It would've been impossible to predict just how big a hit Stranger Things would become when it was first released back in 2016. However, fast-forward nearly a decade, and not only has it captivated audiences worldwide throughout five seasons filled with horrors beyond our comprehension, but it has also reached a definitive conclusion. What started as four friends playing a campaign of Dungeons & Dragons has evolved into a complicated narrative featuring telekinetic heroes, relentless monsters, and a wormhole that connects Earth to a terrifying realm. But, after such a long journey, it's finally time to bid our goodbyes.
The story of Stranger Things might've come to an end, but the characters we've grown attached to throughout the years will live on in the world that Netflix and the Duffer Brothers created... or, at least, some of them will. Stranger Things Season 5 has been relatively quiet in the deaths department up until this point. As such, fans were worried that the worst would be saved for last, and that some soul-crushing deaths would take place in the finale. So, will we start 2026 on a somber note, or did most of the fan favorites make it out alive? Well, it's time to find out as we break down all the deaths that took place in the finale of Stranger Things Season 5.
Every death in the Stranger Things Season 5 finale
Multiple military soldiers: The group's plan to defeat Vecna once and for all involved getting Eleven to the Upside Down, where she could get inside the sensory deprivation tank to find Henry and end his realm of terror once and for all. Fortunately, El wasn't on her own, as Murray, Hopper, and Kali were right beside her. Everything was going as expected until Vecna tricked Hopper into getting Eleven out of the tank. At that very moment, all hell broke loose, and the military arrived at the scene to get ahold of Eight once more, along with capturing Jane to use her blood to produce more super soldiers.
Hopper, being the hero that he is, proceeded to put his life on the line to fight for the safety of the others. Just as the military was getting ahold of Kali, Hopper proceeded to shoot and kill multiple soldiers. Unfortunately, he was then stopped when Lieutenant Akers entered the scene and proceeded to attack Hopper.
Fortunately, the killing spree didn't end there, as Murray threw a grenade at a military helicopter that was using one of those "Hedgehog" sonic devices that was being used to incapacitate Eight and Eleven. Of course, the military personnel in the helicopter died as well.
Lieutenant Akers: If it isn’t another Stranger Things newcomer that dies just as the new Season ends. At this point, it has become a bit of a tradition for the series to introduce a secondary character and give them a bit of the spotlight, just to kill them at the very end. The only difference this time around? Absolutely no one was cheering for Lieutenant Akers to make it out alive, so this entry in the list is actually welcome.
Akers led a tactical team into the Hawkins Laboratory in the Upside Down to kidnap Eleven. This was done in the hopes of using Jane’s blood to create more super soldiers that could give the US the upper hand in the Cold War. However, the time wasn’t prepared for what would await in the lab. In the ensuing firefight, Hopper utilized the chaos to turn the military's own weaponry against them. Murray also used a grenade to destroy a military helicopter that had one of the sonic "Hedgehog" devices used to incapacitate Eleven. Without her kryptonite keeping her down, El used her powers to make Akers shoot himself in the head. At long last, the Lieutenant's reign of terror is over.
Kali / Eight: After making a surprise comeback after the events of Season 2, fans started to doubt Kali’s true motives, and with good reason. Eight spent most of her time in the final Season of Stranger Things trying to convince her sister, Eleven, that the only way to end the nightmare that has been plaguing Hawkins for some years now was for the two to sacrifice themselves. Well, wouldn’t you know it, but Kali kind of stuck to her end of the promise... just not in a way anybody expected.
Lieutenant Akers was interrogating Hopper to try to find out Eleven's location. To make the interrogatory more sinister, Akers threatened to shoot Kali if Hopper didn't give him what he wanted. On the bright side, Eleven managed to arrive at the scene and kill all the military personnel that was on the room, including Lieutenant Akers himself. On the downside, El arrived a little too late, and Kali was already shot in the stomach. As simple as that, Eight's story came to an end, and it was all before she could manage to put an end to Henry Creel's reign of terror.
Vecna / Henry Creel: At the end of any big story of good versus evil, the big bad usually bites the dust, and this time wasn’t the exception. Since Season 4, Henry Creel has acted as the main antagonist of Stranger Things, weakening the barriers between Hawkins and the Upside Down, as well as kidnapping 12 kids to use as his vessels to enact his evil plan. However, Season 5 delivered a big revelation: Ever since he was a child, Henry has been under the influence of the Mind Flayer. He was corrupted by the evil shadow entity that has been the true mastermind behind the attacks on Hawkins this whole time. So, in a strange way, Henry’s death is nothing short of tragic.
After Henry revealed the ace up his sleeve and awoke the arachnid monster that had acted as his lair in the Abyss, the whole gang proceeded to launch a frontal assault on the villain. Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan attacked the monster (which shares the same mind as Vecna), while Eleven and Will combined their forces to attack Henry Creel. After a long and grueling battle, the good guys managed to come out victorious and finally defeated the monster that had been terrorizing Hawkins for years by impaling him in one of the spires of his own home base. But the cherry on top of the cake? Joyce uses an axe to decapitate the villain just as he was taking his last breath.
Bam Smack Pow is recapping all the deaths featured in the finale of Stranger Things Season 5 live, and more content will be added to this article as the episode progresses. When the deaths start happening, we'll be adding them in here!
In the meantime, be sure to catch up with our coverage of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2!