the Upside Down physically, but Will has had to fight it from within, or mentally. Vecna and the Mind Flayer can sense him. This is why he feels the tingling on the back of his neck, and why he can sense the creatures before they appear. 

Because the Upside Down is literally inside him, Will may be the only character capable of closing the gates permanently. But that also means he might have to sacrifice himself. If Will’s is what keeps the Upside Down open, then killing will may be the only way to close it. Same with killing Vecna, since Will is considered to be a part of him and the Upside Down, then killing Vecna may also kill Will.  

Eleven is another character who might not be safe. She has always been the group’s protector, using her telekinetic abilities to fight monsters like the Demogorgon, the Mind Flayer, and Vecna. Everyone has always relied on her because of her powers to win. But each battle drains her powers both physically and emotionally. Season 4 showed that her powers are directly tied to her mental state and the more trauma she experiences, the weaker she becomes. So, every time she fights Vecna, she loses some  of herself.

I also think that Eleven will be forced to sacrifice herself to save Hawkins and her friends because, like Will, she has a connection to the Upside Down that no one else has. Because her powers come from the same place as Vecna, it’s possible that defeating him could also weaken or even end her abilities. 

Even if Eleven survives, her ending may not be peaceful or happy. Eleven has been shaped by trauma and loss in ways the other characters haven’t. She could survive physically but lose her powers forever. Her whole life has also revolved around this so it will be hard for her to see anything differently once it is done. I also think that Eleven could or chose to leave Hawkins to discover her identity outside of her powers, like she did in Season 2 Episode 8. Either way, her character seems headed toward a painful ending. 

This character may seem like an obvious choice, but Steve is definitely not safe either. In fact, in Season 1, Steve was originally supposed to die, fitting the pattern I mentioned earlier about The Duffer Brothers killing off characters meant only for a single season. However, the Duffers liked the actor who portrayed Steve, Joe Keery, so much that they decided to not kill off his chracater. This decision gave Steve one of the best character arcs in the entire series, transforming him from the stereotypical “popular jerk” into one of the most beloved  characters on the show. Every season, fans find themselves hoping he survives.

But as the series reaches its end, the storylines for every character comes to a close, and it raises a question: is there still a purpose for Steve? As much as I love Steve, he’s one of my favorite characters, he isn’t as important to the plot as the original four boys (Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin), nor does he hold the kind of unique importance that Eleven or Vecna does. Because of this he is far more likely to die in the final battle than the rest of the characters. As painful as it would be to watch, his death feels likely.  

I can see Steve dying in multiple ways, either saving Dustin, someone he's very close to, or Nancy, someone he cares very deeply about. This sacrifice would be devastating but also very meaningful, showing his growth as a character.

Speaking of Steve, one of the biggest romantic questions is whether Nancy (Natalia Dyer)  will choose Steve or Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). In the beginning of the series, it seemed clear that Jonathan was the obvious choice. In my opinion, Nancy and Jonathan always had a more natural chemistry than she and Steve did. They had shared experiences like surviving the Upside Down together, grieving Barb, and even both having the same scars on their hand. While Nancy’s romance with Steve originally felt like a typical high school relationship. From Seasons 1 through 3, the show positioned Jonathan as the person who understood Nancy on a deeper level, making him appear to be the person Nancy had picked. 

With Jonathan, Nancy is able to be her true self. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it’s built on shared struggles and experiences. Jonathan allows Nancy to be herself and to be honest about the darker parts of her life. With Steve, even though they care about each other, their relationship has always been tied to who they used to be: a popular girl and a popular jock. She doesn’t seem as emotionally open or understood with Steve as she does with Jonathan. Even now, when Steve has changed for the better, their connection still falls heavily on their past, while her relationship with Jonathan is authentic and based on the present.

However, Nancy and Jonathan have grown more distant, especially in Season 4, where they spent most of the season separated and struggling to communicate honestly. Jonathan avoided talking to Nancy about going to different colleges and Nancy found herself reconnecting with Steve romantically in a way fans hadn’t seen since Season 1. Steve has matured into a responsible and caring person, completely different from the boyfriend he once was. 

So, as  for Nancy is to end up, it could honestly be either. Her and Jonathan have a lot of history and connection but Steve is changing for her which makes me think that in the fifth season she could take him back. 

