WARNING: Spoilers for Stranger Things, Season 4, Vol 2, are included in this article!
On July 1st, Stranger Things concluded its fourth season with plenty of cliffhangers and the untimely demise of a fan-favorite character. With so many great characters left, season 5 is sure to have similar heartbreak.
The main cast of Stranger Things are all in very different places in their journies, and some characters feel much more likely to meet their end than others. Despite the probabilities, a show's final season could take out anyone. This will be especially interesting for a show like Stranger Things, which despite a high kill count, has yet to write off a member of the core group.
Dmitri
Introduced initially as "Enzo" in season 4, Dmitri was a Russian guard whose whereabouts are currently unknown. However, it's likely that he's still with the smuggler Yuri.
Dmitri's role in the story seems to have largely concluded, but he's just the type of lovable minor character that a show like Stranger Things has historically killed off. It wouldn't be surprising at all for Dmitri and Yuri to come to help their old friends Hopper, Joyce, and Murray. In the event of a rescue, either the former guard or the smuggler could meet their end.
Sullivan
Lieutenant Colonel Sullivan is the main military force in Stranger Things. He intends to stop the evil surrounding Hawkins by killing Eleven, who he believes to be the cause of everything.
Sullivan's death wouldn't exactly be the saddest Stranger Things death due to his antagonistic status and lack of real character development. However, it does seem likely. The Stranger Things minor antagonists like Jason and Grigori usually get what's coming to them in one way or another, and Sullivan seems bound to join the list.
Robin
Steve's best friend and a growing friend of Nancy and the younger group, Robin is a character who feels like she's been a member of the core squad for much longer than a season and a half.
That being said, despite her popularity, Robin really hasn't had a particularly "heroic moment" so far in the show. She's been impactful LGBTQ+ representation, a great part of Steve and Nancy's character development, and a great character in her own right. However, a heroic death to save Steve or Nancy doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility for her.
Argyle
The pizza-spinning stoner with a heart of gold, Argyle is Jonathan's best friend and was a surprisingly large part of the gang finding El in season 4, volume 2.
Argyle was one of the funniest minor characters in season 4, and his character has plenty of room to grow in the show's fifth season. Whether it's the typical "heroic" sacrifice, likely to help save Jonathan, or something more tragic like making him a victim of Vecna or the Mindflayer, Argyle's death in a later episode would be a huge tragedy while keeping the main cast safe until the series finale.
Jonathan
Will's older brother and Nancy's current boyfriend, Jonathan, spent much of season 4 functioning as the gang's driver and Will's support system rather than the major character from the first few seasons.
Jonathan could and should be a bigger part of season 5. So far, his biggest looming plot lines are his decision not to go to Nancy's college and the love triangle between him, Nancy, and Steve. There's much that Jonathan can still add to the plot outside of the teen drama aspect, and the plotline regarding his uncertain future could be resolved in the most tragic way possible.
Steve
Arguably the most popular character in the entire series, Steve Harrington has undergone perhaps the most character development of anyone in Stranger Things.
Many fans predicted that Steve would be the big death of season 4, but instead, he turned out to be one of the season's biggest MVPs, while the role of tragic death went to another member of his party. Steve still may not be out of the woods, however, and making him the savior of the group at the cost of his life may be the ultimate heartbreaking series finale.
Will
Will Byers was the first major character (outside of Henry) to have contact with the Upside Down. He's been mysteriously connected to the place ever since, causing some wild fan theories about Stranger Things 5.
Will's connection to the Upside Down could prove to be the thing that takes down Vecna once and for all. However, it could also prove to be Will's undoing. There's plenty in store for Will in season 5, and it seems probable that he'll survive at least until the series finale. That final confrontation could, unfortunately, be Will's final stand.
Max
Max was arguably the best character in all of season 4, and her final scene has fans wondering what will become of her after Vecna's final attack against her.
With Max's body all but out of commission and her brain seemingly empty, Max's mind is in some way connected to Vecna in some way. This could make Max a huge piece in taking down the season 4 antagonist and the Upside Down's inhabitants once and for all. Unfortunately, it could also mean that she never gets the true revival fans are hoping for.
Eleven
Along with Mike and Hopper, Eleven has been one of the three central figures since the very first season of the show. Despite Stranger Things being more of an ensemble piece than a protagonist-led story, it wouldn't be a stretch to call El the main character.
Despite this status, Eleven's connection to the Upside Down and her psychic abilities may mean she has to commit the ultimate sacrifice to save her friends. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that either she and Vecna could go down together or that she has to sacrifice herself to close the gates and finally keep the world safe from the Upside Down.
Vecna
The season 4 finale seemed to make it clear that it isn't the Mind Flayer that is the ultimate antagonist of the series: it's Vecna, the very first human known to use psychic powers.
After Vecna was proven to still be alive in the season 4 finale, his final showdown with the main cast is set to be potentially the biggest moment in the series. Regardless of how many emotional heroic deaths it will take to get there, it seems inevitable that Stranger Things has to conclude with the death of its most powerful villain.