Will Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 2 Kill Off Fan Favorites? Creators Weigh In
After a jaw-dropping but death-free Season 5 Vol. 1, the Duffer brothers are stoking nerves, hinting at whether Vol. 2 will finally claim major casualties as the endgame sends the stakes soaring.
Stranger Things 5 just pulled off a big end-of-Volume-1 swing: a shocking cliffhanger with exactly zero on-screen deaths. Naturally, fans started placing bets on a holiday bloodbath in Volume 2. The Duffer brothers just weighed in on both the why of that choice and what to expect next.
So... why did Volume 1 spare everyone?
The Duffers told Variety they deliberately dialed back the body count in the first batch to center one thing: Will waking up to his powers. Ross Duffer explained that they built the Volume 1 finale around a clear low-high combo. The low: Vecna taking the children. The high: Will stepping into his abilities. In other words, they wanted the emotional hit of the group being in dire straits, balanced by the spark of hope that Will might be the difference-maker. If Volume 1 felt a little lighter on carnage, that was by design to make Will’s turn land.
Will Volume 2 get bloodier?
"I’ve said this before: The show is not Game of Thrones. I’m hoping it surprises people. But there’s no Red Wedding, if that’s what you’re asking. That would be depressing."
That’s Matt Duffer, also to Variety. Translation: expect danger and some surprises, but probably not a mass-character extermination event. Temper the death pool predictions, but don’t get too comfy.
Reminder: this show has gone hard before
If you’re wondering whether Stranger Things has lost its edge, the series history says otherwise. Season 4 finally showed The Massacre at Hawkins Lab, with One, aka Henry Creel, aka Vecna, murdering every other test subject except Eleven. And the show has stacked up notable losses across the years:
- Barbara Holland
- Billy Hargrove
- Eddie Munson
- Chrissy Cunningham
- Alexei
- The Creel family
- Bob Newby
Where this is all headed
This is the endgame. Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 is streaming now on Netflix. Volume 2 drops December 25, with the series finale arriving December 31. The Duffers built Volume 1 around Will’s awakening and the kids being taken to set the board. Now we find out whether that spark of hope was a tease or the thing that flips the whole fight with Vecna.