The upcoming season of “Stranger Things” is going to test fans’ emotional boundaries with deaths and by twisting character dynamics and roles.
Everyone who is a fan of the show is excited for the upcoming release of the final season of the hit Netflix series. These last eight episodes are expected to give an end to the story of the beloved characters that were introduced to us back in 2016.
“Stranger Things” is one of the best shows to come out of Netflix. The world-building and the characters make for one of the most entertaining shows. This made me very eager for each season they have announced since I started watching in 2017. It intrigues me how the setting of this upcoming season will be.
What kind of setting we can expect
The political climate that we can expect in the show will be centered around the Cold War tension between the Soviet Union and the United States, and the nuclear threats between the two sides. More specifically, the de-escalation of many nuclear weapons with the INF treaty that happened in 1987, the year the show is supposed to take place.
We can expect a lot of military zones, with more government presence in the show than ever. This also matches the high stakes that the show will have. Therefore, the group will not only have to deal with the supernatural but also with a stronger government force.
Season four left us with Vecna wounded but still alive, and the seams between Hawkins and the Upside Down expanding.
The Duffer brothers said that this season will be about closure and tying up all the loose ends that revolve around the group from Hawkins. So, what can we expect to happen to our favorite characters? Here are my three biggest predictions for the next season.
Steve is going to die
There are many people on the internet debating whether Steve or Dustin is going to have a tragic end to their stories. I stand on the belief that Steve is going to be the unfortunate one in this case.
Steve’s character arc has progressed throughout the seasons, going from being a bully to the protector of the group and somebody for the younger characters to look up to. The end of season four left us intrigued with Vecna saying he wants “four chimes” in order to open a massive portal, which means that at least one person will die in the last season.
Steve’s character has gone a bit stale on the later seasons as he has already redeemed himself. In order to give Steve the biggest conclusion possible and add more emotional impact to the story, he will be one to fall under Vecna. He will most likely die around episode four, since it’s the end of the first volume, and the showrunners will want to end that with a big hit to our feelings. His death will most likely come from sacrificing himself to make the loss even more motivational to the other characters.
Will sacrifices himself, Eleven is left powerless.
Will’s connection to Vecna has been more than proven in the trailer for the season, which shows a direct interaction and the villain saying he needs Will’s help. This can set Will up to have a sacrificial end that will save Hawkins and finally close the Upside Down. I am betting that he will be a central character for the final season and probably one of the last to die.
It’s hard to predict how he will die, but it might come from his body not being able to handle closing the portal. His importance is still undeniable. The first five minutes of the new season has been released, and it shows Will from season one running and trying to fight off a demogorgon in the Upside Down and his interaction with Vecna. I think this is a way for the Duffer brothers to say that he is one of the, if not THE most important piece of the show, so his connection with the villain will play a major role in ending the story.
If he’s the one closing the portal, that will also lead to Eleven losing her powers permanently because we have seen the use of these powers come at a cost, both mental and physical. This gives her a bittersweet ending where she can live out her life, but cannot use the powers that made her a hero.
There’s a connection between the supernatural and the natural with the portal between both worlds being open. Once the portal is closed, Eleven will no longer have that connection to the supernatural and won’t be able to use her powers anymore.
Max is going to be possessed and be a “double agent” for Vecna
Max got saved by the group at the end of season four but was left in a coma. This leaves the door open for her to have her memories accessed by Vecna as a vessel outside the Upside Down because they are still connected as they only stopped her possession for a while, not ceased it.
This can lead to an interesting dynamic in the group where Max hanging around the group will be used against them, but she can also help the group by giving them information from the Upside Down. More specifically, she can use Vecna’s memories, but he can also use hers as well without her knowing.
For Lucas, he will be worried about Max the same way he was last season, but will have a moment of joy once she wakes up from the coma. The connection will probably stay a secret until the last third of the season, but it will be used in favor of both parties. Max, however, probably won’t be freed until Vecna is dealt with because he is surely going to be more powerful than in other seasons. So we won’t see another “Running Up the Hill” moment this season, or at least a successful one. For both Max and Lucas, I am positive we will see them happy as a couple once everything is said and done.
The final season of this show will likely leave us with mixed feelings of joy, sadness and nostalgia because we have seen these characters grow up, finish their story in a better or worse way, and never see them again after finishing the episodes. We should enjoy as much as we can every episode and be ready that this is going to be the end.
