This Fan-Favorite ‘Stranger Things’ Character Almost Didn’t Make It
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Warning: This article contains spoilers on Stranger Things Season 4 Part 2.
We knew the final two episodes of Stranger Things were going to be big. Episodes 8 and 9 clocked in at around four hours, and from where we left off in Season 4 Part 1, it was clear from the beginning Vecna is the formidable source of the kids’ constant struggle to close the Upside Down once and for all. And as the show’s most powerful villain by far, Vecna will be anything but an easy adversary in Season 5.
In Episodes 8 and 9 of Season 4, the kids, plus Hopper, Joyce, and Murray, did everything they could to defeat Vecna. They killed the demodogs and demogorgon hidden away in the KGB prison. Eleven overpowered him and trapped him in the Upside Down, and the rest of the gang worked to destroy Vecna’s actual body, left dormant while he chased after Max and fought Eleven. And although everything went according to plan (albeit with some hiccups, like Jason and the rest of the basketball team finding Lucas and Erica), there were still two major casualties at the end of the season.
First up, a sad but not totally surprising death: Eddie. It’s par for the course each season that one of the charismatic new additions to the show will get killed off. And since it wasn’t going to be Enzo…there was only one other option that would cut deep. But that wasn’t the major shock of the season.
Throughout the entire season, Max narrowly avoided Vecna, only protecting herself due to a now iconic scene set to "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" by Kate Bush. You know the one. In Part 2, Vecna finally caught up to her, and their final confrontation didn't go well.
Is Max in Stranger Things Really Dead?
Despite Eleven and Lucas’s best attempts to save Max, Vecna still managed to grab Max, break every bone in her body and take her eyes. Max appeared to take her last few breaths in Lucas’ arms, and now fans are wondering: Is Max really dead?
As Lucas held Max (who was very much dead), Eleven astral projected to the pair, held her hand up, and decided she wouldn’t let her best friend die. Two days later, Max appears still on the verge of death, but in a coma. It was close, but she appears to at least be out of the woods when it comes to Vecna's wrath.
We don’t know exactly what Eleven did since it didn’t really play out on screen, but our best guess is Eleven was able to somehow bring her friend back to life from the Upside Down due to…her memories of her? The power of love? We’re not sure. All we know is Max is alive, for now.
Season 5 will probably give a more definitive answer on how Max is doing, since we can’t leave such an important character (who has arguably one of the best romances in the show) in limbo for the final season. Who knows? Maybe Eleven’s powers will be powerful enough to help Max wake up, or defeating Vecna could help. Season 5 could also potentially take a time jump to account for all the actors' real ages—so maybe by the time we catch back up with the Hawkins gang, Max could be well on her way to a full recovery.
For now, we’ll have to patiently wait for the final Stranger Things season, and hope everyone, including Max, gets their happy ending when all is said and done.
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