We bid farewell to Eddie Munson (played by Joseph Quinn) in episode 9, as he died a hero to save his friends and protect his town. The Duffer Brothers confirmed this character’s death while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast following the finale — yet, there’s two other character demises from Volume 2 that may not actually have a nail in their coffins.
Max’s fate is unclear
Max became a victim of Vecna’s curse in the two-part finale, and was technically dead for a full minute before Eleven restarted her heart with her powers. The last we see of Max, she’s hospitalised and in a coma. Eleven tries to communicate with her by searching for her mind, but there is, tragically, no response.
When asked about Max’s fate while speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Sink was quick to point out that Max has a pulse and is technically still alive and present in the show. “I’m not sure where we’re going and what Max’s state is. It’s definitely all up in the air right now,” said Sink. “I’m just as excited as everyone else to find out where Max is and how she’s doing.”
Vecna’s fate is also up in the air
Jamie Campbell Bower, who portrayed this season’s villain Vecna/Henry/One, also hinted at a S5 return to EW, noting the scene where Vecna should be dead, but suddenly disappears. On August 29, JCB opened up further to NME, teasing that Vecna will most likely be back for season five, and he’ll be back with a hell of a vengeance. “He’s pissed, he’s properly vexed,” said Campbell Bower. “I don’t think he’s slunk off licking his wounds in misery. He’s rebuilding, and he’s out for blood. It’s like, you’ve really f*cking pushed the buttons now, that classic Jason Voorhees [the iconic killer in Friday the 13th] thing — you’ve made a big mistake.”
Though Campbell Bower still hasn’t confirmed whether he’s signed on for multiple seasons, Will’s mention to Mike that he could still feel Vecna’s presence during the finale is almost confirmation enough. “I think Vecna and Will have a connection that’s yet to be explored,” continued JCB. “As a fan, I’d be interested to see more of that.”
Will new characters be introduced in Stranger Things season 5?
Terminator star Linda Hamilton confirmed back in 2023 that she’d be joining the cast – no word yet on who her character will be yet, though.
“I don’t know how to be a fangirl and an actress at the same time,” she said during her announcement for Netflix’s TUDUM. “I’m gonna work on that.”
While speaking to IndieWire in August 2022, the Duffer Brothers broke down their rationale behind bringing new characters on the show and praised the adaptability and performances of actors brought on the series after season 1, like Joseph Quinn, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, and Dacre Montgomery. Though they avoid introducing multiple new core characters in a given season, the Duffer Brothers admitted that new characters can bring fresh ideas, just like new plot devices or new creatures to battle.
“I just like shaking it up, so we shake it up by changing the plot or adding in a new monster,” said Matt. “We’re doing our best to resist [adding new characters] for Season 5. We’re trying not to do that so we can focus on the OG characters, I guess.” With such a finite amount of time left with the OG Hawkins gang, it makes sense that the Stranger Things writers want to make sure that fans aren’t left feeling shorted by the series finale. This means there might be a new face around town in Stranger Things 5, but don’t count on it too much.
