‘Stranger Things’ Nearly Killed Off Several Fan-Favorite Characters: “That Was Close”

As the conclusion of Stranger Things nears, series creators the Duffer brothers have commented on the characters that were not supposed to stay in the series until the end. Matt and Ross Duffer are the masterminds behind every season and the show’s mythology. Naturally, they are also in control of who dies and who survives. As it turns out, the Hawkins gang was not supposed to be as populated as it is today, and their plans included killing not one, but two beloved characters.

Talking to Entertainment Weekly, the Duffers reveal they almost killed a couple of characters in previous seasons. If you’re familiar with the show and its white-knuckle season finales, you might guess who they’re talking about. Matt makes the most obvious reveal: “Hopper at the end of season 3. I think death grazed him. There was a version where he perished at the end of 3. It’s been a while since we had those discussions, but I feel like he came the closest to dying.” Ross continues to expand on Matt’s point:

“It would’ve been very easy to kill him, but Hopper still had growing to do. We hadn’t finished his story. It’s important to us to be able to finish the stories we want to finish and not just be offing people for shock value.”

However, the creative team behind the Netflix fantasy giant added that Hopper wasn’t the only one supposed to die. Although the character has grown in the hearts of millions of fans across the planet, teenage heartthrob Steve Harrington wasn’t supposed to make it in Season 1:

“That was close. We just fell in love with Joe Keery, but had we not liked Joe Keery, Steve would’ve been gone.

“What often holds us back is you have to talk about the repercussions. This is a total hypothetical: You kill Mike. It just makes the show rather depressing and bleak, and it becomes entirely about that. Even these more supporting characters, like Eddie [Joseph Quinn] or Bob [Sean Astin] or Barb [Shannon Purser], of course, have really long-lasting repercussions on our characters.”

Place Your Bets: Who’s Dying in the ‘Stranger Things’ Finale?

Netflix

Stranger Things officially begins its conclusion in a few days on November 26, when the first four episodes of Season 5 drop on Netflix. After that, three episodes will stream on Christmas Day, with the series finale premiering on New Year’s Eve. Some lucky fans will even get the chance to catch the finale in theaters, according to Netflix’s agreement with theater chains.

As expected, some key characters will likely die in the finale. Previous seasons have seen the deaths of fan-favorite figures, and Season 5 won’t be any different. The cast is massive, giving the Duffers a wide selection to pick from. In case you’re placing bets on who will die, just think of the odds. Season 4 saw Eddie perish, and he had turned into one of the most beloved characters on television. The chances that Season 5 will see the death of another fan-favorite character are very, very high.

Release Date

2016 – 2025

Network

Netflix

Writers

Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock

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