Watching Stranger Things is a bit of a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, the show is so well-written and intriguing that you can't help but fall in love with its narrative and characters. On the other hand, the Netflix sensation has made a bit of a habit of introducing new fan-favorite characters only to kill them without remorse. So now that the final season is here, fans expect that a similar scenario might occur, except it won't be with a debutante but rather someone we've known for years.
Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 didn't feature any impactful deaths, much to audiences' surprise (even though for a moment there, it really seemed like Hopper would bite the dust, along with Karen and Ted Wheeler). But did Volume 2 follow a similar path? Or did it break our collective hearts without any remorse? Well, it's time to figure it out by listing every death in chronological order.
This is a live post, which we will be updating with each death as and when they happen.
Every death in Stranger Things Season 5 Part 2
Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 lays the groundwork for an explosive finale that's set to pull no punches. In multiple interviews, the series' cast has suggested that fans will need a lot of tissues, as things might turn really tragic really fast. Nobody is truly safe while Vecna and the Mind Flayer are still alive. But even thought he finale might be heart-crushing to watch, we still have Volume 2 to go over.
This is Stranger Things we're talking about. People bite the dust every step of the way due to Demogorgons' attacks, the military interference, or a bit of both. So, here's every confirmed death so far in Stranger Things Season 5 Part 2:
Many scientists in Gable Ridge Road Base: Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 concluded with the revelation that the military had managed to trap Eight and was keeping her captive right behind a metal door. Well, at long last, we got to hear her side of the story and discover a horrifying truth: Dr. Kay aims to reactivate Project MKUltra and produce super-soldiers so that the US can get the upper hand in the Cold War.
To achieve this, Dr. Kay has been using Eight's blood and infusing pregnant women with it, all in the hopes that their future kids will possess special abilities. Tired of being used as a guinea pig, Eight plots her escape, and to do so, she stabs the scientist studying her with a surgical scalpel. She then gets hold of a gun and shoots more personnel at the Gable Ridge Road Base. While Eight almost managed to escape, she was eventually captured once again.
Kali's gang: When we first met Kali, a.k.a. Eight, in Stranger Things season 2, she wasn't alone. She had found a gang of her own, with close friends Axel, Mick, Funshine, and Dottie all joining her in getting revenge against the people who wronged her at Hawkins Lab. Unfortunately, Kali confirms to Eleven that, in order to take her prisoner, the miltiary killed all of her friends.
The deaths were shown via a brief flashback as the gang, wearing their signature masks, were taken out by Dr. Kay's soldiers.
A scientist in Henry's memories: We all know Henry Creel has always been a troubled child, but little did we know that the first time he ever took a life, it was in such a violent way. When trying to escape Camazotz, Holly and Max stumble upon one of Henry's childhood memories. This particular memory seems to take place in an abandoned mine shaft, where an injured scientist is seen carrying a mysterious metallic briefcase.
Henry offers to aid the hurt scientist, but all he receives is a bullet to the hand in return. At that moment, Henry charges towards the man and starts to repeatedly hit him in the head with a rock until he dies. At that point, Henry grabs the metallic suitcase, but just as he's about to open it, Holly and Max head towards the exit of Camazotz.
Two military men and three Demodogs: Tired of watching Max interfere in his plans in Camazotz, Vecna decides to find Max in the real world and end her life once and for all. To accomplish this, he sends three Demodogs to the Hawkins Hospital to take care of business. Fortunately, Will managed to alert the rest of the group of the attack just in time for Lucas and Robin to arrive at the scene before all hell broke loose.
While at the hospital, Robin was trying to explain to Vickie the events that had unfolded at Hawkins in the last few years. However, at that very moment, they are interrupted by two military men, who try to escort Robin out of the facilities. While Robin tries to get herself out of that situation, the Demodogs arrive, and they proceed to kill the two military men in a heartbeat. And since we're talking about all the deaths in the series, it's worth pointing out that the Demodogs themselves were killed by Karen Wheeler (who's now cooler than ever).