Some characters seem likely to survive Season 5. I think Joyce (Winona Ryder), Robin (Maya Hawke), Hopper, Jonathan, Mike, and Erica will all make it through. These characters are central to the show but aren’t as directly tied to the supernatural events as Eleven and Will. Joyce and Hopper have already faced multiple “death scares,” so killing them now would feel repetitive. Robin doesn’t have a storyline that points to a tragic ending. Jonathan and Mike are too important to the main plot and have never been directly threatened by Vecna or the Upside Down. And Erica, as a younger side character, doesn’t have a storyline that would benefit from a tragic death, so it makes sense for her to survive as well.

The Duffer Brothers also said that one of the movie inspirations for Season 5 is The Lost Boys.

This is interesting because The Lost Boys is a movie about teenage boys discovering that their town is secretly run by vampires. A major part of the movie involves a group of young “monster hunters” who have to figure out who is human, who is turned, and how to defeat a supernatural threat that lives in their town.

This inspiration also raises questions about Kali (Eight) from Season 2. Kali and her storyline focused on a reckless group and on Kali who also has supernatural abilities, very similar in tone to The Lost Boys. Because of that, it’s possible that Season 5 may bring her back, especially if the final battle requires multiple psychic abilities or if Eleven can’t defeat Vecna on her own. Kali was left out of Season 3 and 4, but the Duffers have said they haven’t forgotten about her. The movie parallels, mixed with the need for greater power to fight Vecna, make it very likely that Kali could return in some way for the final season.

Then there are some characters where it’s genuinely hard to predict whether they’re safe or not, specifically Dustin, Max, and Lucas. Dustin is an especially interesting case because, unlike many other main characters, he has never been directly targeted by the Upside Down. The danger has always happened around him. He’s lost people he cared about, he’s faced terrifying situations, but he has never been singled out by Vecna, the Mind Flayer, or any other threat in the same way Will, Max, or Eleven have.

However, after Eddie’s (Joseph Quinn') death in Season 4, the small clips and promotional images we’ve seen of Dustin so far show him looking deeply sad and almost depressed. One shot even shows him visiting Eddie’s grave. That immediately raises red flags, because in Season 4, Max was in a similar emotional state, grieving, and carrying guilt over Billy’s death. Vecna specifically preys on people dealing with trauma and sadness, as we saw with his other victims like Chrissy and Patrick. 

So Dustin’s sadness could simply mean he’s grieving Eddie, which would make perfect sense for his character. But it could also be foreshadowing, subtle hints that Dustin, might be emotional enough for Vecna to target. If Vecna is looking for an opening, Dustin’s grief could make him a potential victim. 

That brings me to Lucas and Max. In Season 4, Max became one of the most crucial characters in the entire story because she was one of Vecna’s victims. Her storyline ended with her in a hospital bed, blind, with multiple broken bones, and technically dead for over a minute before Eleven saved her. The audience still doesn’t know if she will fully wake up, if she will regain her memories, or if Vecna still has a hold on her mind. Because of that, Max’s fate in Season 5 is extremely uncertain. Her arc could go either way: she could wake up and help fight Vecna, or she could never wake up and be killed by Vecna. 

As for Lucas, his death is uncertain. He has never been directly connected to the Upside Down the way Will, Eleven, or Max have been, but his relationship to Max sets him apart from everyone else. If Max were to be harmed, Lucas would likely put himself in danger to protect her. While he is a beloved character, he isn’t as central to the plot as others, which makes his future unpredictable. Out of the original four boys, Lucas might be the most at risk because he could be the one major death that hits close to home without changing the entire plot. 

In Season 5, if Max wakes up, there’s a strong chance that Vecna will target her again. Lucas will likely be by her side, which could put him directly in danger as well. If Vecna senses Max waking up, Lucas might be the first to face whatever threat Vecna has. His loyalty and love for Max could lead to a heartbreaking moment where he sacrifices himself just as she begins to wake.

In season 5, Vecna is even more of a threat than he was in Season 4. 

Vecna has made Eleven his main target since Season 4, seeing her as the biggest threat to him and his plans. In one of the last episodes I think that a huge battle between Vecna and Leevn will occur. There are multiple clips that have been released showing Eleven training to fight Vecna. This battle will test both of their strengths, both physically and mentally. 

I also think that Vecna might use Demogorgons, Mind Flayer remnants, or other creatures from the Upside Down to attack the group. This would raise the stakes for characters like Steve, Dustin, Lucas, or Robin, showing that no one is completely safe.

It’s possible Season 5 will reveal more about Vecna’s origin and why he is the way he is. Understanding his motive may be key to defeating him, and it might show that he is more than just a monster.