Stranger Things 5: Decoding Major 'Deaths' From Series Finale

Netflix's biggest show, Stranger Things, concluded its run after five seasons on December 31. The flagship series premiered on July 15, 2016, and became an overnight global hit. The pressure has been on co-creators

Matt and Ross Duffer to end the series well, and of course, in this battle of good versus evil in Hawkins, Indiana, there were bound to be some deaths. So who manages to survive, and who dies in the series finale? Do some of your favourites make it out okay? We break down the big deaths of the emotional finale below! Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead!

Who died in series finale of Stranger Things 5?

VecnaSince Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) was properly introduced in Season 4, the plan had always been to get rid of the mastermind. However, this season and the finale also revealed Vecna, aka Henry Creel's, backstory and how he was called over to do the Mind Flayer's bidding. But despite Vecna's attempts to deter Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), his sister, she was able to battle both of them after getting to the Abyss. She managed to stop their plans of merging the worlds by taking them both down.

Eleven, with help from Will (Noah Schnapp), incapacitated Vecna, but it was heroic mom Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) that struck the final blow. Using an axe, she beheaded the monster that terrorised their family for years. But vanquishing both the Mind Flayer and Vecna, the 12 captured Hawkins school children were saved as well. KaliWhen it was revealed that Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), another test subject from Dr. Brenner's lab, was being held in the Upside Down by Dr Kay, viewers already guessed that her days were numbered. She and Hopper (David Harbour) were captured by Lt. Robert Akers (Alex Breaux) to find the location of Eleven.

Luckily, Murray (Brett Gelman) causes a distraction by blowing up their helicopter outside, and in the aftermath, Akers shoots Kali. Eleven kills Akers and his military men in retaliation. However, the gunshot wound is too massive to contain, and Kali dies. She insists Eleven complete the mission and kill their 'brother,' Vecna.ElevenDepending on who you ask, Eleven sacrificed herself in the Upside Down to save her friends, or she escaped. After saving the world, when the Hawkins gang returns to the MAC-Z, they are ambushed by Dr. Kay and her Wolf Pack, who want to capture Eleven. However, she is nowhere to be found. They all notice that Eleven has gone back to the entrance of the Upside Down gate, which is about to be obliterated. As it disappears forever, so does Eleven to the anguish of her friends and adopted father, Hopper.

Before she disappears, Eleven calls Mike (Finn Wolfhard) into the mind void, where she explains her decision. They share one last kiss before being separated. In the epilogue, however, Mike revisits the events at the MAC-Z and tells the rest of the gang that he believes Eleven made it out alive. Kali used her gifts of illusion to create a fake Eleven at the gate to distract everyone while the real Eleven escaped. Mike thinks she got out somewhere far away from Hawkins and lives in a small town where no one can exploit her powers. All episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 are now streaming on Netflix.