Stranger Things 4 Volume One is finally here and it delivers all the drama we could dream of. The ever-popular Netflix show warned fans that season four would lean heavily into horror with its new villain Vecna. And that is certainly true with the gruesome deaths we have seen so far. The wild thing is, this feels like only the beginning of the bloodbath we will witness this season. Death truly abounds in Hawkins… and beyond. So, who dies in Stranger Things 4? Let’s talk about it.
Jump to: Volume 2 Deaths
Stranger Things 4 Volume One Deaths
Chrissy Cunningham
Poor Chrissy Cunningham, the queen of Hawkins High, gets the redshirt treatment in episode one. She seems to have it all as a bubbly cheerleader who is dating Jason, the captain of the basketball team. But we quickly discover that there’s something sinister going on with Chrissy. Her mother is verbally abusive, a trauma that Vecna capitalizes on to haunt her.
Those scary visions make her seek out Eddie Munson, the leader of the Hellfire Club, to score drugs that will presumably help quell her issues. Their linkup ends when Chrissy is at Eddie’s house. Vecna comes for her, putting her into a trance, lifting her off the ground, and gruesomely snapping her bones and sucking her eyes into her skull in front of Eddie. Yikes. Chrissy’s death in Stranger Things 4 sparks a chain of events, forcing Eddie to go on the run and taking the Hawkins crew on a wild investigation.
Despite her limited screen time, Chrissy made a huge impact on fans. Many shipped her with Eddie after their fun and frankly adorable scene together in the woods. And, in a recent TV Line interview, the Duffer Brothers themselves now admit that maybe—just maybe—they were a little too hasty with killing her off. Hindsight is usually 20/20, right?
“We always have those moments [of ‘What have we done?’],” said Matt Duffer. “We shot the quote-unquote drug-deal scene in the woods pretty late, actually, into shooting.” Ross Duffer adds, “we had already killed Chrissy when we shot that.”
It’s completely not unusual to shoot a show out of order, so we get it. But we will always wonder what could have been with Chrissy and Eddie.
Fred Benson
The next person who dies in Stranger Things 4 is Nancy’s high school paper colleague Fred. The nerdy guy who clearly harbors an unrequited crush on Nance goes with her to investigate Chrissy’s death. And, well, he walks right into his own demise. Like Chrissy, Fred has a darkness in his life that Vecna uses against him. He was responsible for a fatal car accident and begins to see and hear visions that drive him into guilt. When Nancy goes traversing off to do her thing, Fred is lured to a nearby road. He dies the same horrible way, bones cracking and flesh squelching under the dark wizard’s powerful spell. Another teen bites the dust.
Agent Harmon
Harmon is one of two officers assigned to protect Will, Mike, and Jonathan while El goes off to trauma superhero camp. And he holds up his end of the bargain well, laying down cover fire to give them enough time to escape in Argyle’s pizza delivery van. The crew get Harmon in the van but he unfortunately bleeds out and dies. However, he does clue them in with information that sets up their own investigative story and quest to get El back. Someone must take one for the team and Harmon showed up to die.
Patrick McKinney
Lucas’ new basketball buddy is yet another teenager who dies in Stranger Things 4. But, we don’t get to dig into his final imaginings as he levitates prior to death. Patrick’s death in front of Jason sends the latter over the edge. And now the whole town of Hawkins thinks the Hellfire Club is a satanic cult harboring a serial killer Eddie. The ‘80s may have a ton of glory but Satanic Panic was not a part of that.
A Bunch of Russian Prisoners
Ahhh episode seven truly gave us so much in its movie length run time. We finally got the Joyce and Hopper reunion that we’ve been waiting for. But it didn’t come without hella people dying first. Joyce and Murray’s infiltration plan works like a charm but they soon realize that Hopper is in real danger. Like the type of danger where a Demogorgon is about to eat him and a group of other men. Most of those poor guys become Upside Down monster food but Hopper and Enzo make it out alive. Sorry to those men.
The Shocking Murders at Hawkins Lab
We knew that there would be some murdery things going down at Hawkins Lab because, well, episode seven is titled “The Hawkins Lab Massacre.” Stranger Things 4 Volume One goes back to 1979 in the season opener, showing us who dies in what we think is Eleven’s killing rampage. Dr. Ellis, lab workers, and pretty much all the numbered children die. Dr. Brenner makes it out alive (sigh) and confronts Eleven, who is sporting bloody eyes. But, episode seven reveals the truth about what really went down. Turns out that weird orderly wearing all white was the fabled One. And he’s Victor Creel’s very evil son. And yeah… El “kills” One only to open up a gate to the Upside Down, where he becomes who we know as Vecna. But we won’t count that here because he’s obviously not truly dead. It looks like Volume Two will include a powerful battle between Eleven and One/Vecna.
Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 Deaths
Doctor Brenner
Sure, we thought Brenner was gone before. But he is gone, gone now. After trying to hold Eleven hostage and prevent her from reaching her friends after she regains her powers, the military shoots him down. He frees Eleven of her shock collar and makes a final plea with her that he only wanted to take care of and help her. Eleven cries and simply says “goodbye Papa” as he takes his final breaths. Honestly, good riddance.
Eddie Munson
This is undoubtedly the saddest death this season. Eddie and Dustin are tasked with keeping the Demobats away from the Creel House so Nancy, Jonathan, and Robin can kill Vecna. The bats quickly overwhelm them but, instead of running away, Eddie faces them to buy more time. It’s a moment that’s been largely hinted at all season with Eddie declaring that he “always runs” and “is not a hero.” He fights the bats with all his might as Dustin tries to get back to him.
But it is too late. Eddie dies from his wounds after a touching moment with Dustin. And sadly, the town of Hawkins will never know how brave he is, instead simply presuming he is a cult leader who died. But, at least Eddie’s uncle got to keep a part of him—the chain he wore on his neck—and knew that his nephew died a hero. And not a hero because of his final actions, but because he always had a pure and brave heart, even when he didn’t think he did. Hopefully, there will be a way to clear Eddie’s name in season five. He deserves that much after his heartbreaking death.
Jason Carver
We hate to wish death on anyone but Jason fully earned this one. He’s been raging around town trying to kill/beat up everyone in the Hellfire Club and causing more problems. Jason finds Lucas and Max in the Creel House and interferes with their plan. He nearly shoots Lucas before beating him terribly and distracting Lucas from keeping an eye on Max. When Max dies and the Upside Down breaks through, ripping him in half.
Hawkins Residents
At least 22 Hawkins residents (including Jason) died when all four of Vecna’s gates come together and partially destroy the city. They are nameless and faceless, yet more victims of a tragedy that is so much bigger than they knew.
Max Mayfield (Technically)
The terror on Lucas’ face when he saw Max’s bones begin to crack grotesquely. She tells Lucas than she cannot see nor hear and doesn’t want to die. But she does. Her heart stops, making her the fourth death in Vecna’s plan. But Eleven is able to reach her with their great memories, restarting her heart. However, we don’t know if Max Mayfield will survive on Stranger Things or succumb to her serious injuries. The season ends with her in the hospital and in a coma. Her broken bones are reset and she may no longer be able to see. Eleven still feels an overwhelming guilt that she didn’t get to her in time.
Does Vecna Die in Stranger Things 4?
We do know one person who isn’t dead (besides our main crew). Vecna does not die in Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 and Will can feel him. So it looks like the battle against Vecna to save Hawkins will rage on in Stranger Things 5 to end this story. Until then, let’s form a protection circle around Max and the rest of our crew because they will need it with the Upside Down literally taking over Hawkins.
Originally published on May 27, 2022.
