Over the course of its 4-season run, Netflix's Stranger Things has killed off a few supporting characters, and while these individuals were certainly well-liked - Shannon Purser’s Barb in season 1 and Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson in Season 4, for example - the show's core heroes have (so far) managed to avoid being taken out by the various horrors of the Upside-Down.
This is not to suggest that they've all emerged unscathed (just ask Sadie Sink's Max), but the series has been accused of playing it a bit safe, and it seems some of the cast members would agree.
While appearing at a panel at Mega Con Orlando, Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson) was asked what changes, if any, he would make to the show.
“It might sound messed up, but we should kill more people,” Matarazzo responded. “This show would be so much better if the stakes were much higher, like at any moment, any of these kids can kick it. I feel like we’re all too safe.”
Back in 2022, Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley) said something similar in relation to her own character potentially getting a noble send-off in the upcoming fifth and final season.
“I would love to die and get my hero’s moment,” she told Rolling Stone. “I’d love to die with honor, as any actor would. But I love the way that the Duffer Brothers love their actors. The reason that they write so beautifully for me and for everyone else is because they fall in love with their actors and their characters, and they don’t want to kill them. I think that’s a beautiful quality that they have, and I wouldn’t wish it away.”
We don't necessarily want to see any of these guys buy the farm, but we don't see everyone making it to the end of the final season, so Hawke might just get her wish!
Season 5 of Stranger Things is expected to consist of eight episodes, with the first confirmed to be titled "The Crawl". No premiere date has been announced, but the show was set to return to our screens early next year prior to the delay. It may still arrive before the end of next year, but there's a slim chance it won't be ready until 2026.
In the season 4 finale, Eleven and her friends managed to defeat the evil entity known as Vecna, but at great cost. Eddie was killed (there's been some speculation that he might return, but we're not buying it), and Max was left blind, broken and in a coma.
Vecna - who was ultimately revealed to be the deranged Henry Creel - was vanquished, but It was only a temporary victory, as the concluding moments of the episode confirmed that dark forces in the Upside-down are amassing for what will almost certainly be a massive final battle.
Are you up to date with Stranger Things? If so, what do you hope to see from this final season?