The Stranger Things series finale has been building since the show premiered on Netflix in 2016, and with the Stranger Things season 5 finale coming in 2025, fans are making many predictions. While people still have questions like who is Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) real dad, there’s another subject that is getting a lot of attention: who will live and who will die in the final season.

Every season of Stranger Things has had a high death count, and there’s no doubt that at least some minor characters will be killed (possibly by Jamie Campbell Bower’s villain Vecna) in the last few episodes. Who will live and who will die in Stranger Things season 5? Fans have some ideas.

Which Stranger Things Season 5 Characters Do Fans Think Will Die And Live?

In a Reddit thread about the final season of Stranger Things, several fans discussed the fates of the main characters in Stranger Things season 5. Fans agree that Will Byers (Noah Schanpp), Steve Harrington (Joe Kerry), and Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) seem likely to die in Stranger Things season 5.

One fan wrote that Nancy could stand up for her friends and end up getting killed. Given the character growth that she has shown over the past four seasons, this seems possible. She went from being a typical teenager who cares about fun parties and popularity to a caring, empathetic person who doesn’t care about being cool. Redditor @pineyfusion wrote:

“Nancy is going to go out in a super bada** way. She’s going to be the one to sacrifice herself.”

Redditor @Silver-Sage59 thinks Steve will die in Stranger Things season 5 because he’ll be trying to save the people who he cares about. While this is sad to think about, it does seem like a possibility. If Steve died, it would be just as upsetting but ultimately powerful as Eddie Munson’s (Joseph Quinn) death scene in season 4. While Eddie should have gotten more screentime, he does get a lot of warranted attention at the end of his life. The fan wrote:

“Steve will die while saving Nancy and Robin or while saving Dustin, Mike and Lucas. Because he told us his dream for him and Nancy. I was surprised he didn’t die in Season 4!”

On the other hand, while some think that Will will die to continue his heartbreaking character arc. Will’s Stranger Things timeline includes him being in the Upside Down in episode one, and he has been in danger ever since. However, Redditor @orphandain thinks that while fans will think Will is in trouble, he will ultimately previal. They wrote, “I could see them torturing Will next season to keep up the tradition, but no way would he actually die.

While it’s sad to imagine any of the main characters passing away since they have been through so much and have saved each other multiple times, the terrifying setting of the Upside Down does make it seem impossible for everyone to make it out alive. Redditor @Wrong-Investigatior26 brought up the Duffer Brothers commenting that no characters are safe in Stranger Things season 5. The fan thinks people should be prepared for some deaths and wrote:

“I think it would be a tad unrealistic not to kill anyone. Especially when the Upside down is basically seeping into the right-side up in such a scale, demogorgans, demodogs,demobats, all the works will be in Hawkins.”

Several fans think no characters will die in Stranger Things season 5. This is because the ending needs to be peaceful and joyful. Redditor @DemoBytom wrote:

“Nobody, because at heart Stranger Things are inspired by Goonies , ET etc – ultimately uplifting stories where good guys win in the end. Duffers did say so before.”

When it comes to a proper Stranger Things series finale that doesn’t disappoint, some fans agree that it would be great if all the characters lived. While that doesn’t seem possible given Vecna’s reign of terror, it would be terrible if any of The Party died. At the very least, it seems unrealistic to think that Eleven or her friends would be killed. The main characters willlikely end Stranger Things season 5 as heroes.

What Are Some Of The Most Memorable Deaths In Stranger Things?

While many characters died in Stranger Things seasons 1 through 4, there are a few that stand out the most. Barb Holland’s (Shannon Purser) and Benny Hammond’s (Chris Sullivan) Stranger Things season 1 deaths are heartbreaking.

Bob Newby (Sean Austin) dies in Stranger Things season 2, which is upsetting since he and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) have been in a relationship for a while. However, unlike some of the other deaths that feel particularly unfair and sad, like Eddie Munson’s in season 4, it makes sense for Bob to die a hero. The Demodogs in Hawkins lab ultimately take his life, and this sets up the Joyce and Hopper romance.

Other impactful Stranger Things deaths include Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Diem) in season 4 and Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) in season 3. Since Vecna kills Chrissy and alerts everyone to his motives and ways of killing people, her death might be the most powerful one of all.