The Subtle Hint That Could Seal Maya Hawke’s Fate in Stranger Things Season 5

Netflix drops Stranger Things Season 5 on November 26, 2025, and Maya Hawke is teasing a finale that goes big all the way with nonstop intensity from first frame to last.

Stranger Things is finally rolling into its endgame next year, and Maya Hawke is out here tossing gasoline on the speculation bonfire. In short: the final run sounds massive, the pace sounds relentless, and yes, the Robin panic is back on the menu.

So... are we losing Robin?

Hawke told Entertainment Weekly the last season is basically big from top to bottom, no breathers. Which would be fine if she hadn’t already planted this idea back in 2022 in Rolling Stone, where she said she wanted a meaningful exit if it came to that.

"I would love to die and get my hero's moment. I'd love to die with honor, as any actor would."

She also noted at the time that the Duffer Brothers tend to get attached to their actors and characters, which usually makes them gun-shy about killing people off. But this is the final season. Different rules. See also: Eddie Munson’s S4 goodbye that wrecked everyone, in the best possible tragic way.

What the new season actually looks like

Noah Schnapp said via Netflix Tudum that the first episode doesn’t waste time — they hit the ground running instead of doing the slow-burn setup we’ve seen before. Hawke separately called the episodes "basically eight movies" on the Podcrushed podcast because of the runtimes, and later cracked to The Wrap at a Season 5 event, "I’m so glad I’m not dead yet." Not ominous at all.

• Release plan: Volume 1 on November 26, 2025; Volume 2 on December 25, 2025; series finale on December 31, 2025
• Total episodes: 8
• Scope and tone: "Big all the way," per Hawke’s Entertainment Weekly interview
• Runtimes: Hawke says think feature-length energy across the board ("basically eight movies")
• Pacing: The story jumps right into it, according to Schnapp via Netflix Tudum
• Setting: Hawkins is under military quarantine after the rifts blow open
• Main mission: Find Vecna and finish him

Why Robin feels like the most at risk

This show loves an emotional haymaker, and the Duffers are very good at those final, devastating crescendos. Robin has had a couple of close calls already, Hawke has publicly said she’d embrace a heroic exit, and the board is set for someone to make a sacrifice with the Upside Down bleeding into town. Do I want Robin to go out that way? Absolutely not. Can I see the writers aiming for a giant, sob-inducing victory lap for at least one core character? Unfortunately, yes.

Bottom line

Whether Robin actually dies is still just fan math for now. What’s clear is Season 5 is built like a finale should be: bigger, faster, meaner, and designed to hurt a little. Stranger Things Season 5 starts streaming on Netflix November 26, 2025, with Volume 2 dropping Christmas Day and the series finale landing New Year’s Eve. Brace yourself.