Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 is almost here – and fans should prepare themselves for a potentially big character death.
That's according to the wildly popular Netflix show's creators, aka the Duffer brothers, who told TVLine that audiences should be "concerned" about the safety of the series' main cast.
Stranger Things season 4 will come to a close when volume 2 lands on Netflix in July. The 80s-inspired supernatural horror show's next instalment will only comprise two episodes, but fans will certainly get their money's worth from them. The finale, in particular, is a feature-length film in its own right, with the season's ninth episode clocking in at nearly two and a half hours.
Given the dangerous situations that the show's main cast have faced for nearly four seasons, fans are clearly worried that someone is going to bite the dust in the season 4 finale. It's unclear whether any character deaths will come at the hands of Vecna or something else, but many viewers are concerned for the wellbeing of Joe Keery's Steve Harington. The jock-turned-heartthrob nanny was originally supposed to be killed off in Stranger Things season 1 but, after a change of heart, the Duffer brothers opted to keep him alive.
With Steve originally supposed to die three seasons ago, will the Duffers finally decide to bring the axe down on him in the season 4 finale? Naturally, the duo weren't giving anything anyway when they spoke to TVLine. However, the Duffer brothers suggested that fans should be worried about all their favorite characters, teasing the prospect that one or multiple cast members may not make it to the series' fifth and final season.
Asked if audiences should prepare for Steve's death, Matt Duffer said: "Everybody’s always worried about Steve. I love it. We always have to beat Steve up somehow, so certainly the Demobats have done that job pretty well already this season."
"It feels wrong to say ‘excited,’ but I’m excited that people are concerned," Ross Duffer added. "And they should be concerned going into the final two episodes [of Season 4] – for everybody."
Anybody else stockpiling boxes of tissues in case someone does die? Well, you don't need to do so just yet. Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 won't be with us for another two weeks, with the season's final two episodes arriving on Friday, July 1. While you wait, read our thoughts on why Netflix should switch up its release format for its hit series. Alternatively, check out 11 things we want to see from season 4 volume 2.
Analysis: who's most likely to die in Stranger Things season 4's finale?
Based on the Duffers' tantalizing tease, it would be far quicker to list the characters who won't die during the Stranger Things season 4 finale.
For starters, Eleven is nailed on to fight for another day. As Sam Owens told her in episode 4: "Without you, we can't win this war". Given she's the only superpowered individual who can go toe-to-toe with Vecna, and the candidate most likely to put an end to the Upside Down forever, Eleven should make it through the season 4 finale.
We suspect that Jim Hopper and Max Mayfield will survive, too. Both characters have been through a lot recently, and they've even been on the cusp of death at various points – Hopper in the season 3 finale and Max in season 4 episode 4. They deserve some happiness once all of this is over as well, so we think Joyce Byers and Lucas Sinclair – Hopper and Max's love interests in the show – will make it out alive.
We can't see the Duffer brothers killing off any of the original kids either. Sure, killing any one of Mike, Dustin, and Will would be a huge shock and certainly create fierce debate online among the series' fans. Unexpected as that would be, however, we think the Duffers would be wrong to bump one or more of these characters off. They started this back in Stranger Things season 1 – it's only right that they all see it through.
As for everyone else, we're of the opinion that the rest of the cast is fair game. Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, Robin, Eddie, Doctor Brenner, and Murray are all prime candidates for the chop to varying degrees. Some of their deaths would hit way harder than others – Nancy and Steve would be particularly hard to take. But, if the Duffer brothers and Netflix want fans to remember season 4 as the show's most mature and horrifying entry yet, they have to kill someone significant off. Place your bets on who that'll be now.
