8 ‘Stranger Things’ Deaths That (Still) Haunt Us (PHOTOS)
Stranger Things character deaths are some of TV’s most brutal and memorable — and part of what has made the show such an addictive entertainment phenomenon. The Netflix sci-fi drama has a knack for creating lovable characters that engender strong feelings of protection in viewers; just about every season features a character to whom fans grow attached and subsequently fear will meet a bitter end.
The deaths in this show have become pop culture moments. Who could forget the #JusticeForBarb campaign that ignited on social media in Season 1? Or the devastation that came from watching Bob Newby, superhero, die a hero’s death? And of course, there’s the “Chrissy, wake up” TikTok song that became a viral earworm.
Ahead of the final season (premiering with Part 1 on November 26), we’re looking back on the Stranger Things deaths that still haunt us (ordered by season). Did these — mostly — well-loved characters really need to bite the dust?
Something tells us this list will need updating by the time the final episodes come out…
For an extended celebration of Stranger Things, from a Season 5 preview to must-see photos and more, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Stranger Things: The Final Chapter special issue, available for pre-order online now and on newsstands Friday, November 14.
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 1, Premiere, November 26, 2025, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 2, Premiere, December 25, 2025, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Finale, Premiere, December 31, 2025, Netflix and Select Theaters
Barbara Holland (Season 1)
Studious teen Barb (Shannon Purser) was Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer) best friend and, seemingly, a constant third wheel to her and Steve’s (Joe Keery) relationship. While at Steve’s house party in the second episode, “The Weirdo on Maple Street,” Barb was surrounded by peers but clearly felt out of place. As Nancy chased new friends and love, Barb struggled to fit in.
In a clumsy attempt to belong, she tried to shotgun a beer, but only managed to slice open her hand instead. “Go home, Barb,” Nancy told her. Hurt, Barb wandered to the pool, dripping blood into the water. The scent drew the Demogorgon, which lunged from the shadows and dragged her screaming into the Upside Down.
Wounded, filthy, and terrified, she found herself in a grotesque version of Steve’s pool. Her panicked screams for Nancy were intercut with her friend’s makeout session in the real world. Clawing at the pool ladder, Barb fought for her life, but the Demogorgon pulled her away.
Nancy only learned the truth later, when guilt drove her to ask Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) for help. In the Void, Eleven discovered a horrific sight that confirmed Barb’s fate: Her remains entombed in a cocoon, eyes glazed and staring.
Stranger Things fans honored Barb with a viral social media campaign in 2017, #JusticeForBarb.
Bob Newby (Season 2)
Sean Astin‘s Bob Newby was a hero, and he died a hero’s death in the sophomore season’s eighth episode, “The Mind Flayer.” After he broke into Hawkins Lab with his girlfriend Joyce (Winona Ryder) to save her son Will (Noah Schnapp), the power went out, and the building was overrun by Demodogs. Bob stepped forward to restore the system, determined to give the gang a chance to escape. Armed with nothing but courage and a working knowledge of BASIC, he navigated the darkened halls, slipped past the creatures, and brought the power back, clearing the way for everyone to get out.
But the sound of his victory drew the monsters. A Demodog spotted Bob, forcing him into a desperate sprint down the corridors, the creature snapping at his heels. He burst into the lobby — just a few steps away from Joyce — when another beast lunged, tackling him and tearing him open.
Bob fought with everything he had, but the pack swarmed him. The last glimpse of Bob was brutal: the Demodogs feasting on his lifeless body, a sad and ghastly end for a true savior.
Bob (nickname: “Bob the Brain”) was a quirky, wholesome nerd who genuinely tried to connect with Joyce and her sons Will and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). We can only imagine what their future would have looked like had Bob survived his first encounter with the Upside Down’s beasts.
Dart (Season 2)
When Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) found a teeny-tiny otherworldly pollywog in the trash, the boy befriended the creature. He gave it a home and named it D’Artagnan for their shared love of 3 Musketeers bars. However, “Dart” later ate the Hendersons’ cat (rest in peace, Mews!), and Dustin realized he had to put down his new friend. But by then, Dart had escaped.
They were reunited when Dart attacked the kids in Episode 9, “The Gate,” but Dustin bought them time with a candy bar and a final “Goodbye, buddy.” When Eleven closed the gate, the psychic link sustaining the Demodogs was severed, killing Dart.
Alexei (Season 3)
Russian scientist Dr. Alexei (Alec Utgoff) might have been a product of the Cold War, but he quickly warmed the hearts of viewers with his childlike love of cherry Slurpees and Looney Tunes cartoons. Despite the language barrier, he struck an unlikely bond with curmudgeon Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman), who became his translator, reluctant babysitter and, eventually, friend. Murray grew fond of Alexei, even defending him when Hopper doubted him, making his fate all the more devastating.
