Stranger Things is the hit retro series on Netflix that offers the brilliant backdrop of the 1980s transposed into a monster mystery invading the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. From the fourth season, Stranger Things degenerates into an all-out war against an evil entity. Stranger Things balances its suspense and drama with humor and quirky character interactions.
Stranger Things introduces new characters that quickly leave audiences in love. As quickly as the audience falls in love with them, the creators kill them off in gruesome ways, tied to the evil alternate world, The Upside Down. Many beloved characters in Stranger Things suffered the fate of an untimely death, leaving audiences wanting more time with them.
9 Barbara “Barb” Holland found herself trapped upside down
Barbara “Barb” Halloway |
|
---|---|
First appearance |
“The Disappearance of Will Byers” |
Last appearance |
“Holly, merry” |
In Stranger things, Barbara “Barb” Holland was Nancy Wheeler’s best friend at Hawkins High School. Barb joked with Nancy that when she became popular, she better hang out with her afterwards. Barb reluctantly goes to a party thrown by Steve Harrington, Nancy’s then-boyfriend, but ends up feeling isolated while hanging out at the pool alone.
In “Holly, Jolly”, Barb meets her destiny when she is pulled into the Upside Down World by a mysterious creature and is killed. soon after. Everyone thought Barb was missing, which left Nancy with a lot of guilt, feeling like she had abandoned her best friend. What made it worse for Nancy was that she also lied to her parents, telling them that she was hanging out with Barb for a sleepover. Barb was a great character aligned with Nancy who unfortunately didn’t make it past the first season.
Related
10 reasons why you need to rewatch Stranger Things
With the final season of Stranger Things set to release in 2025, there are plenty of reasons to rewatch the beloved series.
8 Fred Benson seemed to be Nancy’s likely sidekick but quickly became Vecna’s second victim
Fred Benson |
|
---|---|
First appearance |
“The Hellfire Club” |
Last appearance |
“The Curse of Vecna” |
In Stranger things, Fred Benson was a fellow reporter working on The Weekly Streak at Hawkins High School with Nancy Wheeler. They got along like most co-workers, but he was more of a partner in Nancy’s prosecution related to the murder of Chrissy Cunningham. Fred seemed to have a crush on Nancy, calling her the most desired girl at Hawkins High and also constantly asking questions about her boyfriend, Jonathan Byers.
In the Stranger Things In the episode “The Curse of Vecna”, Fred is constantly plagued by vivid visions caused by Vecna, instilling him with intense fear while he helps Nancy. Vecna focused on a car accident Fred had been in, hinting that it was his fault. When Vecna weakens Fred’s mind, Fred floats in the air, his bones break and his eyes are wide, just like Chrissy Cunningham..
7 Billy Hargrove was attached to the Mind Flayer and the only escape was death
Billy Hargrove |
|
---|---|
First appearance |
“MADMAX” |
Last appearance |
“The Battle of Starcourt” |
In Stranger things, Billy Hargrove was Max Mayfield’s complicated half-brother. In his introduction, his role was seen more as someone destined to topple Steve Harrington’s reign of popularity at Hawkins High School. As the show continued, it pointed to an abusive father who made him into the asshole he was. He also treated Max and his new friends terribly, leading them to beat him and steal his car after drugging him.
Related
10 Most Anticipated TV Shows of 2025
With Daredevil, The Last of Us, Andor and Stranger Things returning with new seasons in 2025, fans can look forward to a successful year of television.
In the fourth season of Stranger things, Billy was possessed by the Mind Flayer, who used him to recruit more people to form a giant monster from the victims. The Mind Flayer part of Billy’s mind tried to kill Max’s friends, and the only way to free him was for him to sacrifices himself to the Mind Flayer. In his final moments, Billy apologizes to Max for all his abusive behavior. While he was in Stranger Things for two seasons, Billy’s redemption came as quickly as his demise.
6 Chrissy Cunningham was the first Vecna murder everyone thought Eddie Munson committed
Chrissy Cunningham |
|
---|---|
First appearance |
“The Hellfire Club” |
Last appearance |
“The Hellfire Club” |
Chrissy Cunningham looks like a typical cheerleader with a sports team boyfriend. However, Chrissy suffers from intense visions that terrify her, making her want to dissociate from reality. Knowing that Eddie Munson is into recreational drugs, Chrissy asks him for something strong to quell the visions. As Eddie helps her, they reminisce about their past friendship and Eddie makes her laugh and open up charmingly.
In “The Hellfire Club”, Eddie Munson asks Chrissy to follow him home. When they arrive, her eyes turn gray and she enters Vecna’s trance. Chrissy is floating in the air, her bones are breaking and her eyes are crushedcausing a bloodcurdling scream from Eddie. Chrissy’s short arc includes many great scenes, including her death. In Strange things, Chrissy was starting to become a unique character, but her arc was snuffed out by Vecna after one episode.
5 Benny Hammond was a victim because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time
Benny Hammond |
|
---|---|
First appearance |
“The Disappearance of Will Byers” |
Last appearance |
“The Disappearance of Will Byers” |
In Stranger Things, Benny Hammond is the owner of the local hamburger restaurant, Benny’s Burgers. After Eleven escapes from Hawkins Lab, she searches for food and steals some from the back of Benny’s Burgers. At first, Benny quickly realizes that something is wrong with the little food thief, so he sits Eleven down with a nice meal and tries to get her to talk. After being pushed and prodded for a whole world, Eleven felt that Benny was a friend and someone she could trust.