More military men: Near the end of Stranger Things Season 5 Part 2, the whole group devises a plan to stop Vecna once and for all. The only problem? They need to get to the Upside Down to put everything into motion, and that's no easy task. Few open portals leading to the Upside Down reside in Hawkins, and one of them is in the MAC-Z facility. So what did our group of heroes do? Charge into war, of course.
With the help of Mr. Clarke, Murray was able to drive his truck directly into MAC-Z. Hopper then appeared through one of the tunnels in the facility and started shooting at multiple soldiers. Nancy joined in on the fight and started shooting more military personnel as well. You could argue that these people were simply doing their job, but, hey, if it weren't for their deaths, many more could perish when Vecna merges the Abyss and Earth into one, so not everything is bad.
Characters still in danger in the Stranger Things season 5 finale
Stranger Things Season 5 has been an exhilarating ride in multiple different aspects. That being said, it has been particularly calm in the "deaths department". Sure, we all thought Karen and Ted Wheeler were gone for good, but that ultimately wasn't the case. Aside from them, no big character has been at risk of meeting Eddie, Barbara, or Bob. However, that's not to say impactful deaths won't take place in the finale. If anything, that is the perfect episode to crush our souls. With that in mind, let's take a look at all the big characters who might be at risk:
Eleven and Eight: Perhaps the most obvious choices as to who may die in the finale are Eleven and her sister, Eight. You could even argue the show is hinting at their deaths so much that it is all really just one big misdirection.
For a long time now, Eight has been arguing that the whole nightmare won't end with the death of Henry Creel. The US Government will always try to create more super-soldiers to use as a weapon against the Soviets. So, as long as either Eight or Eleven is alive, the military will always chase them in the hopes of using their blood to create more telepathic babies to control and exploit. As such, they agree to stay behind in the Upside Down after rescuing the 12 kids and killing Henry. After all, Dustin wants to leave a bomb near the exotic matter located in the Upside Down to destroy the bridge once and for all, and with that, Eleven and Eight will also perish.
It remains to be seen if the two sisters will stick to the plan or if there's another way for them to be free at last. But for the time being, it seems they might really bite the dust.
Henry Creel: Ever since his introduction back in Season 4, Henry Creel has acted as the big bad of the whole series. Sure, Stranger Things: First Shadow hinted that the true mastermind behind the attacks on Hawkins has always been the Mind Flayer and that Henry is simply under its control. But whatever the case, it's hard to imagine a life where a villain as despicable as Vecna makes it out alive after the series' end. We've seen him terrorize fan-favorite characters for years now and relentlessly kill many on his path. The least fans deserve is retaliation, so let's hope we get it.
Dr. Kay: Speaking of antagonists that are likely to take their last breath in the series' finale, we need to mention Dr. Kay. Linda Hamilton has delivered a performance so terrific that it's easy to dislike Dr. Kay and her mission to reactivate the Project MKUltra. Sure, if she were to die, then someone else would simply replace her, and the experiments would keep on going. But, at the very least, it would halt the operation for some time (perhaps just enough for our heroes to move to a different city and start anew). So for Eleven's sake, let's hope that Dr. Kay truly meets her end.
Hopper: At this point, it has become a bit of a meme how Hopper is itching to sacrifice himself in every season of Stranger Things. He's just looking for an excuse to die. Though, in all fairness, he always puts the well-being of others above his own in a heartbeat, which is why he has found himself in such a position many times before. So it would be fitting if he finally gave his life away, especially to save Eleven.
Perhaps El will try to stay behind in the Upside Down just before it gets destroyed, and Hopper will carry her out. However, he could get injured in the process and fail to get through the gate to Hawkins just in time. Only time will tell what fate awaits Hopper, but it wouldn't surprise us if he were among the unlucky few to bite the dust.
This article is being updated live as Stranger Things season 5 Volume 2 continues. More deaths (and near-deaths will be added as they happen).