The possibility of character deaths always looms over fans of any good television series, and Stranger Things is absolutely one good TV series. As Stranger Things moves closer to its penultimate and final seasons, the question of whether some of our beloved main characters will die is top of mind. Will Eleven die? Will Dustin die? Maybe Steve will die? Or could Hopper “die” again? These questions and more plague all those who love the show. So it’s no surprise possible character demises are getting discussed in the run-up to Stranger Things 4 Volume One, which premieres with its first seven episodes on May 27. Here’s what some of the cast had to say about whether death will visit our favorite characters as Stranger Things concludes.
Speaking to The Wrap, Stranger Things stars Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp, who play Eleven and Will Byers, respectively, touched on the idea of character death. Although interestingly, the question posed to them addresses Strange Things 5, implying perhaps our characters are spared in Stranger Things 4. But, of course, given the stringent attempt not to spoil anything, the reference to season five could mean nothing.
“You want Will to die.” Brown addresses at Schnapp, who denies the sentiment at first. But then adds, “I guess at the end…” He trails off.
Brown then shares, “We’re all afraid of one of us dying.” And Schnapp picks up with, “One of us will die.” Honestly, he sounds serious. Brown looks at him and adds, “I know, just which one.”
The host interjects, saying, “You really think one of the kids will die? I don’t think so.” But Schnapp seems to disagree. “Yeah, 100%. And more. They need to kill off some people. It’s so big… They just need to have on massacre scene where half the cast dies.”
Brown seems to agree. She notes, “The Duffer Brothers are two sensitive sallies that don’t want to kill anybody off. We need to be Game of Thrones. We need to have the mindset of Game of Thrones... Kill me off! They tried killing David off, and they brought him back!”
It’s hard to suss out what’s joking and what’s real. But it does feel like main character deaths are on the table. As Brown and Schnapp touch on, the odds just aren’t in the favor of the characters. There are so many of them running around that a few will probably die. Not everyone can survive to see Stranger Things 5’s last episode. And, although we assume the duo can’t actually spoil anything, it does seem likely that if we’re getting final season Stranger Things deaths, they won’t be small ones.
On the topic of character deaths, David Harbour revealed to Variety that he’s known how Stranger Things will end for a long time. He shares more about the fate of his character, Hopper:
I think it varies from person to person, from character to character, and I’m such a harassment specialist that I think I’ve gotten it out of them. It’s been back and forth about like, ‘What happens to Hopper? Is he a character that’s able to survive Hawkins or does he die?’ I know what happens and it’s quite moving, and quite beautiful.
And then adds:
I think that I needed to know as we were shooting early on, because I needed to know where he ends up and for what reason he ends up there. I think there is going to be somewhat of a morality — or at least responsible storytelling — to what the Duffers are doing. There’s a reason in Season 2 why Bob dies. He’s too innocent. You can’t go up to that monster and say, like, ‘Get away from me, get away!’ You just can’t be that person in this world. That person dies. So I think there’s a responsibility in terms of how Hopper ends up that I’m eager for people to see, and I had to know that going in so I knew where to arc it.
We get no clear answer. But Harbour does remind us that even if we do see some heartbreaking character deaths in Stranger Things 4 & 5, they’ll be in service to telling the best possible story. So regardless of the specifics, we can expect a beautiful ending for the show. As mentioned, Stranger Things 4 Volume One releases on May 24. Meanwhile, Stranger Things 4 Volume Two releases on July 1.