Stranger Things Season 5 Death Odds: Who Won’t Survive?
Who makes it out of Hawkins alive? Our Stranger Things season 5 death odds sort the safe bets from the doomed darlings—and the shocker no one sees coming.
Stranger Things is finally in the home stretch, and fans are doing what fans do: trying to predict who is not making it out of Hawkins alive. The first four episodes of the final season are out now, and the rest is dropping in two chunks on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. No plot spoilers here, but let's be honest, the show has been teeing up a last stand with real casualties for a while. Adults, teens, maybe even a kid or two — the table is set for big sacrifices.
Where things stand
We're midway through the endgame. The vibe going into the next batch is, to put it lightly, not chill. Series co-creator Matt Duffer has already warned that the back half is going to feel different after the first four episodes.
"a very different dynamic"
Translation: expect the stakes and the relationships to shift in ways that matter.
The current betting line (as of Dec 8, 2025)
Over on Polymarket, people are literally betting on which protagonist bites it in Season 5. Here's where the odds sit right now. Reminder: this is a snapshot of sentiment, not prophecy.
- Steve Harrington - 35%
- Jonathan Byers - 35%
- Will Byers - 30%
- Eleven - 23%
- Jim Hopper - 22%
- Nancy Wheeler - 14%
- Joyce Byers - 11%
- Dustin Henderson - 10%
- Lucas Sinclair - 9%
- Mike Wheeler - 8%
- Max Mayfield - 8%
- Holly Wheeler - 4%
What counts as a "death" here
Polymarket is very specific about what qualifies. A character has to be shown dead on screen, be clearly declared dead by other characters, or have it depicted in some concrete way, like a funeral. And even if the show pulls a classic revival later, that still counts as a death for the purposes of the bet. If you're thinking of Max in Season 4 — technically dead long enough to open Vecna's gate — that's exactly the kind of edge case they're baking in.
Little behind-the-scenes wrinkle
No spoilers here either, but Noah Schnapp told Jimmy Fallon he accidentally injured a fellow actor while doing a stunt for this season. Accidents happen on sets, sure, but it does hint at how physical and intense some of these sequences are getting as the show swings for a big finish.
So that's the field. We'll see who actually steps up for the Hail Marys when the last episodes hit on December 24 and December 31. Until then, consider this your spoiler-free temperature check on who fans think is going to make the ultimate sacrifice.