The cast teased the gang was in peril this season – and sadly, they weren’t lying.
Leading up to the anticipated premiere of Stranger Things season 4, the cast of the Netflix series teased to ET that all of the characters were in serious “danger” -- and by the end of volume 1 it became increasingly clear that someone may not survive remaining the massive, action-packed chapters of volume 2.
“There are characters who are in real, real danger,” said Natalia Dyer (Nancy). “Like, we haven’t been in as high stakes or potential danger before. That was surprising and scary.” Meanwhile, Joseph Quinn (Eddie) added, “It’s not just that one storyline is kind of the main artery. Every single storyline is kind of filled with peril and danger.”
So, who wasn’t able to make it to the end and survive the wrath of Vecna aka Henry Creel aka One played by Jamie Campbell Bower? Read on below for major spoilers for Stranger Things season 4, volume 2.
While Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) are still in Russia with Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) as they fight off Demogorgans -- and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is fighting to restore her powers in Nevada, where she’s been detained by Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) -- it’s back in Hawkins, Indiana where the real fight is going down.
During the final showdown, the gang is split between the Creel house and the Upside Down as they execute Nancy’s master plan to bring down Vecna once and for all. While Max (Sadie Sink), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Erica (Priah Ferguson) wait in the house where Max has been set up as bait to lure Vecna out of hiding, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Eddie are tasked with fighting off the demobats.
Sadly, it’s during this creature attack -- which includes a Metallica performance by Eddie -- when the gang loses one of their own. After the bats get the upper hand, Eddie convinces Dustin to go back through the gate. And it’s in that moment, Eddie overcomes his fears and sacrifices himself by running into the swarm of bats head on.
Later, Dustin finds Eddie as he lays dying on the ground. “I didn’t run this time, right?” the season 4 fan-favorite says before succumbing to his injuries.
While Quinn initially said joining the series was “daunting,” he’s “grateful” for the experience. “They’re really nice people, and it was everything that you’d expect,” he said of his new co-stars. “It’s a good thing to go somewhere strange with a bunch of strangers and then leave that place with really dear friends.”
And even though Eddie didn’t make it to the end, he officially became a welcomed member of the gang -- and good friends with the rest of them -- before he was killed.
Shockingly, Eddie isn’t the only character to die in the finale. Though, this second death is more of a scare than it was a final resolution.
After baiting Vecna, Max is locked in a trance with the murderous creature. And without access to her headphones, which have been playing Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” all season, Max’s memories are invaded by Vecna, who is ready to deal the final blow.
While speaking to ET about Max’s perilous season, Sink said that despite “her life [getting] saved by Kate Bush” early on, Max was left “in a very vulnerable position.” And that, it seems, made her more susceptible to Vecna’s ire.
Before he can kill Max, however, Eleven finds them in the mind lair and is able to fend him off. But that’s in the void, and not real life, where Max’s body lays limp and appears to actually be dead. Undeterred, Eleven, who finally returns to Hawkins, uses her powers to bring Max back to life.
Sadly, though, Max is left in a coma, with the fate of her ever waking up undetermined -- at least until the series (along with Vecna, whose Upside Down world has finally broken into the real one) returns with season 5.
Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix.
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