Why Stranger Things Was Wrong Not To Kill Any Main Characters in the Series Finale

by

As a huge fan, watching Stranger Things finally come to an end after nearly a decade was a real emotional rollercoaster! When the first part of the final season arrived, I was so glad to see some storylines wrapping up and long-held mysteries finally being addressed. It wasn’t perfect, and felt more like setting the stage, but that’s okay. Then the second part dropped, and things got… complicated. Social media exploded with reactions, and honestly, some fans were so upset they even started a petition for Netflix to release extra footage! By the time the very last episode aired, it seemed like people were pretty divided – some were thrilled with how it all ended, while others just felt a little let down. It was a bittersweet experience, for sure.

It’s common for series endings to be controversial, though few have sparked as much outrage as the finale of Game of Thrones. However, the biggest issue with Stranger Things‘ ending was that it didn’t give clear, lasting consequences to its most important characters. While Eleven’s fate is left open to interpretation, the show avoided giving any major character a truly tragic ending – something fans had been discussing since the final season was announced. This makes sense, given the creators’ consistent message that the show was about friendship, personal growth, and optimism, not unnecessary violence. But just because a creative decision is understandable doesn’t necessarily mean it feels satisfying or makes sense within the story.

Why No One Dying in Stranger Things Was a Mistake

After spending years establishing a dangerous world with a powerful villain and the threat of total destruction, a completely safe ending feels unearned. It’s not that characters needed to die, but rather that the ending doesn’t match the intense and frightening world the show so carefully created.

As a huge fan, I’ve watched Stranger Things grow up, and honestly, Season 4 was a real turning point. It wasn’t just about kids on bikes anymore – it dove headfirst into genuine horror, with some seriously disturbing imagery and really heavy emotional stuff like depression and guilt. Vecna wasn’t some generic villain; he felt personal, like he was getting inside your head. But the way everything wrapped up in the finale? It felt…off. It was like after all that darkness and weight, the show just decided everyone would be okay, almost magically. It didn’t feel earned, more like a safe move than a natural continuation of the story. It kind of left me feeling a little disappointed, to be honest.

The show’s constant use of near-death experiences is particularly noticeable. Stranger Things frequently sets up scenes that look like a character’s last moments, putting them in seemingly inescapable danger – whether it’s Steve battling monsters, Hopper taking reckless risks, Nancy and Jonathan facing a deadly substance from the Upside Down, or Eleven being stretched to her breaking point. While these moments are meant to build suspense, they become less effective over time because viewers have learned not to take the threats seriously. When characters inevitably survive, the tension is replaced by a feeling of being misled.

Watching the latest season, I kept thinking about how the show handles death, and honestly, it’s become a real problem. We’ve seen characters like Bob, Billy, and Eddie come and go, and while those deaths were meant to show us the danger, they were always side characters – people we knew weren’t long for this world. It felt like the show was constantly bringing in new faces just to have them die, avoiding any real risk to the main crew. And that’s where it falls apart. By now, the pattern is so obvious: Stranger Things will sacrifice anyone as long as it doesn’t hurt the core group. It’s like there’s a protective shield around the heroes, and it completely kills the suspense, even during the big finale. You just don’t feel any real danger because you know, deep down, who’s ‘safe’.

Honestly, some characters seemed destined for more difficult endings. Hopper, constantly haunted by loss and always ready to sacrifice himself, is a prime example – his story always suggested a significant, rather than easy, conclusion. Though the show briefly misled viewers with a fake death in Season 3, it became clear he wouldn’t face real consequences. Steve also felt like a likely candidate for a tragic end, something that would have given his character arc more weight. The finale initially makes it appear as if his time has come, but it turns out to be another false alarm. And then there’s Eleven, who arguably has the most important and challenging story of all.

The Stranger Things Epilogue Feels Too Safe

Leaving Eleven’s fate uncertain isn’t necessarily a bad choice, but when you look at how the show has handled death in the past, her story feels like it needed a more definitive conclusion. Throughout the series, Eleven has consistently sacrificed parts of herself – her childhood, her identity, a normal life – to protect others. Because of this, a tragic ending for her always seemed likely, particularly considering her connection to the Upside Down. To not show a clear loss for her after everything she’s been through diminishes the power of her journey and everything that came before. Stranger Things has always been known for its emotional impact, and this ambiguity feels like a missed opportunity to deliver that.

It’s understandable why many people enjoyed the finale. The show wraps up storylines sincerely, brings characters together in a satisfying way, and offers a warm farewell after all this time. The problem isn’t that the ending is heartfelt or pleasant; it’s that after building up such a sense of impending doom and permanent change, the aftermath can’t be treated as an afterthought in the final episodes.

The idea that emotional trauma could be as devastating as death doesn’t quite hold up. If the show really wanted to emphasize that point, the ending should have shown a world irrevocably changed by the events. Instead, things return to a sense of normalcy – Hawkins is still there, the friends are still together, and while the future won’t be easy, it feels achievable. This creates a strange contrast. The final fight with Vecna feels significant morally – it’s about justice, revenge, and doing the right thing – but it doesn’t have the lasting impact you’d expect from an “end of the world” scenario. It’s understandable why many viewers felt the climax felt hurried; it’s well-done, but feels sudden because the promised level of destruction never actually happens.

As a fan, I really appreciated that the finale focused on the characters’ feelings instead of big special effects – that’s always been what made Stranger Things special. But I do think the ending could have been stronger. They built Vecna up as a direct result of Eleven’s past, and it felt like defeating him without a real sacrifice diminished the danger we’ve felt throughout the series. It wasn’t about needing a shocking death, but about making the stakes feel real and permanent. While the ending did connect emotionally, it felt like the show pulled back at the very moment it should have fully committed. Honestly, that finale felt like a preview of how the final season should play out – a willingness to truly raise the stakes and let consequences stick.

The finale of Stranger Things didn’t need to be overly violent to be satisfying. However, after building up a sense of real threat – where viewers genuinely feared for the characters’ lives – the complete lack of major losses creates a disconnect between what was promised and what actually happened. While the creators understandably wanted to protect their characters, shielding them too much can be just as damaging to a story as being needlessly harsh. The show ended without any significant character deaths, and that doesn’t ruin the finale, but it does make it feel less impactful than it could have been.

What are your thoughts on the character deaths in the show? Share your opinion in the comments and discuss it with other fans on the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/feature/why-stranger-things-season-6-isnt-happening-what-spinoffs-are-in-the-works/embed/#

Read More

2026-01-04 01:15