The final two episodes of Stranger Things 4 just landed on Netflix and, without a doubt, it's the ending that will leave anyone stunned. After two movie-sized episodes, fans of the show are now left to deal with tons of questions about how the fourth season ended. We take a deep dive into this Stranger Things 4 episode 9 ending explained to make more sense of what just happened to Eleven and the rest of the gang.
Stranger Things 4 episode 9 ending explained
The final episode of Stranger Things 4 opens up with where the previous one ended. Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, and Murray Bauman are still in Russia, aimlessly trying to get out of the country. Eleven has just been rescued by Mike, Jonathan, Will, and Argyle, and they're on their way back to Hawkins. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang are off to enact their plan to kill Vecna and end his threat from the Upside Down.
To accomplish that insurmountable feat, those left in Hawkins come up with a three-pronged approach to get the job done. Max will get the attention of Vecna with Lucas watching over her physical body. Erika will then signal Nancy, Steve, and Robin inside the Upside Down so they can proceed to kill their target while he's in a trance. For their part, Eddie and Dustin will distract the demobats and prevent them from harming Steve, and the others.
Instead of traveling all the way to Hawkins and arriving late, Eleven and her companions decide to build a makeshift sensory tank so she can enter Max's mind and fight Vecna inside there. Hopper and the others plan to engage the demogorgons loose inside the Russian prison to hurt the hive mind and give their kids a fighting chance.
Thos in Hawkins enact their plan flawlessly at first. Max succeeds in drawing Vecna to her mind while Eddie performs, as mentioned by Dustin, the most metal concert in history to get the attention of a demobat horde protecting the Creel House inside the Upside Down. As this happens, Nancy, Steve, and Robin enter the said house to finally eliminate Vecna. And while the former Henry Creel is chasing Max, Eleven succeeds in entering her mind to fight her adversary.
At this point, the plan for each group suddenly takes a turn for the worse. Eddie stays behind to distract the demobats more while helping Dustin escape. Hopper is cornered by a demogoron and is about to eat him alive. Jason confronts Lucas and holds him at gunpoint if he doesn't wake Max up. Nancy, Steve, and Robin were all taken by the tentacles inside Creel House, and are slowly squeezing the life out of them. Inside Max's mind, Vecna overpowers Eleven after an intense battle and takes control of her and Max.
Before he can get the chance to hurt Max, Eleven tells Vecna that Papa is dead and he doesn't have to do this anymore. Using that detail, he turns to Eleven and tells her what happened after she sent him to the Upside Down. Vecna reveals that he discovered the Mind Flayer and shaped it into the spider-like form fans saw in seasons past. The monster said that he only needed Eleven to open a door, which she did in season one. From there, everything that Hawkins has endured from the Upside Down has been orchestrated by him. From there, he raises Max up with the intention to kill her and finalize his return to the real world.
With Mike by his side, Eleven gains the courage to break Vecna's hold on her before he kills Max. She manages to overpower the monster and eliminate him. In a sudden twist of fate, Max dies in Lucas' arms after seemingly escaping the deadly act of Vecna. While this is happening, Hopper and Murray kill the demogorgons to hurt the overall hive mind. This act disables the demobats but not in time as Eddie dies from his wounds with Dustin beside him.
Witnessing Max's death inside her mind, Eleven uses her powers to revive the red-headed teenager. But even though she makes her heart beat again, the temporary death caused the doorway from the Upside Down to Hawkins to open up in the form of a massive earthquake.
After two days, Eleven and the others return to Hawkins to discover the town in disarray. Max is in a coma with Lucas and Erika watching over her. Dustin tells Eddie's uncle that he died as a hero, and not as the monster everyone believes him to be. Meanwhile, Nancy and Jonathan lead a portion of the group to help fix Hopper's old cabin so Eleven can hide there in the meantime. While they're doing that, Hopper and Joyce return and a tearful reunion between the former police chief and her adopted daughter happens.
For his part, Will confides in Mike that ever since he returned to Hawkins, he could feel that Vecna is still alive and they need to kill him for good. Stranger Things 4 ends with a shot of Eleven and her family holding a wilted flower while looking at a dark cloud rising from the fissures all over the town.
What just happened? A Stranger Things 4 episode 9 recap
The final episode of Stranger Things Volume 2 delivered its promise to give fans an exciting ending to this season, while generating a lot of hype for the following one. Vecna's true origin has finally been revealed and the gang succeeds in taking him off the table using a complex plan that involves three groups – one in California, another in Russia, and the main force in Hawkins.
Although the plan succeeds, there were a couple of consequences along the way. Eddie sacrifices himself in the Upside Down, Max is left in a comatose state, and the whole of Hawkins has been torn apart by Vecna's gates to the Upside Down. But in all of this, everyone is reunited back home, with the highlight of Eleven getting her father back.
As great as this ending was, it's back to waiting once again for Stranger Things fans. There's no confirmation yet when Stranger Things 5 will come out or what the plot will be. In any case, it's going to be bonkers good, as seen by the insane ending to the fourth season.
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