On the night of the Hawkins Fun Fair, Alexei was proudly winning an off-brand Woody Woodpecker at a balloon dart booth as cheering kids looked on. As he hurried back to Murray, he encountered Russian hitman Grigori (Andrey Ivchenko), who shot him in the chest. Bleeding, Alexei collapsed behind a nearby booth as Murray frantically tried to help him. Murray sprinted off to find aid, but by the time he returned with Joyce, Alexei had already succumbed to his wounds, dying alone at the fair.
Billy Hargrove (Season 3)
When Steve evolved from narcissistic heartthrob to the show’s monster-fighting babysitter, Stranger Things needed a new pretty-boy high school king, which it found in Billy (Dacre Montgomery).
The brutish stepbrother of Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) and the apple of every pool mom’s eye, lifeguard Billy was the perfect blend of ruffian and dreamboat — until he was captured by the Mind Flayer and infected, becoming the creature’s unwilling lieutenant. Brainwashed, Billy recruited Hawkins townspeople into servitude as the Mind Flayer’s human enforcer; his natural aggression (brought on by a lifetime of abuse from his father, we later learned) twisted into something even more monstrous.
During the battle at Starcourt Mall in Season 3’s finale, Billy pins down Eleven, ready to deliver her to the Mind Flayer, when she reaches into his mind and sparks a buried memory of his mother. Groping beyond the anger that shaped him, Billy, with El’s help, remembers his mother’s love, and with it, his humanity.
With this newfound empathy, he steps between Eleven and the gargantuan spider-like creature. He seizes a tendril, forcing it to strike him instead of Eleven, as fanged appendages tear into his sides and lift his bloodied body into the air. In his final act of defiance, Billy screams at the monster before the Mind Flayer impales him clean through the chest, killing him as Max looks on in horror.
Eddie Munson (Season 4)
Though Eddie (Joseph Quinn) is only introduced in Season 4, the charismatic outcast makes a lasting impact on the series. The metalhead leader of Hawkins High’s Hellfire Club is blamed for the death of cheerleader Chrissy (see opposite page), forcing him into hiding as the town launches a witch hunt. Terrified and unsure how to explain the horrific events surrounding Chrissy’s bizarre death, he suddenly finds himself a fugitive.
While in hiding, Eddie becomes an unlikely ally to the gang and slowly evolves into a reluctant hero. His deepening bond with Dustin is one of the focal points of the season, making Eddie’s fate all the more devastating.
His arc ends in the Upside Down, where he delivers one of the most iconic moments of the season in the final episode, “The Piggyback.” In the underworld, Eddie climbs onto the roof of a trailer and plays Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” leading the Demobats away from the others so they can attack Vecna’s body. When the flying creatures swarm him, he grabs a shield and spear and fights until he is overwhelmed. The Demobats rip into him, tearing his flesh, leaving him bleeding out and disemboweled.
Dustin finds Eddie in his final moments and falls to his knees, sobbing. Eddie dies in his arms, his trademark smirk giving way to tears. His last words are laced with bittersweet sarcasm: “I think it is my year, Henderson. I think it is finally my year.”
Dr. Martin Brenner (Season 4)
Known as “Papa” to the kids at Hawkins Lab, Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) is a complicated character, part tormentor and part father figure. He experimented on Henry Creel (later revealed as Vecna) to replicate his powers and subjected other children — including Eleven — to brutal tests. His work ultimately opened the gate to the Upside Down.
In Season 4, Brenner brings Eleven to the Nina Project, shaves her head, and forces her to relive the 1979 massacre when Henry slaughtered the other children. Brenner’s methods are cruel, yet he insists he is helping. During the military raid on the desert facility, Brenner is struck by sniper fire while trying to get Eleven to safety. Mortally wounded, he removes her shock collar, and with his dying breath, swears he only tried to love and protect her. She takes his hand for a moment and leaves him with a quiet, final “Bye, Papa.”
Chrissy Cunningham (Season 4)
The first major victim of Vecna, in Season 4’s premiere, “The Hellfire Club,” Chrissy (Grace Van Dien), like Barb before her, was nothing if not an innocent. Popular and beautiful, the head cheerleader of Hawkins High and girlfriend of basketball star Jason Carver (Mason Dye) seemed to embody teenage perfection. Yet beneath that polished exterior hid a dark side: an eating disorder, implied parental abuse, and a deep well of insecurity. Haunted by waking nightmares, Chrissy turned to Eddie for escape via recreational substances, and the two formed an unlikely bond. But their friendship was tragically cut short. While at Eddie’s trailer, Chrissy is trapped in a nightmare vision as Vecna decides to “end her suffering.” In front of Eddie, she levitates to the ceiling as her limbs snap grotesquely. Eddie screams, powerless to help her.
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