After a five-season run, the final chapter of Stranger Things has arrived. The finale was one of the most hyped TV events of 2025, with the highest stakes yet for the town of Hawkins and its characters. Leading up to the end, fans had countless predictions about who would survive and what surprises the show had in store – some of which focused on Kali, Eleven’s “sister” from Hawkins Lab. While her story was initially explored in Season 2, Kali unexpectedly reappeared in the episode “Chapter Four: Sorcerer,” sparking even more fan speculation. Now that we’ve seen the finale, it’s clear that the fan theories were actually more exciting than what actually happened with her character.
Warning: Spoilers for the series finale of Stranger Things beyond this point!
Though Kali initially seemed like a minor character in Stranger Things, she didn’t have a significant part to play in the final showdown. When Eleven, Hopper, Murray, and Kali reach the Upside Down version of Hawkins, things quickly fall apart. Vecna exploits Kali’s abilities to break Eleven’s mental connection, allowing Akers and his soldiers to use a device that paralyzes both Eleven and Kali. Kali is ultimately captured, and Akers is about to execute her when Murray disables the device. Unfortunately, the resulting blast causes Akers to accidentally shoot and kill Kali. It was a shocking and unexpected end for her character.
Fans Thought Kali Would End Up Being a Traitor (And Those Were Actually Better Endings)
Fans had many ideas about what Kali’s part in the story would be. Some thought she could be the one to finally defeat Vecna, as her powers of illusion fit the show’s style and would be effective against him. Others believed Vecna had already corrupted her. Kali had been missing for three years, and given the Mind Flayer’s ability to control people combined with Vecna’s talent for exploiting past trauma, she seemed particularly vulnerable to his influence.
A major concern about Kali is that she could cause problems for the group. Eleven fully trusts her, but the others are wary. Kali has used her powers for questionable things in the past, like getting revenge or stealing, and she even tried to convince Eleven that even if they closed the gate to the Upside Down and destroyed the lab, the government would still come after her to continue their experiments. Kali suggested the only solution was for both of them to disappear, essentially sacrificing themselves. Many viewers found this behavior very suspicious and didn’t trust her motives.
The story could have taken a really interesting turn if Kali had been the key to defeating Vecna, if she’d turned out to be evil herself, or even if she’d just created internal problems for the group. However, her death happened quickly and felt surprisingly flat. Despite seeming like a potentially major character – even a possible villain – she ultimately proved to be a minor loss with little lasting impact.
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2026-01-01 06:41