Stranger Things' final season will undoubtedly be more intense and have higher stakes than previous installments, but one brief moment in the new teaser hints at a huge character death. After months of smaller teases,Stranger Thingsseason 5now has an official trailer that shows just how dark things have become in Hawkins since season 4.
TheStranger Thingstrailerheralds the return of all the big main characters, plus some new additions. Interestingly, though,a brief clip also shows a sobbing Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) washing blood off her hands.Unsurprisingly,Stranger Things' characterswill face greater danger this season, but the clip hints that a big death could be tied to Nancy specifically.
As it is just a trailer, Netflix could be going for a misdirect. A big death would not be entirely surprising in the series finale. All the characters are very close now, and any of their deaths would be devastating, butNancy’s reaction in this moment spells danger for a few of her closest companions, more than anyone else.
5Jonathan Byers
Nancy’s Primary Love Interest Could Be In Danger Again
Each of theStranger Thingscharacters has experienced their fair share of dangerous moments and risky plans — any of them could have met their deaths in previous seasons. Case in point,Stranger Thingsseason 4’s endingsees Eddie (Joseph Quinn) die to help the rest of the team. However,Stranger Thingshas yet to kill off one of its OG main characters.
This could all change in season 5, though, and one potential victim may be Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton). Since season 1, Jonathan has been more tuned into the workings of the Upside Down than many of the series' other characters due to his brother Will’s (Noah Schnapp) disappearance.
Though Jonathan does not fully believe his mother right away about the supernatural occurrences in their house, he is one of the first to actually catch on to what is happening and fight back. Since then, Jonathan has been fairly active in fighting the monsters that have come from the Upside Down.
Because so much of the group’s power against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) comes from their ability to support each other,it would make sense for Vecna to target Jonathan to get to Will, who still has a connection to the Upside Down. Killing Jonathan would weaken the group as a whole, but specifically devastate Will, giving Vecna an advantage.
Killing Jonathan would weaken the group as a whole, but specifically devastate Will, giving Vecna an advantage.
Jonathan is unlikely to change in season 5, especially if he thinks he can protect Will or Nancy. As a result, he could be a prime target for Vecna. While he and Nancy have had their ups and downs, his death would undeniably crush her, causing her reaction in the trailer.
4Steve Harrington
Steve & Nancy’s Connection Grew A Bit In Season 4
Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and Nancy Wheeler’s stories have been tied to each other sinceStranger Thingsseason 1. The pair begins the series as a couple, though they ultimately break up when it becomes clear that Nancy has feelings for Jonathan. Since then, Steve has also become an integral part of the group.
After introducing him as a high school jock who is a bit mean, it would have been easy for Netflix to write Steve out over the following seasons. After all, unlike Jonathan and Nancy, he does not have a younger sibling involved. Instead,Steve has easily become one ofStranger Things’most loved characters.
Steve’s friendships with Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Robin (Maya Hawke) are some of the best parts of the show, and he often provides some of its best humor. Beyond that, Steve is also the de facto “babysitter” of the group and incredibly loyal to the younger teen characters.
Against his better judgment, Steve has followed characters like Dustin into danger before, so it is entirely plausible that he will do so again. If any of the younger characters are in immediate danger,Steve may also be the most likely to sacrifice himselfto save them.
In past seasons, Nancy may have been slightly less worried about Steve’s fate, but with Jonathan away from Hawkins for much of season 4, the pair reconnected.Stranger Things’season 4 love trianglemeans that Nancy may go into season 5 still confused about her feelings and destroyed if she were to lose Steve or Jonathan.
3Karen Wheeler
Karen Looks Set To Play A Bigger Role In Season 5
Aside from a brief flirtation with Billy (Dacre Montgomery) in season 3,Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) has been underutilized by the series. AcrossStranger Things' four seasons, she only has a few moments of genuine parenting or humor, but the show seems set to change that.
Since Netflix began releasing its initial teasers for season 5, it has seemed as though the series is going to make Nancy and Mike’s (Finn Wolfhard) mother a more important figure in this chapter. Though she has largely been oblivious to her children’s activities, it may finally be time for her to join Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hopper (David Harbour) as the adults involved in the fight.
Especially because her youngest daughter,Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), also looks to be important in season 5, Karen may have no choice but to face Vecna. The new season 5 trailer shows as much, with a brief clip depicting Karen and Holly holding their breath underwater and looking terrified, possibly hiding from something.
Because of Karen’s flirtation with Billy in season 3, she technically has interacted with Vecna before, and if he remembers her, it could play a role in the upcoming season.
In an attempt to save her children, Karen could end up fighting Vecna and losing.Nancy and her mother have not always gotten along perfectly, but they still love each other. Especially compared to Nancy, Mike, and Holly’s father, who is barely seen at all, Karen at least tries, so her death would be pretty sad.
2Holly Wheeler
The Youngest Wheeler May Be In Grave Danger This Season
Holly Wheeler, Nancy and Mike’s younger sister, has played an even smaller role inStranger Thingsthan her mother, but a few clues have hinted that she may become very important in season 5.LeakedStranger Thingsset photoshave even suggested that Holly could interact with Vecna directly.
Especially because Holly is now around the age that Will was in season 1, the series could attempt a full circle moment with her disappearance.
This aligns with the current theory thattheStranger Thingsseason 5, episode 2 title “The Vanishing of ____” refers to her. Additionally,Stranger Thingsrecast Holly, perhaps in anticipation of her enhanced role. Especially because Holly is now around the age that Will was in season 1, the series could attempt a full circle moment with her disappearance.
To this point, Will was incredibly lucky to survive in the Upside Down in season 1, and Vecna has only gotten stronger since then. It would be fairly easy for him to lure Holly away from her family, and she could ultimately become his next victim, makingStranger Thingsfar darker than it has ever been before.
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Increasing Holly’s presence in the final season may seem like an odd choice at first, butStranger Thingshas added plenty of new characters in such a manner before.Eddie was introduced and became a key character in season 4, only to die in the finale, so the show could choose to do that again in a more intense way.
Eddie’s death was sad, butkilling off Holly Wheeler, who is still so young, would be absolutely brutal forStranger Things. I hope Holly survives, but if this were to be the death teased in the new trailer, it is pretty clear why Nancy would be so upset and shocked about it.
1Mike Wheeler
All The Original Teen Characters Are In Huge Danger
Stranger Thingshas some intense moments, but for the most part, it has never fully entered horror territory. Its main characters face risks, but I’ve never really felt like any of them were going to die. WithStranger Thingsseason 5, that no longer feels like the case.
The original young characters — Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) — have been pretty untouchablesince the show would not work without them. Max (Sadie Sink), a season 2 addition, has come the closest and remains in a coma going into season 5. With the heightened stakes of the season, though, even they could end up dying at Vecna’s hands.
Even with a strong plan, though, if Mike were to die, Vecna would gain the upper hand against both Eleven and Will.
For Mike Wheeler in particular,he may die trying to save Eleven. Mike works somewhat as a group leader for the younger gang, and, at this point, all of them are familiar with what they are up against. Even with a strong plan, though, if Mike were to die, Vecna would gain the upper hand against both Eleven and Will.
Understandably, audiences won’t want any of the beloved main characters to die, but after such a long wait, Netflix has to deliver. The fight scenes and characters' powers will be greater than ever before, and this means thatStranger Things' deaths will likely be more devastating than ever to match, as Nancy’s trailer scene hints.
