Stranger Things Nearly Killed Two Fan-Favorite Heroes — Why They Were Spared

Two of Stranger Things' biggest heroes almost didn’t make it. The Duffer brothers just walked through the near-fatal calls they nearly made on Hopper and Steve, and how they decide who lives and who gets the emotional sendoff. Short version: they’re not out to yank the rug just to make you cry, but they’ve come close.

Hopper was this close to staying dead after Season 3

Remember that Starcourt Mall explosion? At the time, it looked like game over for Jim Hopper. According to Matt and Ross Duffer, there was a version of Season 3 where that really was the end. Matt told Entertainment Weekly they seriously entertained the idea that Hopper was done for. Then came that reveal: Hopper alive in a Kamchatka prison camp, which set up his Season 4 arc.

"It would’ve been very easy to kill him. Hopper still had growing to do."

That’s Ross Duffer explaining why they pulled back. The thinking was: don’t off a character just for shock; do it when the story needs it and the character’s journey is actually complete.

Steve Harrington almost got benched in Season 1

This one might surprise you if you’ve watched Joe Keery charm his way through danger hair and demogorgons. The Duffers say Steve was nearly toast early on. Then Joe Keery showed up, they fell for what he brought to the role, and the writers’ room pivoted. Had they not clicked with his take on Steve, the bat-wielding babysitter era would never have happened.

How the Duffers decide who dies (and who absolutely can’t)

They debate deaths all the time, but they also talk through the ripple effects. Matt pointed out that knocking off someone like Mike would tilt the whole thing into bleak territory. They prefer deaths that bend the story in a meaningful way, not just break hearts for an episode and move on. That’s why characters like Eddie Munson, Bob Newby, and Barb Holland left dents the show has kept honoring. And Billy Hargrove’s sacrifice has been a defining weight on Max’s story ever since.

• Almost gone: Hopper in Season 3. Why he stayed: his arc wasn’t finished; killing him would’ve been easy, not right. How it played: presumed dead in the Starcourt blast, later revealed imprisoned in Kamchatka.
• Almost gone: Steve in Season 1. Why he stayed: Joe Keery’s performance changed the plan.
• Philosophy check: no killing for shock value; weigh long-term fallout. Example: taking out Mike would make the show too bleak.
• Deaths that stuck for a reason: Eddie, Bob, Barb — all used to leave lasting narrative consequences.
• A death that deeply mattered: Billy’s sacrifice, which has shaped Max’s entire trajectory.

Season 5 timing

Stranger Things Season 5 kicks off November 26, with new episodes rolling out through New Year’s Eve.

All of this comes from the Duffers’ recent chat with Entertainment Weekly, where they looked back at the near-misses and drew a line between genuine character conclusions and empty gut punches. It’s the kind of creative peek that explains why this show’s big swings usually land.