*Spoilers ahead*
Stranger Things concluded its nearly decade-long run with a dramatic final episode, “The Rightside Up”.
The feature-length episode brings the Hawkins crew’s fight against the Upside Down to a close and delivers several emotional character deaths.
Much discussion has revolved around the fate of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), with fans divided over what really happened.
Here, we’ve got what you need to know about who dies in the series finale of Stranger Things.
Kali (Eight)
One of the biggest losses in the finale was Kali Prasad (Linnea Berthelsen), also known as Eight. She’s a psychokinetic ally of Eleven introduced in Season 2.
Eight returns in the final battle to help the Hawkins team but is shot by military forces after protecting Eleven from a deadly attack. Her death is portrayed as a heroic moment, underscoring her growth from a troubled past to a committed defender of her friends.
Vecna
In the climactic confrontation, the series major villain, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), meets his end.
After they all manage to get inside the body of the Mind Flayer, which is where Vecna controls it from, Eleven comes face-to-face with Vecna.
Then Will, Joyce and the crew join them and using combined psychic efforts, Eleven and her friends weaken Vecna.
Joyce finishes the battle by decapitating him, effectively dismantling the Mind Flayer’s control and breaking its connection to the Upside Down.
This death brings much of the supernatural threat to a definitive close, though fans are divided over whether it was paced well in the finale. Some argue that the death of Vecna happened too soon, and that more time could have been spent on the battle.
Eleven
Perhaps the most talked-about death is that of Eleven herself.
After the gang defeats Vecna and destroys the Upside Down’s infrastructure, Eleven sacrifices herself at the portal to prevent further military exploitation of her powers.
Though her fate appears to be final in the moment, a later epilogue hints that she may have survived.
Mike tells a story to his friends that suggests Kali used illusion magic to fake Eleven’s death, and that she is now living in a far away remote community. Asked if he believes it, Mike tells the guys he hopes it’s true, leaving her ultimate fate intentionally ambiguous.
Talking to Tudum, the Duffer brothers explain that this was intentional. “There was never a version of the story where Eleven was hanging out with the gang at the end,” Ross said.
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