The ‘Stranger Things’ Characters Most Likely To Die In The Season Finale, Ranked

In less than a week, we’re getting the final two episodes of Stranger Things Season Four. Volume One has some of the best episodes of the popular Netflix sci-fi horror show, and Volume Two promises to pack in a ton of spooky drama. I mean, have you seen the trailer? There have been hints from the Duffer Brothers that not everyone will survive the final two episodes of the season. Robin herself says it in the trailer: “It might not work out for us this time.” So who’s going to die? Here’s my ranking for who’s most likely to die by the end of Stranger Things Season Four, from least likely to most likely.

Spoilers ahead! If you haven’t watched Season Four Volume One yet, do that and then come back here.

20. Dustin

Everyone loves Dustin. He provides the perfect amount of comic relief while simultaneously being the only one who ever seems to know what’s going on. There have been no signs that his reign is ending, so we can consider our baby boy safe from Vecna’s grasp.

19. Hopper

There’s always a chance that everyone’s favorite town sheriff could die. But considering they’ve spent an entire season saving him from a Russian prison, I highly doubt they’d kill him off now. Plus, they’ve done it once before and they still brought him back. The Duffer Brothers know better.

18. Joyce

A mother will do anything for her kids. Heck, Joyce would sacrifice herself for other people’s kids as well. Still, would they really kill off Winona Ryder? I just can’t see it.

17. Jonathan

Jonathan’s presence in Season 4 has largely been missing. And when he’s there, he’s mostly just high the whole time–a bit of comic relief. His destiny is to figure out how he really feels about Nancy. If he dies, it’ll be Season 5.

16. Argyle

Maybe they’ll kill of this new character because it’s easier to kill off new people than the ones we’ve all come to know and love. But Eduardo Franco, who plays Argyle, is currently a hot commodity when it comes to any movie or TV show that requires a fun-loving teen. The Duffer Bros are going to want to keep him around.

15. Dr. Brenner

Oh, they’ll make it seem like he dies in the bunker when Eleven escapes. But they killed him in Season One only to bring him back. I think we can all safely assume that “Papa” never truly dies.

14. Yuri

It seems like he’d probably die in this season, but here’s something to consider about everyone’s favorite double-crossing plane-flying Russian: He’s squirrely. He’ll do anything to survive, even if that means hiding in a cupboard while the rest of the Russian prison gets eaten by demidogs.

13. Robin

Robin has had a great arc on the show, but there’s still so much more for her to do. She hasn’t found love, for example. Her story doesn’t feel finished. Plus, she’s become a huge fan favorite. Still, there’s this small part of me that feels like she isn’t as safe as I think she is.

12. Mike

Is he as safe as Dustin? No. But Mike will probably still survive. His role in the final two episodes will be saving Eleven and finally telling her he loves her, which will probably help El use the power of love against Vecna. He can’t really help her do that if he’s dead.

11. Lucas

At first, I was going to put him in a much safer position on this list. He hasn’t had much going on in this season aside from going against the basketball jock mob. But then you consider his feelings for Max. If anyone would save her from Vecna’s grasp, it’s Lucas. He might sacrifice himself, thus making him never reading Max’s letter all the more tragic.

10. Eleven

Do I actually think they’ll kill Eleven? No. This show is about her, and there’s still another season left to go. But I put her higher on the list because I can definitely see them faking her death like they did for her in Season One or for Hopper last season. Clearly the final Vecna battle is going to take a lot out of her, so it’d make sense if she “didn’t make it,” even if it’s a fake-out.

9. Vecna

Surprised to see Vecna at this spot on the list? You shouldn’t. The guy is incredibly powerful. He’s also the reason why the Upside Down exists (with Eleven’s help, of course.) If he dies, what happens to the Upside Down? I think his death at the end of Season Four will be a fake-out.

8. Will

It would be absolutely tragic if Will died. He’s had such a bad go of it, from being lost in the Upside Down for an entire season to being largely forgotten by all of his friends. Either he’s finally going to get the respect he deserves, or he’ll die never having told a certain someone how he really feels. Poor Will.

7. Nancy

You might expect her to have a higher chance of surviving, but Nancy has had an interesting story arc this season. She’s now caught in a love triangle, and an interesting way to narratively handle that triangle is to take away the person Steve and Jonathan are fighting over. She might just sacrifice herself for all these kids she reluctantly cares so much about. It’s not off the table.

6. Steve

Most people think Steve is going to die this season. And it makes sense. He’d do anything for these kids. If Dustin’s or Robin’s lives are on the line, he’ll gladly sacrifice himself. Plus, he’s already injured. But the Duffer Brothers planned to kill him off seasons ago and they didn’t because he’s a fan favorite. If he dies, he’s more likely to die in the final season. Still…I have a sinking feeling this really will be the final days of Steve. Get ready to revolt.

5. Enzo/Dmitri

There’s about to be a huge battle in that Russian prison. Hopper and the crew need to fight their way out, and not everyone is going to make it out alive. Dmitri helped Hopper this whole time. He’s also had a ton of character development–including mention of a son he wants to make proud–which is exactly why he’ll probably die. His death would be tragic in the best and saddest way.

4. Murray

But even more likely to die in the Russian prison battle is Murray. His character development has been stellar. He’s shown he’s capable and often right with his conspiracy theories. We all love him, so it’ll hurt when he sacrifices himself to get Joyce and Hopper to safety.

3. Dr. Owens

Dr. Owens is the exact opposite of Dr. Brenner. He’s been looking out for Eleven without forcing a weird, creepy Papa/Daughter relationship. I could see him sacrificing himself to help Eleven get out of the bunker. Frankly, I’m surprised he’s even survived this long. But he’s not number one on the list because they might not even spend screen time showing him die.

2. Max

This season has been all about Max, if you think about it. The song of the season, “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” by Kate Bush, is her favorite song–the one that saved her from Vecna. It’d make sense that Max would die at the end of this. And when you consider that she wrote all those letters to people on the event of her death, I have a feeling the season will end with everyone reading them. This would be tragic, by the way. Narratively speaking, it makes a ton of sense.

1. Eddie

While the entire world would collectively hate it if our favorite Dungeon Master died, I can’t see any way he can recover from this. The entire town thinks he’s been murdering people. He has a bloodthirsty basketball team after him. It’s not like they can explain that it was really a former gifted kid from another dimension doing all the killing. I don’t want this to be true, but I just don’t see a plausible way that Eddie can survive beyond the finale. Get ready to flip a table.