Your "Protect Steve" Campaign Will Mean Nothing In Stranger Things 5

While Stranger Things fans have optimistically started a “Protect Steve” campaign ahead of season 5's production, there is a good chance that these well-meaning initiatives will do nothing to prevent the likely death of Joe Keery’s fan-favorite character. After two seasons of only minor characters and newcomers being killed off, Stranger Things 4 made death matter again. The long-awaited outing killed off cast members ranging from beloved newcomer Eddie Munson to Chrissy, to Fred, to the villainous Jason, to even Matthew Modine’s Dr. Brenner, proved that Stranger Things can and will still shock viewers who expect the Netflix hit to pull its punches.

That said, despite killing at least one series veteran, Stranger Things season 4 still didn’t make any choices that would rock the boat too much. As beloved as Eddie Munson was, he was still a season 4 newcomer, meaning Stranger Things fans didn’t have long to get attached to the new hero. Similarly, the likable Fred and Chrissy were both one-episode wonders which meant that their deaths, while still sad, didn’t pack a massive emotional punch.

Even Jason’s gruesome death came at the end of his Stranger Things season 4 Satanic Panic subplot, a frustrating storyline that made his eventual demise as inevitable as it was gory. To really surprise viewers in Stranger Things season 5, the Netflix series would need to start killing off some beloved, heroic central characters who have been around since the beginning of the show. However, these characters must also be standalone figures whose absence would not derail the final season. Joyce, Jonathan, Eleven, and Will couldn’t die without deeply affecting each other’s plots since they are all family, while the same is true of Nancy and Mike Wheeler. Lucas and Max have been in an on-again, off-again relationship for years, and Dustin’s death would destroy the resolve of the show’s heroes—leaving one major Stranger Things character on the proverbial chopping block.

Stranger Things Fans' "Protect Steve" Campaign

Fans have been rallying around Steve's survival since before Stranger Things 4’s finale killed off Max (albeit temporarily). The online movement to ensure that Steve doesn’t isn’t killed off reached fever pitch when Netflix responded by erecting a "Protect Steve" billboard ahead of the release of Stranger Things season 4 part 2. The publicity stunt occurred on June 30th, 2022, shortly before Stranger Things season 4 part 2 became available on the site and confirmed that Steve survived the season. However, the fact that the closing chapters of Stranger Things 4 saw Steve escape unscathed still doesn’t mean he will be so lucky in the final outing.

Why Steve Is Definitely Dead Meat In Stranger Things Season 5

Steve Harrington in Stranger Things Season 4

While Joe Keery’s character is beloved by fans, Steve is objectively the most disposable of the central cast members. His death would have left Dustin hapless and catatonic in earlier seasons, but Eddie’s tragic season 4 death will likely have hardened the former comic relief of Stranger Things. Robin’s death would be equally shocking for fans, but as a supporting star who first appeared in season 3, she is not as much of a Stranger Things staple as Steve. As noted above, most of the Stranger Things cast are held together by romantic or familial connections that would make it impossible for one character to go on without another's storyline being derailed in the event of their death, except for Steve (although Nancy may yet have something to say about this).

Stranger Things Season 5 Needs To Kill More Characters

While Stranger Things 4 got away with introducing new characters and swiftly killing them off, this was because the episodic outing’s storyline was fundamentally different from that of season 5. Season 4 began with Hawkins at peace and the cast unaware of the danger ahead, which will be a radically altered perspective compared with season 5. As the final Stranger Things outing, season 5 must up the stakes of the show’s action and make the story darker, more ambitious in scale, and more impactful than ever before.

The story of Vecna has already tied together all of the show’s earlier seasons and villains but did so without killing any major cast members. This plot worked because Stranger Things season 4's cast had no idea who Vecna was, where he came from, or what he was capable of. Now that Vecna’s origins, plans, and powers are all clear, the villain needs to prove just how dangerous he is to the heroes and to Stranger Things fans and complete his plans for world domination. Eleven and company already beat him temporarily, making his threat level harder to gauge. As such, Stranger Things season 5 must clarify that the villain means business by killing off cast members who genuinely matter to fans—and that means Steve should probably get measured for a casket.

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