Stranger Things Season 5 finally remembers its original main character during its series finale, but it’s too little, too late. Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 3 brings the Netflix show to a close after nine years, revealing what becomes of Vecna, the Upside Down, and the Hawkins gang. Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 3. Vecna and the main characters have a final showdown in the Abyss — complete with a shocking Mind Flayer return — and almost every prominent player gets a chance to shine during this battle.
Of course, some of Stranger Things‘ main characters prove more crucial to the fight than others, with Eleven and Will working together to neutralize Vecna, while Nancy serves as bait to lure the Mind Flayer into a trap. And one of the fight’s finest feats goes to the character who serves as Season 1’s lead. It should be an epic moment, but unfortunately, it rings hollow after the series sidelined her.
Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 3 Finally Remembers Joyce Byers Was Season 1’s Lead
Although Eleven and Will use their abilities to overpower Vecna in Stranger Things‘ series finale, Joyce Byers is the one who delivers the killing blow. Vecna is still struggling to breathe despite being impaled, and the group surrounds him after freeing his latest victims. Finally, Joyce approaches him, uttering, “You f***ed with the wrong family,” before slamming an ax into his neck. We’re treated to a montage of all the pain he’s caused before Joyce slices his head fully off. It’s a powerful conclusion, especially since Season 5’s main story mirrors Will’s disappearance in Season 1 — something Joyce still wants justice for.
And having Joyce kill Vecna highlights a forgotten truth: that, in Season 1, Joyce is pretty much Stranger Things’ main character. Sure, the show has an ensemble cast from the beginning, but it’s Joyce’s struggle and grief we center as she tries to find her missing son. The only other character consistently given that much attention in the beginning is Eleven. Considering Joyce brings the group together with her refusal to stop searching for Will, it’s fitting she’s the one to end the main conflict. It brings things full circle nicely, though it would work better if she hadn’t been increasingly decentered in the later chapters.
Stranger Things Sidelined Joyce After Its First Couple of Seasons
While Joyce kicks off Stranger Things as one of its central characters, she’s increasingly sidelined as the show continues. She gets plenty of screen time in Season 2, which focuses on Will’s trauma — giving her the opportunity to showcase her fierce motherly instincts yet again. However, her role is significantly reduced in Season 3, and Season 4 gives Joyce and Hopper a narrative completely separated from that of the kids’ (and arguably, the main story). Joyce’s conspiracies become more of a gimmick than central plot points, and they disappear altogether with the shift to defeating Vecna in Season 5.
And Stranger Things Season 5 leaves Joyce in the dust as the kids and Hopper set out to defeat Vecna. Yes, she’s involved in the crawls, but she doesn’t play an active role the way Hopper does. She doesn’t wind up at the center of the action like most of the kids, either — at least not until the end of the season. Instead, Joyce mostly serves as a support for Will. That’s in character, but it doesn’t leave her much to do, especially as he reclaims his power.
Season 5, Volume 3’s Big Joyce Moment Arrives Too Late
The concept of Joyce killing Vecna makes sense and is satisfying, but the way her arc is executed during and leading up to Stranger Things Season 5 takes away some of its power. The payoff of this scene would be so much greater if the show continued to give Joyce the depth and focus that the rest of its cast received. To be fair, it has a lot of characters to keep up with. However, unpacking her trauma more deeply — or even leaning into the parallels between her and Karen Wheeler — might have made this outcome stronger. It’s a nice callback to Stranger Things Season 1, but it depends too heavily on an aspect of the series that’s largely faded into the background.
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