Three Stranger Things characters facing a pivotal turning point in the finale

While many are preparing for New Year’s celebrations, fans of Stranger Things are waiting for another, arguably even more exciting event: the finale of the hit series. This year, I agree with all advocates of staying in, because the evening will undoubtedly be completed by the final episode. As we count down the hours to the ultimate resolution of Stranger Things, countless theories are circulating online about what might happen at the very end, and the most convincing ones I found on the list compiled by our culture editor Tara. Either way, the biggest mystery remains which of our favorite characters will survive the final battle with Vecna and whether this story will have a happy ending. So far, only secondary characters have been lost, which is why fans fear that a truly sad episode awaits us.

A story has been circulating on social media claiming that the Duffer brothers announced the deaths of five characters in the final episode, which would make it the bloodiest episode of the entire series. But we can, at least somewhat, breathe a sigh of relief. The creators of the series, Matt and Ross Duffer, recently stated that the final episode of Stranger Things will not be as traumatic as, for example, the finale of Game of Thrones, which many of us are still recovering from. “I love Game of Thrones, but this series is completely different. We are not going to have a Red Wedding situation. I think truly surprising things will happen in the final episode, but we are not trying to shock or sadden anyone,” Matt Duffer said in an interview. However, even though there will probably not be many deaths among the main characters, the Duffer brothers reveal that three characters face a crucial fate in the final episode.

Three characters facing a pivotal turning point in the Stranger Things finale

1. Vecna / Henry Creel

According to Ross Duffer, Henry’s fate, or rather Vecna’s, is one of the “big gaps” that the finale needs to close. It has already been suggested that Henry may not have been born a monster, but rather another victim of the Mind Flayer, with a fate similar to Will’s. The series, however, never fully clarified whether there is even the slightest trace of goodness left in Henry. Is Vecna pure evil, or is his violence the result of years of manipulation? The answer to this question directly determines his fate: whether he will be defeated as the pure embodiment of evil or offered redemption. Henry is therefore not just the final villain, but a mirror of everything that could have happened to Eleven had she grown up without friends, love, and choice.

Courtesy of Netflix

2. Kali

The second character whose fate hangs most precariously in the balance is Kali. Although she appears as someone who understands Eleven better than anyone else, her behavior in the final season is quite suspicious. Fans are already speculating that she could be revealed as a covert antagonist, since she not only supports the idea of Eleven’s sacrifice but also seems to subtly encourage it. These suspicions were further fueled by the fact that Ross Duffer mentioned her as one of the three key characters in the finale. This leads us to wonder whether her role is truly secondary, whether she is just another wounded girl, or someone with her own plan for the ending.

Courtesy of Netflix

3. Eleven

From the very beginning, it has been clear that Eleven is perhaps the most important character in the series, so it is only natural that her fate is the one that will have the greatest impact in the finale itself. Ever since the first season, Eleven has been built as a character willing to save the world at the cost of her own life. She is a child of an experiment, but also a symbol of hope and a girl who was taught that her value lies in how much she can sacrifice for others. It is therefore no coincidence that her fate keeps returning as the series’ biggest unresolved question.

(Spoiler alert!) In the penultimate episode of the fifth season, Kali practically pushes her to prepare for her own sacrifice. Her influence on Eleven feels dangerous, because El already carries a deeply ingrained idea that she is “the key” to everything and that there is no salvation without her. This is precisely why it is a real possibility that the finale will demand her ultimate decision: whether she will once again choose to sacrifice herself for the good of the world or, for the first time, put her own life ahead of the mission.

Still, Eleven is the heart of Stranger Things, which is why her potential death would be not only tragic but also a symbolic closing of the story that began with her escape from the laboratory.

Courtesy of Netflix