With Season 4 of Stranger Things drawing to a close, Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and the rest of the gang did not leave anyone disappointed. Warning! If you did not finish Season 4 DO NOT read anymore. Go watch the rest of the season and then come back!
First of all, we all need to pour one out for the almighty Eddie Munson the Bard. He brought such magic and courage to this title that many do not think twice of. Eddies most metal concert in the upside down, playing Master of Puppets by Metallica was something that will resonate in our souls for years to come. Even Metallica themselves were pleased with how Eddie brought this song back to life. Not that it ever died. However, our hearts were crushed when the Eddie Munson was killed in the upside down by those bat like creatures. If he had just held on for a few more minutes Murray would’ve been able to save him by burning the Mind Flayer that resided within the Demi gorgons in the secret Russian Prison Kamchatka. Not everyone may have caught on, but as Murray is lighting the Demi Gorgons ablaze with that flamethrower, the bats all drop out of the sky, and Vecna himself starts screaming. This moment can be seen in different lights because Eleven also had him in the greatest hold we have seen yet, but it is almost certain that the hell fire reigning down in Kamchatka had something to do with it. So, now we come to what the masses want, they want their precious Eddie Munson back in any way, shape or form. They just need their Bard. We need to look to the past to see what the Duffer Brothers have in store. They have never fully resurrected a character that was dead. Will Byers can be seen as an exception, but it depends on how you look at those moments in Season 1. We almost immediately learn that he is in fact, not dead. Eddie on the other hand, it feels as though he is most certainly dead at this point. Is all hope lost? Not at all! maybe he can come back in a way that would seemingly disrupt the gang. A mind flayer controlled version of Eddie, much like we saw with Billy would be interesting, but then again Billy was alive. Zombie do not really seem to be a thing in Stranger Things.
We need to address the other elephant in the room. Eleven would have totally kicked Vecna’s behind if he wasn’t set on fire in the upside down by Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler, and Robin Buckley. She had him in this hold that was her best show of strength and control over her powers. At least, up until this point. Having lost the powers for a bit, it gave a bit of suspense about what might happen. Will she get them back, is she even needed? Well, yes, she is very much needed. Max Mayfield would be dead right now if Eleven didn’t jumpstart her heart. Back to Vecna though. Eleven could’ve snapped him in half, but the meditative state was broken. He successfully opened the mega portal to the upside down and seeks to take down the Gang and all of Hawkins for what was done to him. Will Byers makes reference to this goal of Vecna in the last moments of the final episode in Season 4. He can feel Vecna, he realizes that is who he has been feeling this entire time. Vecna is hurt, but Vecna is not going to stop. Will Eleven not killing Vecna and Max being in a coma drive her to a state of mind that will reduce her abilities? We can expect this to be a sub plot that is explored in Season 5. She is most definitely a badass, but what good is a series if we aren’t left wondering if she can pull it off? What role will Mike Wheeler play in this? Well, he is the heart of the team, as Will put it. We can expect Mike to do some growing, and move more into that leadership role.
At this point you’re definitely wondering why I didn’t bring up Max yet. She is another badass in the series. I mean she used herself as bait in the plan to try and kill Vecna knowing full well she could be killed. In fact, she was killed. Lucas Sinclair let’s us know that she was dead for a full minute before her heart, “mysteriously,” started again. Side note, this obviously means Eleven, Mike, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle have said nothing about what Eleven has done. Max is the only one from Hawkins at the time of the attack who knows Eleven was going after Vecna. She wasn’t killed off, she is in a coma. We see this type of scenario constantly used in other series, and soap operas. Soap operas love this story line so much. Can she be killed off? Of course she can! The Duffer Brothers can kill her off in the first episode of Season 5. Their track record though, it speaks for itself. A member of the gang has yet to get killed off in any permanent fashion. There is good reason for this. A writer can destroy a show by killing off the wrong character. Max was another beloved character, and I think I speak for all of us when I say we want her to come back. We want her to let everyone know what Eleven did, and maybe that will help in boosting Eleven’s morale so she can really kick some Vecna behind.
I want to end with saying that Millie Bobby Brown has been quoted as saying, the Duffer Brothers should start thinking about killing more people off. If Season 5 is going to be the last season, which Matt and Ross Duffer, creator’s of Stranger Things, said in an open letter to the fans of Stranger Things, then we can possibly expect them to make some moves we have yet to see. Perhaps Eleven’s role in killing Vecna will only be a certain aspect. Will can still feel Vecna, and this might be used more in Season 5. why can he still feel Vecna? What does it mean? The only way to know for sure, is to wait for the season to begin. Winter is coming, but we know the Duffer Brother’s won’t let us down.