The Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things has introduced us to some of the most beloved characters in recent memory. We’ve got Eleven, of course, who is an absolute inspiration to viewers everywhere, along with her fantastic group of outcast friends like Dustin and Mike. Fans of the show also love Jim Hopper, who’s taken quite a turn in character over the seasons, along with Will and Jonathan’s amazing mom Joyce Byers.
There’s no doubt the sci-fi series does a great job of getting viewers attached to the characters, which means some of the deaths are truly devastating. Stranger Things season 4 introduces us to a new character named Eddie Munson, a metal-loving, adorable outsider who sadly loses his life when sacrificing himself for the greater good. We’re still not over his death, along with a handful of others.
On the other hand, some of the deaths on Stranger Things have been seriously satisfying. There’s no better feeling than when the biggest villains are taken down. Hopefully, Vecna will be next on the list in the upcoming fifth season.
While we wait for any updates on Stranger Things season 5, we’re taking a look at some of the biggest deaths throughout the show and deciding which characters we’d bring back from the dead and which we’d leave under the ground.
Bob Newby
Let’s start with one of the sweetest characters in Stranger Things. Bob Newby, played by the wonderful Sean Astin, is introduced in the second season as Joyce’s new boyfriend. Though the kids might find him a bit cringe-worthy, Bob is totally in love with Joyce and it’s apparent he’d do anything for her. He’s fun-loving and caring, something Joyce really needs in her life.
Joyce and Bob start to get more serious, however their romance takes a backseat once Will is in danger once again. Through it all, Bob is there for Joyce and her family, a trait we really admire. And sadly, he dies at Hawkins Lab after being attacked by a group of Demodogs. Though Joyce moves on to Hopper in season 4 (finally!) we’d still love to bring back Bob from the dead just because he’s such a great guy. He deserves more!
VERDICT: Bring Back
Jason Carver
Oh, Jason. I don’t think it’s possible for any viewer to like him. Sure, he’s lost his girlfriend, which is terrible, but the lengths he goes to cause others pain is unacceptable. The popular jock befriends Lucas because they’re both on the basketball team, but he’s totally intolerable of people who are different than him. Case in point: Eddie Munson. Because Eddie plays Dungeons and Dragons, listens to metal, and doesn’t fit in with the popular crew, Jason hates him.
When Chrissy is killed, Jason is convinced that Eddie is the culprit and will stop at nothing until he finds him. He tells everyone that the Hellfire Club is full of Satanists, and he ends up physically fighting with Lucas who he believes is in his way.
At the Creel House, Jason is one of the many casualties when the interdimensional gate is opened, and his body is literally ripped in half. Given how big of a bully he is to our favorite characters, we’d never bring him back from the dead.
VERDICT: Leave Dead
Barbara Holland
The first major death in Stranger Things is Barb Holland, Nancy’s best friend. Unfortunately, we don’t get a ton of time to get to know Barb, but we learn that she’s a really great friend who would do anything for Nancy. Even though Nancy starts to socialize with a new group that Barb doesn’t necessarily approve of, she still tags along and watches over Nancy to make sure she’s staying safe.
But what Barb doesn’t realize one night is that she’s the one who’s in danger; while Nancy and her new boyfriend Steve are hooking up inside, she’s pulled away from the pool and dragged into the Upside Down. Sadly, she’s later killed by the Demogorgon, but her mysterious disappearance is an important plot point throughout the early seasons.
Nancy might think Barb’s a little overprotective, but that quality would probably come in handy when the group is fighting the creatures of the Upside Down. If we could bring her back from the dead, we totally would!
VERDICT: Bring Back
Eddie Munson
Beyond the main friend group of Stranger Things, Eddie Munson is hands-down my favorite character. He’s introduced in the fourth season and is taken away from us far too soon. Why, Netflix, why?! The nerdy outcast is the leader of the Hellfire Club which Mike and Dustin join when they enter high school. Though he seems a little rough around the edges at first, when Eddie opens up we learn he’s just a sweet, innocent kid.
Viewers totally sense a connection between Eddie and Chrissy when they meet out in the woods after school, but unfortunately their relationship cannot be explored any further because they both end up dying. Bringing back Eddie in Stranger Things season 5 would definitely be fan-service, sure, but I miss him so much! He makes such an impact in only one season.
There have been plenty of fan theories on how Stranger Things could bring Eddie back, but we’ll just have to wait and see if that turns out to be a reality.
VERDICT: Bring Back
Dr. Martin Brenner
One of the biggest antagonists in Stranger Things is Dr. Martin Brenner, and now that he’s finally met his demise for good this time, he better stay dead. The villainous scientist is the one who kidnaps kids and performs experiments on them, including Eleven. Though Eleven trusts him, even calling him “Papa,” she discovers the truth in the fourth season and is ready to leave him behind.
Brenner and Dr. Owens team up in Stranger Things season 4 to try and see if Eleven can put an end to the Upside Down once and for all, but Brenner takes things too far and pushes El beyond her limits. He makes it clear he doesn’t care about her well-being, just her skills, and he won’t stop until she gives him what he wants.
Brenner is fatally wounded out in the desert and Eleven is able to say her goodbyes. Stranger Things already brought the character back from the dead once; let’s not do it again.
