Stranger Things star Maya Hawke thinks the hit Netflix series has too many main characters. Following a three-year hiatus that was elongated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Stranger Things returned this past May with its biggest installment yet. Released on Netflix in two separate volumes, Stranger Things season 4 focused on several plot lines spread across various locations which all converge during the season finale as everyone returns to Hawkins to fight Venca, the latest threat from the Upside Down with ties to Eleven.
Other than Hawke who joined the show as Robin Buckley in season 3, Millie Bobby Brown leads the Stranger Things cast as Eleven alongside a sizable supporting cast that includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Priah Ferguson, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna. The Stranger Things cast has grown with each passing season and the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, have largely been reluctant to kill off any core characters, save for the occasional fan-favorite newcomer like Eddie Munson. Stranger Things also has a consistent track record of fake-out deaths, the most recent example being Max.
While taking a lie detector test for Vanity Fair's series, Hawke got candid about one of the show's common criticisms. Asked about whether she thinks Eddie should have died, the Stranger Things star answered, "I don't think he should have died, but I do think the show has too many characters." Following up on that point, Hawke was asked if there is anyone else she thinks should have died in season 4, though she successfully dodged the question, only saying "Yes, I think more people should have died."
Hawke's comments about the show having too many characters and needing to kill some off are notable since they are in complete agreement with Millie Bobby Brown's previous criticism of Stranger Things. Unable to fit the entire cast in one photo during a red carpet appearance, the Eleven actor made headlines for recognizing the cast has become too large and called the show's creators "two sensitive Sallies that don’t want to kill anyone off." The comments even warranted a response from the Duffer who defended their decision to not kill off main characters.
While Brown's comments were made partly in jest, Hawke's do not appear to be considering they were made while taking a lie detector test. Nevertheless, the comments from the two Stranger Things stars represent a growing problem with the show, especially with the emergence of Vecna and the show continuing to opt for fake-out deaths instead of genuine stakes. Stranger Things season 5 has a chance to rectify this issue by avoiding the introduction of new characters and jumping straight into the battle for Hawkins, which should result in some serious fatalities for the show's core group.
Source: Vanity Fair