“Logo text Everything’s about to turn Upside Down again, for the very last time. After nearly a decade streaming on Netflix, Stranger Things begins its endgame this week, with the Nov. 26 release of the first four episodes of its final season. The supernatural horrors lurking beneath Hawkins, Indiana are finally boiling over for one”, — write: www.hollywoodreporter.com
Everything’s about to turn Upside Down again, for the very last time.
After nearly a decade streaming on Netflix, Stranger Things begins its endgame this week, with the Nov. 26 release of the first four episodes of its final season. The supernatural horrors lurking underneath Hawkins, Indiana are finally boiling over for one last climactic showdown, with nothing and no one promised to succeed against the vicious villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and his Demogorgon army.
Ah, come on — success in some shape or form is guaranteed. But who will live? Who will die? Whose fate will fall somewhere in between? Below, we’re rounding up the main characters of Stranger Things for our final predictions of where things will wind up.
Hawkins and the Upside Down
The Upside Down in season five. Courtesy of Netflix
Let’s begin with the setting of the show before delving into the cast. Throughout the Duffer Brothers’ series, these two worlds have leaked into one another, offering champions and villains from both sides of the line. At the end of season four, however, the Upside Down came right side up into Hawkins, causing a huge disaster that’s kept the town on lockdown heading into the final season. Our prediction: the Upside Down won’t fully fall away, with one or more characters stuck there permanently to keep Hawkins and the rest of the world safe. But who will that be?
The Byers Family
Will (Noah Schnapp) faces off with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) in the upcoming final season.
Stranger Things began with young Will (Noah Schnapp) disappearing into the Upside Down, and it feels likely to end in a similar fashion, albeit as a choice, not a disappearance. Uniquely connected to the Vecna of it all, Will — who spent much of season four reckoning with his sexuality and, specifically, his feelings for best friend Mike (Finn Wolfhard) — could make an ultimate sacrifice to save the ones he loves. His brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) would achieve some growth in letting go of his over-protective instincts, and for mom Joyce (Winona Ryder), it would mark some measure of letting her son grow up as well. With Will left in the Upside Down, the door would also be open for the show to return at some future point.
The Hoppers
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Hopper (David Harbour) previously in Stranger Things. Netflix
Of course, Will ending the series back where he started is pretty damn depressing — so what if he’s not alone? Perhaps he’ll be joined by Eleven, played by Schnapp’s real-life best friend Millie Bobby Brown, who also knows what it’s like to live trapped in this dark realm. If nothing else, Will and Eleven rehabilitating the show’s shadow world offers a glimmer of hope that even the darkest corners of the universe can experience some light. As for David Harbour’s Hopper, the man was already presumed dead once; it’s about time to give him a break, settling into a happy ending with Joyce on the other side of his season four prison stint.
The Wheelers
Mike (Finn Wolfhard) at the center of season five scheming. Netflix
If Will and Eleven end the show on the other side of the doorway to the Upside Down, then what about Mike? In many ways, the show has been just as much about him growing out of childish things as anything else. Accepting that moving on in life often means seeing less of the ones you love would hammer the metaphor home, but there’s no way the show ends without Mike being able to at least stay in touch with the two closest people in his life. As for Nancy (Natalia Dyer), her final fate could go in any number of directions, but here’s the shot I’ll take: she’s the one who gets to deliver the final kill shot to Lord Vecna, having been the one who effectively rediscovered him in the first place.
Steve and Dustin
Steve (Joe Keery, left) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) with Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink previously. Courtesy of Netflix
If there’s anyone who feels particularly likely to die, it’s Joe Keery’s Steve, who wasn’t supposed to survive the first season in the first place. Each season, Steve becomes increasingly more likable and grown up, putting himself in harm’s way time after reckless time. How exactly would Steve’s death play out? (Watch my favorite Stranger Things fan video on the internet right now, it’ll do a much better job than I can manage.) As for his best pal Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), the Duffers aren’t so foolish as to touch a single hair on his beautiful head. If Dustin doesn’t end the show as the heir apparent to the Hellfire Club, we riot.
Lucas and Max
Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) with Max (Sadie Sink) in season five. Courtesy of Netflix
I want a happy ending for these two, especially given all the trauma Sadie Sink’s Max has experienced, from witnessing her brother’s visceral death to nearly dying at Vecna’s hands in season four, ending the season in critical condition. Has her condition improved since then? Even if it has, Max embodies the “running up that hill” attitude that stands to put her right back on Vecna’s radar. Max comes across as one of the most likely characters to show up for a final stand against the big bad. With that said, with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) at her side, always championing for Max to live better than she was forced to endure as a kid, I do think there’s a glimmer of hope for both of them by the end.
Everyone Else
Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) with Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) in season five. Matt Kennedy/Netflix
Quick hits! Lucas’ sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) will not only live, but will play a fundamental role in Vecna’s demise. Maya Hawke’s Robin will also live, and she will somehow inherit the title and deed to Scoops Ahoy. Brett Gelman’s Murray will die, sacrificing himself for Nancy and Jonathan, as a means of making up for just how wildly inappropriate it was that he was so pushy with their teenage love affair. Finally, the boldest prediction of all: the Wheeler parents Karen and Ted will be in the show.
Season five of Stranger Things will be released in three parts: Volume 1 on Nov. 26 (consisting of four episodes), Volume 2 on Christmas (three episodes) and The Finale on New Year’s Eve. Read the Duffer Brothers’ rewatch recommendations ahead of the final season.