Here's everyone who lived and died in the Stranger Things Season 4 finale
Who lived, who died, and who’s recuperating from a metal battle.
Netflix dropped four more hours of Stranger Things on July 1st, and fans couldn’t resist immediately diving into the fourth season’s metal conclusion. But if you watched Volume 2 at 5 a.m. on release day, the details of who lives and dies might be a little fuzzy. Need a refresher? Read on. Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4 ahead.
What happens to Steve in the Stranger Things Season 4 finale?
Steve Harrington and his fabulous head of hair will return for Season 5.
Steve “The Hair” Harrington (Joe Keery) was presumed dead by basically everyone. We were convinced the smooth-talking Blockbuster employee, who’s been unlucky in love throughout the show’s entire run, would sacrifice himself for his forever crush, Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer).
Steve, Nancy, and Robin (Maya Hawke) were almost suffocated by Vecna’s tentacles, but Vecna is seriously wounded by Eleven and his grip on the trio loosens. Steve, therefore, makes it out of the Upside Down alive.
What Happened to Max in the Stranger Things Season 4 finale?
Max Mayfield’s status by the end of Season 4 has been left up in the air.
In Episode 9, Max makes herself Vecna-bait at Creel House, knowing the monster won’t be able to resist coming after her. She lures the malicious killer by turning off her Walkman and swinging the door to her mind open.
Possession, naturally, follows. Max is transported to her “happy place” (Season 2’s Snow Ball, where she had her first kiss with Lucas), and is trapped there until Vecna claims his fourth victim. In doing so, Vecna can open a fourth gate into Hawkins, facilitating his domination and destruction of the town.
This allows Eleven, who’s channeling Max remotely from a makeshift sensory deprivation tank at a Surfer Boy Pizza, to incapacitate Vecna, but at a massive cost.
Vecna’s psychic damage not only blinds Max and snaps two of her limbs, but appears to leave her brain dead. We last see her comatose in a hospital bed, and when Eleven attempts to tap into Max’s mind all we see is a dark expanse.
Max’s exact status is left open, setting up a resolution in Season 5. It’s unlikely that the scene-stealing Max will be axed from the show, but then look at what happened to Eddie.
What happens to Eddie in the Stranger Things Season 4 finale?
Season 4 newcomer and standout star Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) won’t be making it to Season 5.
Yup, he sure did.
Eddie (Joseph Quinn), an unforgettable addition to the cast, founded the Hellfire Club to avoid the inevitability of growing up, and to let him to spend his high school days playing D&D. But the punk loner wound up making a ton of friends, thanks in part to Vecna’s serial killing spree.
In Episode 9, Eddie and fellow Hellfire Club member Dustin team up to distract the Upside Down’s bats and steer Vecna’s minions away from Creel House. But as the bats begin to swarm and overwhelm the boys, Eddie realizes he has a chance to become the hero he’s always dreamed of being.
First, he saves Dustin from the clutches of the Upside Down, and then he helps Nancy, Steve, and Robin by hopping on bike. As he rides off the bats are attracted to him, and they tear at his flesh. In one of the show’s darkest moments, Eddie is overcome by his injuries and dies in Dustin’s arms.
While Eddie gets to perform the “most metal concert in the world,” he doesn’t survive for an encore. His cover of “Master of Puppets,” however, will live on.
What happens to Jason in the Stranger Things Season 4 finale?
Jason Carver and his basketball teammates spearheaded Hawkins’ Satanic Panic.
Jason Carver (Mason Dye), the pretty boy captain of Hawkins High School’s basketball team, loses his girlfriend Chrissy (Grace Van Dien) to Vecna. Instead of mourning, Jason goes on a rampage, convinced that Eddie Munson’s Hellfire Club is doing more than playing a game for nerds and that D&D is a cover for Satanic worship.
Jason’s obsession with hunting down Hellfire Club members like Eddie, Dustin, Lucas, and Mike lead the jocks to stock up on guns, and Jason almost beats Lucas to a pulp at Creel House. But then Jason’s body is ripped in half by the “earthquake” as Vecna’s plan is executed and the Upside Down bleeds into Hawkins.
We don’t see Jason’s final fate, but it seems reasonable to assume that he didn’t survive such a brutal loss of his limbs. If he did, Season 5 could bring either a changed man or a vengeful doubling down of his hatred.
What happens to Papa (Dr. Brenner) and Dr. Owens in the Stranger Things Season 4 finale?
Dr. Martin Brenner has finally been put to rest, allowing Eleven to move forward from the trauma of her early childhood.
Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) is shot down by government agents, who are sent by Lieutenant Colonel Jack Sullivan (Sherman Augustus) to the remote desert site of Project Nina to kill Eleven. The cold, calculating scientist sought forgiveness from Eleven for his many horrible deeds, but she doesn’t let him go in peace.
Meanwhile, Dr. Sam Owens (Paul Reiser) is still alive in the underground laboratory, handcuffed but refusing to give up Eleven to Sullivan. Dr. Owens, unlike Dr. Brenner, has always been more empathic and caring about the human lives affected by the Upside Down, rather than only being interested in the untapped potential and power of the dark dimension. He has a soft spot for Eleven, and trusts her judgement. He may have been captured by the feds, but he’ll probably find his way back to Hawkins for the show’s final season.
What happens to Vecna in the Stranger Things Season 4 finale?
Vecna may not be dead, but any chance of redemption for Henry/One is gone.
While we see the Big Bad get fried to a crisp by Steve, Robin, and Nancy via makeshift Molotov cocktails in The Upside Down, and get critically injured by Eleven in Max’s mind, Will feels Vecna’s presence as soon as he sets foot in Hawkins.
He isn’t dead, Will warns Mike, only harmed. The ruthless psychopath is determined to finish his mission, and he won’t stop until he’s completely defeated.
We have no idea how the Stranger Things cast will finish the fight, but we’re excited to see what epic finale the Duffer Brothers cook up for viewers during the fifth and final installment of the Netflix tentpole series.
Stranger Things Season 4 is available to stream now on Netflix.
