The real answer? Yes, people die. But the show’s relationship with death is like your relationship with a surprise bill—unexpected, painful, but you move on because the plot demands it. Characters come back from the dead (Hopper, El’s “death” in S1, maybe even Vecna’s true form). Death is less a final exit and more a season-long vacation in the Upside Down.
In the end, Stranger Things is less about who dies and more about how they die. It’s like a friend who tells a long, rambling story and you don’t remember the details, but you remember the feeling. You laugh, you cry, you text your group chat at 3 a.m. saying, “I can’t believe Bob is dead.” And then you order another pizza. Because that’s what life—and Hawkins—is all about.
