The latest season of Stranger Things recently concluded on Netflix and what an ending it was. Compared to previous seasons, the current one raises the stakes for Eleven, her family, and her friends in Hawkins. But even after making it past Vecna, the Mind Flayer, and other threats from the Upside Down, fans wouldn't say the gang escaped unscathed as there have been several characters who passed away. We take a deep dive down below into the best deaths that happened over the four-season course of Stranger Things.
Ranking the 5 best Stranger Things deaths
5. Alexei
Stranger Things 3 changed the landscape of the show by revealing that the Soviet Union has made its way to Hawkins and is working on its own gate to the Upside Down. This development also introduced fans to Alexei, a bumbling scientist who loved American culture and ultimately, helped Hopper and Joyce defeat the Russians.
Over the course of Stranger Things 3, Alexei has transitioned from being a pressured scientist working for the Russians to a person who finally experienced what true freedom is. But before he can truly be free on his own, Greg ended his life in the middle of a Fourth of July carnival in Hawkins. Witnessed by Murray Bauman, his death hit a strong note because of how he passed away while everyone was celebrating around him and the potentially happy life he could have lived away from the Soviet Union.
4. Bob Newby
After the horrific events of season one, Joyce Byers definitely needed a breath of fresh air that would help get her family's life back together. Enter Bob Newby, famously played by The Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin.
Presented as a sweet and geekishly charming middle-aged man, Bob was worlds away from Joyce's ex-husband, making him more endearing in the process. His willingness to be there for Joyce and his children, weird monsters and all, made Bob grow closer to everyone's hearts.
That's why it's not only Joyce who felt the impact of his death when he was torn to pieces by a pack of demodogs in Stranger Things 2. Instead of a happy life together with the Byers, Bob certainly got the short end of the stick and made the ultimate sacrifice for his would-be family.
3. Dr. Brenner
Back in season one, everyone thought Dr. Brenner bit the dust when he was mauled alive by the Demogorgon while Eleven helplessly watched from a distance. Of course, that death would be retconned in Stranger Things 4 when it was revealed that the good doctor survived that incident.
What followed after is a Brenner helping Eleven regain her abilities after losing them in a battle against the Mind Flayer in season three. This involved unlocking her repressed memories back inside Hawkins Lab, including a crucial fight against Henry Creel, sending him to the Upside Down, and opening a gate there for the first time.
After reliving those horrific memories, Eleven gains her powers back and plans to return to Hawkins to save her friends. Brenner, on the other hand, had a different plan and incapacitated the girl to prevent her from leaving. At this point, Colonel Sullivan raids the hidden compound to seize control of Eleven and apprehend Brenner. Defiant to the end, the doctor helps her daughter escape at the cost of his life.
As he carries an unconscious Eleven in his arms, a helicopter carrying a sniper nails him down from above. In retaliation, Eleven uses her abilities to take the chopper down as Brenner succumbs to his wounds.
The tragedy in all of this is that Brenner never got the closure or recognition he craved when Eleven refused to say she understands his life's work. As he lay there dying, the struggle in both Eleven and Brenner can be seen as the latter's life draws to an end. And although he did achieve greatness, it was ultimately his adopted sons and daughters who deserved the credit, as mentioned by Vecna.
2. Billy Hargrove
Without a doubt, Billy succeeded in getting everyone's skin when he first appeared in Stranger Things 2. Max's big brother was unlike any other guy from Hawkins as he managed to be everyone's most hated character from that season.
While that may be the case then, Stranger Things 3 gave Billy a much larger role when he became the Mind Flayer's primary agent outside of the Upside Down. While possessed, fans saw enough of his past and understood why he became the bitter jerk everyone disliked, including memories of his mother.
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Although the sentiment towards Billy turned into a more sympathetic one, it was already too late. He momentarily regained control of his mind and saved Max from the Mind Flayer, an act that killed him in the end. His death goes to show that even in the final moment, that small window of redemption can still be seized, even by someone as detested as Billy.
1. Eddie Munson
All the previous entries mentioned in this list have that one element that makes them distinct. Alexei and Bob's deaths were tragic because of what their lives could have been if they survived. Brenner and Billy died with a redeeming quality after causing so much pain to others while they lived. All of these guys would also go above and beyond themselves to do something they normally won't to save other people or help achieve a worthy goal, even at the cost of their lives.
In that sense, Eddie tops the list because of what he did with the short time given to him in Stranger Things 4. What started out as an annoying character who bossed Mike and Dustin around progressed into a man on the run after being wrongfully accused of murdering the most popular cheerleader in school. He would go on to face his fears as part of Steve's group who entered the Upside Down, only to face a horde of demobats.
Since that point in the season, Eddie would gain the courage to become a new person, one that inspires Dustin and protects him as they fulfill their part in ending the threat of Vecna. In doing, so he resisted the temptation to run away and face his fears head-on, even at the cost of his life.
Eddie's death hit fans right in the heart as he breathed his last in Dustin's arms. And much like those that featured Billy, Alexei, Dr. Brenner, or Bob, these deaths would go on to live on and make a big impact on those who have followed Stranger Things over the years.
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