Stranger Things season 4 certainly didn’t hold back on the emotion, but who died and just how heartbreaking were the deaths?
Last summer, the release of Stranger Things season 4 part 2 took the world by storm so quickly that its debut ended up crashing Netflix within minutes. The debut of part 1 (earlier that summer in May) highlighted that the show hadn’t lost any momentum in the three years it had been off the air – especially as it brought Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” back into the charts – but part 2’s release in July 1 clearly took that to a whole new level.
When things get bigger in Hawkins, they usually get more tragic, and that’s exactly what happened in Stranger Things season 4 part 2. With the stakes higher than ever, Eleven, Mike, Will, Max, Lucas, Dustin, Eddie, Steve, Nancy, Robin, Jonathan, Argyle, Joyce, Hopper, Murray, Dr. Owens and everyone else involved battled to desperately stop the threats of the Upside Down and the deadly Vecna who was pulling the strings.
*** This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS from Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 ***
Sadly, not everyone made it out of the bumper length final two episodes of Stranger Things alive. But who died in volume 2 and how heartbreaking was it?
5. Vecna (momentarily)
There’s not much to say here. Vecna, a.k.a. Number One, a.k.a. Henry, wasn’t just the villain of Stranger Things season 4, volume 2. No it was confirmed that he was the real big bad of the show all along. The cold and callous monster made it impossible for viewers to feel sympathy for him, so his incredibly near-death scene had everyone cheering for Eleven, Nancy, Robin and Steve.
The most heartbreaking thing about Vecna’s near-death experience is that he took Max with him (well, almost), and succeeded in his plan to open Hawkins up to the terrors of the Upside Down. Well, that and the fact that he isn’t actually dead at all.
It’s not often that a show would have a reveal of this caliber so late in the game, but it would dramatically well. Now fans are on edge waiting for the monster to return and bring the threats of the Upside Down with him.
The final season is sure to be an upsetting experience, but one of the main reasons for that is the fact that Vecna still lives. You just can’t keep a good big bad down!
That big bad, however, was indirectly responsible for another death. And this one fans weren’t too heartbroken about…
4. Jason Carver
Jason Carver quickly became the most annoying character in Stranger Things season 4. No matter how noble his initial intentions to get justice for girlfriend Chrissy Cunningham were, he caused mass panic and hysteria in Hawkins and influenced the town to turn against the innocent Eddie Munson and all of his friends. To say he was infuriating would be a major understatement.
He once again made matters worse when he led that witch-hunt against Eddie, trying to kill him and ultimately turning on his friend Lucas in part 2, refusing to let him save Max from Vecna, destroying the Walkman with the Kate Bush cassette in it (that would have saved her).
Fans hated Jason by the time the season came to a close, and retroactively they might even hate him more because he was responsible leading the witch-hunt against Eddie and spreading all that misinformation about him. And, well, he paid dearly for that.
Jason may have been a thorn in everyone’s side, but it goes without saying that the violent death that he got when he disintegrated into one of the cracks that the Upside Down opened in Hawkins was unexpected and extreme. What a terrible way to go.
3. Dr. Brenner
One of the biggest surprises in Stranger Things season 4 part 1 was the reveal that Dr. Brenner was still alive. His apparent death in season 1 at the hands of the Demogorgan had spawned countless fan theories about how he could return someday, and he indeed made that long-awaited comeback to seemingly help Eleven regain control of her powers.
While it momentarily seemed like Dr. Brenner may have learned from his dark and twisted ways, it soon became clear that he was every bit as controlling as he once was. No matter how much he was attempting to redeem himself by helping Eleven get her powers back, he still had to control her and force her to do things his way.
In the end, he did try to help her escape from the authorities and freed her from the restrictive collar he placed her in. It wasn’t enough to make up for the damage he had done, but as he lay dying (after being shot by the military) and shared a somewhat tender moment with Eleven, it only highlighted how things could have been so different if he hadn’t become the monster she feared so much.
2. Max Mayfield (temporarily)
We were all screaming at Max to “run up that hill” in season 4, part 1 when she escaped imminent death at the hands of Vecna, so you can bet we were all doing it again in part 2. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn’t as positive this time.
Vecna came for Max again in the season finale and, for a moment, the character really did die. Eleven did manage to stop Vecna before he completely consumed Max’s soul but the damage had been done. As she lay in Lucas’ arms unable to see or feel anything, her body broken and her eyes bloody, viewers cried their eyes out hoping for a miracle. That miracle would seemingly come when Eleven found a way to bring her back, but even with Max now being alive, there is still no sign of her consciousness in her mind. Has Vecna won or will the gang find a way to bring Max back in season 5?
Regardless of how it goes down, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who wasn’t screaming at their TV screens for a few moments when it really looked like Max was going to die. It was a moment nobody wanted to see, especially not after what came before it…
1. Eddie Munson
“I didn’t run away this time, right?”. If you made it through that line without tearing up, you might be the only person on the planet, because it was nothing short of soul-crushing.
Eddie Munson is easily one of the most popular characters Stranger Things has ever gifted us with and the fact that he accomplished that in just one season says all you need to know about him (and Joseph Quinn’s endearing performance). From his lovable personality to his lovely friendship with Dustin, we were all rooting for Eddie to not just succeed, but overcome everything the town of Hawkins had unfairly thrown his way.
Eddie’s inability to see himself as a hero resulted in him standing tall against an army of Demobats, fighting them all off for as long as he could in order to provide the perfect distraction. He succumbed to his wounds after a tear-jerking moment with Dustin that solidified that he was always, above all else, a hero.
Yes, Eddie you are a hero. And no, there wasn’t a dry eye across the world watching that moment.
Find out all you need to know about Stranger Things season 5 here.
Which death in Stranger Things season 4 part 2 was the most heartbreaking for you?