Related
10 Hidden Stranger Things Details Most Fans Missed
Discover the subtle details of Stranger Things connecting Hawkins’ past, present, and future that have gone unnoticed by most viewers.
In “The Disappearance of Will Byers”, Benny tries to do the right thing and calls the local authorities to get help for Eleven. Unbeknownst to him, he comes into contact with Connie Frazier, a government agent from Hawkins Lab. Unfortunately, Benny is shot by Connie as she comes to pick up Eleven. Benny was caring, kind and gone too soon. Eleven kills Connie later in the season.
4 Bob Newby Helped Joyce Feel Whole Again After Almost Losing Her Will
Bob Newby |
|
---|---|
First appearance |
“MADMAX” |
Last appearance |
“The Mind Flayer” |
In Stranger Things, Bob Newby is an awesome nerd who quickly falls in love with Joyce Byers.. Joyce returns the favor and is happy to have such a great person in her life after almost losing her son, Will Byers. Joyce explains to Bob what is happening in their small town, which Bob sees as a puzzle to be solved rather than becoming fearful. When Will frantically draws mysterious pictures, it’s Bob who discovers that it’s a map of Hawkins.
In the action-packed episode of Stranger Things “The Mind Flayer”, Bob is responsible for resetting the power locks and providing power to Hawkins Laboratory, where he and others are trapped. Thanks to his intelligence and understanding of BASIC, he is the only one who can do so, while they avoid a pack of monstrous creatures known as Demodogs. Bob ultimately succeeds thanks to his courage, but before he can catch up with the rest of the gang, he is attacked and killed by the Demodogs. Bob was an intelligent, courageous and compassionate human and another character tragically lost too soon.
3 Dr. Alexei was just getting used to Hopper
Dr. Alexei |
|
---|---|
First appearance |
“Suzie, are you copying?” |
Last appearance |
“The Bite” |
In Stranger Things, Dr. Alexei is the reluctant Russian scientist captured by Hopper and Joyce to figure out what exactly is going on at Starcourt Mall.. Alexei was part of the Russian team developing an experimental method to open the door to the Upside Down. When Joyce and Hopper introduce Alexei to their Russian-speaking friend Murray, the language barrier gradually breaks down.
Related
10 Biggest Stranger Things Mysteries That Might Never Be Solved
Stranger Things will resolve many mysteries in season 5, but some questions may be destined to remain unanswered as El faces Vecna one last time.
Dr. Alexei still gives Hopper a hard time, but eventually warms up to him, knowing that if he returns to the Russians, he will likely be killed. While Hopper searches for Joyce and her children at a carnival, Murray and Alexei wander the carnival. Alexei naively assumed that it was an Americans-only carnival, but Murray reassured him that anyone could go. While Alexei has fun winning a giant stuffed toy, a Russian soldier, Grigori, shoots Alexei dead. Dr. Alexei provided great comic relief and would have been a great addition to characters like Murray.
2 Max Mayfield is left brain dead and blinded by Vecna
Max Mayfield |
|
---|---|
First appearance |
“MADMAX” |
Last appearance |
“The piggyback ride” |
In Stranger Things, Max Mayfield is introduced around the time the younger main characters begin to show interest in girls. What they don’t realize is how nerdy and cool she is until she gets the highest score in the arcade game Dig Dug. Lucas and Dustin are instantly in love with her, but ultimately, she begins a romantic relationship with Lucas later in the series. Although Eleven is initially jealous of Max, Eleven and Max quickly become close friends, bonding over their annoyance with immature boys.
In the third season of Stranger ThingsMax loses her brother Billy, and by the fifth season, she has withdrawn from almost everyone, including Lucas. Her home life became more difficult after Billy’s death, and Vecna was slowly beginning to tap into his spirit. In “The Piggyback”, Vecna makes her another one of his victims by blinding her, breaking her bones and leaving her almost dead.. Fortunately, Eleven saves her from death but is unable to undo the damage Vecna caused to her. Although Max is not officially dead, audiences are hoping for answers in Stranger Things season five.
1 Eddie Munson rose to the occasion and sacrificed
Eddie Munson |
|
---|---|
First appearance |
“The Hellfire Club” |
Last appearance |
“The piggyback ride” |
Eddie Munson was the metalhead nerd who watched Chrissy die at the hands of Vecna. He was close friends with Mike and Dustin, being a mentor to students of the same age. When Chrissy dies in front of Eddie, he goes into hiding, making him a person of interest in her murder. As the main characters begin to delve deeper into the events in Hawkins, they realize that Eddie was not the one who killed Chrissy.
Eddie Munson takes a while to come out of his fear once he realizes what is at stake for Hawkins. Eddie teams up with Dustin in the Upside Down, and they attack demon bats, or demobats. In “The Piggyback”, Dustin attempts to escape the Upside Down and Eddie heroically stays behind to barricade the door for Dustin’s protection. This translates to a swarm of demobats attacking Eddie, leaving him to die in Dustin’s arms. The role of Eddie Munson in Stranger Things was by far Joseph Quinn’s best acting role, demonstrating a brilliant arc of a fish frightened out of water transformed into a lion-hearted sacrifice.