Stranger Things is finally in the midst of filming Season 5, but it’s still going to be a while before the final episodes hit Netflix. No stranger to lengthy waits between seasons, fans know how to keep themselves busy by coming up with wild theories about everything from what the Upside Down really is and how Vecna is involved, to what characters’ fates will be when the show ends, like fan-favorite Steve Harrington.
The latter of these theories is a hot topic amongst the Stranger Things fandom as many (including star Millie Bobby Brown) have criticized the show for not being bold enough to kill members of the main cast. However, now that the final season is here, many fans believe that the creators are finally going to give fans what they want and that no character is safe. According to several Reddit threads, like this one, and tweets shared online, Steve Harrington is at the top of the list of characters fans don’t think will survive the final battle against the Upside Down, and I really hope they're wrong.
Why Fans Believe Steve Harrington Is Going To Die In Season 5
Die-hard fans of the Netflix sci-fi drama will recall that Steve Harrington was never supposed to make it out of Season 1 alive. However, the Duffer Brothers and executive producer Shawn Levy were so enamored by Joe Keery, that they decided to keep him around. And thank god they did because we never would have gotten one of the best duos in the show's history had they stuck with their original plan.
This background is a large reason why so many fans believe Steve’s days are numbered. However, it’s not the only theory. Another popular reason why fans, like those on the Film Theorists Reddit, believe he’ll die by the end of the series is because of the ongoing Nancy-Jonathan-Steve love triangle. As with most love triangles, there are fans on both sides rooting for their couple to win — and even some fans, like myself, who hope to see Nancy single by the end of the show. However, the popular take is that out of the three, Steve is going to be the one to kick the bucket while Nancy continues her relationship with Jonathan.
X User @bucsbasemnt pointed out that some fans believe Steve isn't going to make it out alive because he made the fatal horror movie error and dreamt about what his future would look like. Remember that 6 nuggets and a Winnebago speech? Well, it might have been the nail in the coffin if the show follows standard horror movie tropes.
So, all in all, there are a lot of theories floating around that could explain why Steve might be killed off.
How They Want Him To Die
Despite never killing off the main members of the cast, Stranger Things does have a history of making the minor character deaths extremely memorable and divisive. So divisive, that many fans are still wondering if Season 4 favorite Eddie Munson is really dead. All that’s to say that the Duffer Brothers know how to write a heroic death, but that could be a problem heading into the final season, especially when it comes to making Steve’s death equally as impactful.
Fans don’t seem to be too worried about that though, since, according to this Reddit thread by Terrell8799, the most popular theory about how Steve Harrington is going to die involves him making a sacrificial move to save either Dustin Henderson, Robin Buckley, or his alleged true love Nancy Wheeler. It makes the most sense in terms of how the show has handled deaths in the past. It also works given that Steve’s always the babysitter of the group, and he has constantly put himself in danger to protect others, even way back in Season 1.
A less popular theory involves him succumbing to the injuries he got at the end of Season 4 by the demobats and vines in the Upside Down’s version of the Creel House. While this makes the most logical sense, Stranger Things has never been one for logic. The reports that Season 5 is going to feature a sizeable time jump also make this theory less likely.
Overall, there are a couple of ways fans think Steve will go, and I really hope they're all wrong.
Why I Hope Those Fan Theories Are Wrong And Steve Harrington Gets To Live
While I understand why some fans believe that killing Steve makes the most sense, I can’t help but disagree with them. Here’s the thing, if the Duffer Brothers wanted to kill him in a meaningful way, they should have done it last season. Then he could have swapped places with Eddie and been the one to stay back with Dustin and, in the end, sacrificed himself to save him and buy the others time to defeat Vecna. That would have made the most sense and had tremendous repercussions for the rest of the characters.
When it comes to Steve’s character, it makes the most sense for him to die saving someone, but I don't think it can be Dustin since he’s already witnessed a sacrificial death at his expense with Eddie. If they chose to put him through that again, it would lack originality and emotional depth.
That leaves two options: have Steve sacrifice himself to save Nancy which would annoy a large subset of fans (myself included) or have him do so to save Robin. However, that also feels lackluster, because we’ve already seen Steve throw himself to the wolves to protect Robin in Season 3 with the Russians.
With a sacrificial death seemingly off the table, I just don’t see any other way for the Duffer Brothers to kill Steve in a meaningful way. After all, he's already proven himself able to take on demogorgons, demodogs, demobats, and Vecna, what else could the Upside Down possibly throw his way that he can't defeat?
They had their chance in every season and they’ve never taken it, doing so now would feel ingenue. Not to mention, the series has a pattern of only killing people off in the final two episodes of a season which means we wouldn’t even get to see how his death would affect the other characters.
Beyond that, killing Steve is a huge disservice to his character arc. He’s put in the work to become a better person, and he has since realized he was wrong in Season 1. Steve’s had no real ties keeping him involved in the Upside Down and Hawkins Lab nonsense and yet, he’s always there to help out often putting his safety at risk to do so. In my opinion, he deserves the chance to put an end to the Upside Down that robbed him of his youth and walk into a bright future.
Unfortunately, it’ll be a while before we find out if these theories are right. Thankfully, the Duffer Brothers continue to tease fans with behind-the-scenes photos, so we could get hints in the coming months. In the meantime, fans can stream all four seasons of Stranger Things with a Netflix subscription. And keep an eye out for any new info about Season 5 that may be shared.
