How “Stranger Issues” ends: The fates of the Hawkins gang revealed

Warning: This text accommodates spoilers from the Stranger Issues sequence finale, "The Rightside Up."

Stranger Things wraps up a 10-year-long story with sequence finale "The Rightside Up." The two-hour, 8-minute-long episode reveals a few of what creators Matt and Ross Duffer deliberate for the reason that starting, in addition to the ultimate scene they stated they concocted "about six or seven years in the past."

Who lives? Who dies? What occurs to every of the Hawkins gang? Spoilers, clearly, ensue.

The ultimate battle towards Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) is designed just like the climax to one of many Hellfire Membership's Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) dons a makeshift spiked protect, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) carries an computerized rifle, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) comes filled with a corrosive slingshot, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) will get…effectively, a flare gun, however that too turns out to be useful.

Many of the core crew make their approach into the Abyss the place they put together to rescue the kidnapped youngsters and cease the massive unhealthy's plan to merge worlds. There's the lengthy foreseen Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown)-versus-Vecna face-off, coupled with a dramatic Godzilla-sized ensemble battle. And folks die…or do they? It's not so lower and dry.

The ultimate battle

Within the Upside Down, Eleven submerges herself within the tank and enters the Void with Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) and Max (Sadie Sink) telepathically piggybacking off of her. They hack into Vecna's psyche and, due to Max, navigate his recollections to find the youngsters within the mindscape.

The others break into the Abyss to search out the bodily our bodies of the lacking youngsters. They quickly face a a lot larger downside (actually) when Vecna's "Ache Tree" fortress reveals itself to be the Thoughts Flayer. The tendrils fold out, reworking into the spindly legs of the sharp-toothed leviathan, this time in its flesh-and-bone kaiju type and never the misty monolith we've seen in earlier seasons.

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Whereas Eleven's troupe finds the youngsters, who take refuge within the mindscape cave, her plan hits a significant snag. Vecna psychically finds Hopper (David Harbour) and manipulates him to interrupt the tank, reducing off the psychic hyperlink for her, Kali, and Max. Eleven is compelled to enter the Abyss in individual, initiating a battle between her and Vecna, whereas her buddies battle the Thoughts Flayer.

Will (Noah Schnapp) connects with Vecna's thoughts and tries to purpose with him. Advised by means of recollections, we study {that a} younger Henry Creel was uncovered to particles from the Thoughts Flayer in that Nevada cave from his childhood. The pep speak doesn't hit, and Eleven is compelled to impale Vecna on a spike, thereby destroying the Thoughts Flayer because of their connection. Nonetheless, it's Joyce (Winona Ryder) who delivers the ultimate demise blow, taking an axe to Vecna's head.

Who dies on Stranger Issues?

Right here comes the query everybody needs to find out about, and there's no definitive reply.

Kali undoubtedly dies irrespective of which approach you swing it. The army seemingly weapons her down throughout a confrontation with Hopper and Eleven. (We'll get to the "seemingly" shortly.) Eleven then kills Lieutenant Akers (Alex Breaux) as a response to that occasion, so he, too, is lifeless.

It additionally seems on the floor that Eleven dies. When the gang emerges from the Upside Down into Hawkins, Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) and her army promptly seize them, however Eleven stays contained in the wormhole, permitting herself to be destroyed with it because the detonator takes out the unique matter and collapses the bridge.

It will get sophisticated as a result of an ending time soar that takes place 18 months later sees Mike (Finn Wolfhard) weaving a story about how Kali didn't actually die when she was shot by the army. As an alternative, in keeping with him, she survived and used her powers to create the phantasm of Eleven getting worn out with the collapsing Upside Down. On this situation, Eleven obtained away and traveled someplace protected — someplace with a number of waterfalls, identical to those Mike fantasized about for them.

Mike and his buddies finally consider to decide on this because the story they consider, however it's not clear.

What occurs to the principle characters?

The 18-month time soar reveals Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max making ready for his or her Hawkins Excessive commencement. After enjoying one closing D&D sport, Mike shares the tales of what occurs to their essential gamers.

Max and Lucas are collectively. They lastly get that film date they dreamed about and cool down sooner or later. Dustin, who turns into the valedictorian of his graduating class, goes off to school, however he takes common breaks to have adventures with Steve (Joe Keery). Will, who got here out within the penultimate episode, strikes to a metropolis and is proven having a dialog with a man at a bar.

And Mike turns into knowledgeable author, sharing the tales of his buddies to the lots for years to return.

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As for the older teenagers, they've moved on from highschool, too. Steve stays in Hawkins to function a little-league baseball coach and intercourse ed instructor. Robin (Maya Hawke) goes to Smith Faculty however comes again for one more installment of "Rockin' Robin" radio. Nancy (Natalia Dyer) attended Emerson for a spell however dropped out to hitch the workers at The Boston Herald. Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) attends New York College to turn out to be a filmmaker. His present mission is an anti-capitalist cannibal film known as The Client.

They make a deal to satisfy as soon as a month in Philadelphia on the residence of Robin's "bizarre uncle" to keep up the friendship.

Hopper, in the meantime, lastly proposes to Joyce. He additionally mentions that there's a police chief gig open in Montauk — a nod to the initially deliberate setting for Stranger Issues, which was impressed by the real-world Montauk Mission conspiracy theories.

“We wished every of the characters to search out happiness however in their very own particular methods,” Matt Duffer advised Tudum. As for Eleven, Ross added, "She lives on of their hearts, whether or not that’s actual or not,"

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