VERDICT: Leave Dead
Tom Holloway
Tom Holloway is, honestly, such a forgettable villain. We meet him in the third season of Stranger Things and all he does is cause pain for Nancy and Jonathan. As the Editor in Chief of the Hawkins Post, Tom is Jonathan and Nancy’s boss, and he doesn’t make their experience easy. He’s unnecessarily cruel, especially to Nancy, and it’s clear early on that he’s very sexist.
We don’t see Tom for that long, however, as he’s eventually targeted by the Mind Flayer and becomes possessed. He shows up at the hospital and tries to attack Nancy and Jonathan, but fortunately, Jonathan is able to get the upper hand and stabs him with scissors. Tom, along with the other flayed, combines into each other to create a new monster.
At the end of season 3, the flayed humans are left dead after the monster is defeated. We would never wish death upon anyone, but in the context of Stranger Things, there’s no reason we’d want Tom Holloway back.
VERDICT: Leave dead
Virginia Creel
Okay, this might seem like a random one. But hear me out! We very briefly meet Virginia Creel in Stranger Things season 4 through flashbacks. She’s the wife to Victor Creel and mother to Alice and Henry Creel, the latter of whom becomes Vecna. Remember? As a child, Henry realizes he has psychokinetic powers and doesn’t use them for good. After his family moves into their home in Hawkins, Henry starts torturing them, and he ends up killing his mom and sister.
Henry is then taken in by Dr. Brenner, and he becomes the doctor’s first test subject at Hawkins Lab. He’s a prisoner of Brenner’s, and when he meets Eleven he believes he can finally escape. But things don’t go as planned and Eleven ends up throwing him into a portal to the Upside Down, which is when Vecna is born. If we could bring back Vecna’s mom in Stranger Things season 5, perhaps that would be a reason not to destroy the real world and everyone in it. It’s a stretch, I know, but it could serve as an interesting plot point.
There’s still a lot from Vecna’s childhood that I want to learn about. Bringing back Virginia from the dead could add additional history and insights.
VERDICT: Bring back
Max Mayfield
This is a controversial take, I know. So let’s get into it. I absolutely love Max, but Stranger Things does this thing where they avoid killing major characters. They introduce a new supporting character each season, make viewers love them, and then kill them off. Take Bob, Alexei, and Eddie as examples. But what about characters we’ve known for a while whose deaths would break our hearts? Let’s be realistic here, I don’t think the full friend group could survive all the things that they do.
I know it’s just a show and not real life, but it’s sometimes hard to take the threats seriously when we know the main characters are always going to make it out alive. I’m glad the show brings Hopper back because he’s such an integral part of the storyline in season 4, but now that Max is in a coma, the writers would be smart not to bring her back.
It would be devastating if Max dies, but with her fate up in the air right now, this would be the perfect opportunity to prove to the audience that Vecna is as dangerous as he seems.
VERDICT: Leave Dead
Chrissy Cunningham
Simply because of what a sweetheart she is, I would totally bring back Chrissy from the dead. A cheerleader at Hawkins High School, we meet Chrissy in the fourth season of Stranger Things and sadly, she doesn’t make it past the first episode. Similar to Eddie, she really makes an impact in a short amount of time, and viewers everywhere fall in love with her in just a few scenes.
I know I’m not the only one who would love to see a romance between Chrissy and Eddie form, and bringing them both back from the dead would allow that to happen. I’m not sure if they’d fit in the fifth season with all of the other events we need to take focus on (like beating Vecna), but in some alternate universe, I’d love for them to return.
Chrissy is a ray of sunshine who has her whole life ahead of her before it’s sadly snatched away by Vecna.
VERDICT: Bring Back
Billy Hargrove
I’m a little conflicted about this one, but at the end of the day, Billy Hargrove is a bad guy. He’s tormented by his upbringing and bad relationship with his father, most of which is out of his control. For that reason, I’m sympathetic towards him. His dad Neil is abusive, and we get to see a glimpse of the way they they interact in the second season of Stranger Things especially. He doesn’t have a good home life, but that’s no excuse for the way he treats those around them.
Billy’s a teenager, so naturally his priorities are being with girls, working out, and looking cool. But beyond that, he’s a mean person. He mistreats his step-sister Max, and has acted in ways that suggest he’s racist. The only reason I would consider bringing him back from the dead would be for Max because his death is so traumatic for her. But the damage is already done, so I think he’s better off wherever he is now.
VERDICT: Leave Dead
Alexei
One of the cutest supporting characters in Stranger Things is Alexei, the Russian scientist who Hopper and Joyce kidnap in the third season. In exchange for a cherry-flavored slurpee, Alexei agrees to give them information about the key the Russians are trying to create to open the gate between the two worlds. This, of course, is the Upside Down and the real world. Murray translates for Alexei, making for really hilarious scenes.
Alexei isn’t part of the show for a long time, but his innocence and quirkiness definitely leave an impact. Unfortunately, he’s killed at the Fourth of July fair by Grigori, right after he has the sweetest moment of winning a stuffed animal in a game. It’s so unfair! I’m still upset by this death, and of course, I would love to bring Alexei back. Bringing him back wouldn’t have much effect on the storyline, I don’t think, but he deserves better.
VERDICT: Bring back