There are a lot of things about Volume 2 of Stranger Things 5 that have pissed people off.
We’re in the middle of the show’s final season. It feels like the writers and editors are on a mission to upset as many fans as possible while counting down to the end.
One thing that’s caused a lot of debate is that there have been no major deaths in season 5.
A Familiar Pattern Fans Can’t Unsee
For a show built on cosmic sci-fi horror, the body count feels oddly low. This has led to an even bigger debate on how none of the main characters have been killed off the show. That honor has always gone to beloved secondary characters instead.
Barb in season one.
Bob in season two.
Billy in season three.
Eddie in season four.
These deaths hurt. They stick with the audience. They also follow a specific pattern. They remove someone outside the core group while keeping the main ensemble intact.
The closest the show has ever come to breaking that rule was when Hopper revived Will with CPR in season one. Max technically dies for about a minute at the end of season four before Eleven restarts her heart. Even then, the show pulls back at the last possible second.
Do the Stakes Feel Lower?
There is an argument that refusing to kill a main character lowers the stakes. When everyone survives, the danger starts to feel minor. Monsters start to lose their bite. A major death sends a very clear message. Vecna, the Mind Flayer, the Demogorgons, etc aren’t playing around.
For a final season, it feels like Stranger Things is pulling its punches instead of giving it all they’ve got.
Maybe the Show Doesn’t Need a High Body Count
At the same time, Stranger Things has always been better at tugging at the heartstrings. The show has proved it can devastate viewers without killing off its main cast.
Max’s near death in season four is the clearest example. Even knowing she survives, the scene is still a gut punch. The performances from Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas’ actor) and Sadie Sink (Max’s actor) sell the grief and helplessness of the moment. The outcome almost doesn’t matter because of how heartbreaking that scene was.
Season five is using a similar strategy. The drama comes from near misses, and fractured relationships. That gnawing feeling that there’s nowhere to hide. The danger is constant even if it isn’t fatal yet.
What the Duffers Have Said About Death
Behind the scenes, the Duffer Brothers have been open about their philosophy.
They’ve said they didn’t want the final season to hinge on shock deaths. Instead, they wanted the emotional low point to come from Vecna’s control, not a funeral.
They’ve also been very clear that Stranger Things is not Game of Thrones. There’s no Red Wedding moment coming to satisfy bloodlust. Killing characters for the sake of surprise is not the story they want to tell.
That doesn’t mean no one will die. It means a major death has to be earned.
With the series finale premiering on December 31, we’ll see if the Duffer Brothers will actually be bold enough to kill a main character off.
