{"id":213284,"date":"2025-12-31T15:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/213284\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T15:01:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T15:01:10","slug":"stranger-things-season-5s-best-new-character-could-break-a-9-year-old-series-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/213284\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranger Things Season 5’s Best New Character Could Break a 9-Year-Old Series Tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stranger Things<\/a> Season 5\u2019s best new character could break a 9-year-old series trend \u2014 one that\u2019s caused a whole lot of pain over its first four seasons. After Stranger Things<\/a> Season 5, Volume 2 revealed<\/a> Vecna\u2019s true plan for Holly and the other kids, as well as the nature of the Upside Down<\/a>, the show\u2019s final episode is all that\u2019s left. Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2. It will task the Hawkins gang with defeating Vecna once and for all, and it will sever the connection between their world and the Abyss (assuming all goes according to plan, anyway). The stakes are higher than they\u2019ve ever been, and the group will likely face unexpected challenges during the final episodes. They may even need to make sacrifices in order to win.<\/p>\n

Although a surprisingly small number of characters die during Stranger Things Season 5\u2019s first two volumes<\/a>, it seems inevitable that someone will perish in the feature-length series finale. In a perfect world, Vecna and Dr. Kay would be the only ones whose lives are on the line. However, killing the show\u2019s heroes would be far more impactful. And the look on Dustin\u2019s face during Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 3\u2019s trailer<\/a> suggests that at least one of our favorites is in danger. It\u2019s more likely to be a well-established side character or lead, though, which breaks a long-running tradition for the Netflix show. <\/p>\n

Stranger Things Has Made a Tradition of Killing New & Beloved Supporting Characters<\/p>\n

\"Eddie<\/p>\n

Stranger Things has a tendency to kill beloved supporting characters before their stories get very far, starting with Barb back in Season 1. Barb only appears in a few scenes before she becomes a casualty of the Upside Down. However, those were enough to get viewers to rally behind her, demanding \u201cJustice for Barb.\u201d<\/a> And her death kicks off a series-long tradition of killing popular newcomers after just a season or two. Bob Newby, Billy Hargrove, and Eddie Munson are all examples. Through their deaths, these supporting players give Stranger Things greater stakes while breaking our hearts. They also ensure the series doesn\u2019t need to part with its core characters too soon. <\/p>\n

But with the Netflix show coming to a close, it doesn\u2019t have to worry about bidding farewell to its leads any longer. It won\u2019t need to deal with the fallout of losing them, and it makes sense from an emotional standpoint to take a bigger swing. Plus, while there are several established supporting players the series could do away with, there\u2019s only one new side character in the spotlight this season. He is the best addition in Season 5, and his death would be tragic \u2014 but it also seems incredibly unlikely. <\/p>\n

Season 5\u2019s Delightful Derek Could Break the Netflix Series\u2019 9-Year Streak<\/p>\n

\"Derek<\/p>\n

The most obvious supporting character who could uphold Stranger Things\u2018 tradition of killing new fan-favorites is Derek Turnbow, and he seems very unlikely to die in Volume 3. Although Derek is introduced to us as \u201cDips*** Derek,\u201d he really starts to live up to his new nickname \u2014 Delightful Derek \u2014 as we get to know him. He proves braver and more resourceful than he originally gets credit for. And even his sassiest moments are fantastic; they\u2019ve rapidly made him one of the best characters of the season. (Who else could hit Vecna with a \u201cyour mom\u201d joke and get away with it?)<\/p>\n

And Derek could technically uphold Stranger Things\u2018 longstanding tradition, as he\u2019s one of the kids that Vecna kidnaps, and thus, is in danger. However, it\u2019s hard to imagine the Netflix series going so far as to kill off a young kid, especially one so endearing to the fans and the other characters. It would be a bummer of an ending, especially with Will feeling so responsible for the children in Vecna\u2019s grasp. If I had to guess, I\u2019d say Holly Wheeler and all her classmates are safe. If any supporting players are likely to perish, my bet\u2019s on Mr. Clarke, Kali, or Vickie \u2014 and I hope I\u2019m wrong about all of them. And given what\u2019s been set up so far, the show may forgo its supporting character death altogether. Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 3 may be gunning for a bigger tragedy in its final showdown.<\/p>\n

Stranger Things May Be Gunning for Bigger Deaths in Its Final Season<\/p>\n

\"ElevenImage via Netflix<\/p>\n

Stranger Things Season 5 may not bother killing off a supporting character like Derek, as it\u2019s already setting up a much larger death: Eleven. Kali is trying to convince the show\u2019s heroine to sacrifice herself and break the cycle. And while I\u2019d hate to see it play out that way, there\u2019s no denying Kali\u2019s logic is sound. If Eleven doesn\u2019t die in the finale, there\u2019s every chance that Hawkins will remain vulnerable to the Abyss. Eleven will also continue to be hunted, as the government shows no sign of ending its mission to create more kids like her and Henry. Killing Eleven or another lead also makes sense in terms of impact, as it would pack a stronger punch during the final episode. It would be nice to avoid the devastation completely, but if anyone dies, it will probably be her or a side character who\u2019s been around for a while. <\/p>\n

What do you think? Leave a comment below\u00a0and join the conversation now in the\u00a0ComicBook Forum<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stranger Things Season 5\u2019s best new character could break a 9-year-old series trend \u2014 one that\u2019s caused a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":213285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[146,85,46,53235,52092,411],"class_list":{"0":"post-213284","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-regular-feature","12":"tag-stranger-things","13":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}