We love all the Stranger Things characters – okay, most of them – but there is absolutely no denying that Steve Harrington has a special place in the hearts of fans.
Looking back on the very first season, it’s unreal the journey that Steve has gone through over the last five seasons. Some might even argue that his arc across the show’s run is one of, if not the best character arcs of the show. You can barely recognize the selfish, image-obsessed high school bully Steve was when we first met him in season 1 with the brave, selfless, compassionate hero he’s become.
This is all a credit to Joe Keery’s incredible performance, which transformed Steve from what was meant to be a disposable one-season character into one of the most beloved characters in the franchise. This love is what has given fans an understandable fear that Steve could be one of the characters marked for death in the final season.
Heading into both the pre-Thanksgiving Day volume 1 drop and the Christmas Day volume 2 drop, fans were terrified that Steve would not survive the events of the episodes. Thankfully, Steve made it through the first seven episodes of the season unscathed, with his closest brush with death coming in volume 2 when he nearly fell to his death. Dustin ended up saving his friend’s life when he begged him to not climb aboard the ladder Steve intended to use to cross an opening in the floor, a ladder which fell through the opening seconds after the pair had embraced as Steve comforted a concerned Dustin.
We’ve now reached the final episode of the season, an episode that fans expected to be one of the show’s most brutal yet. If you can bear to wait until the end to know whether Steve lives or dies, we’re here to pull off the bandage and reveal the fate of our favorite babysitter.
No, Steve does not die in the Stranger Things 5 finale
Steve almost dies in the Stranger Things finale! He falls off the radio tower as the Abyss smashes into it, but Jonathan is there to save Steve and grab his arm, saving his life. Sometimes, the person you think is your enemy is the one who is actually there for you in the end!
While we won’t get into the full spoilers for the episode, so as not to spoil the specifics of the finale, we can confirm that Steve does not die in the Stranger Things series finale. Steve is among the characters who survive the events of the final episode of the show and is very much alive and well as the series comes to an end.
Honestly, it’s such a relief to know that Steve was not killed in the episode. Given how much Steve has gone through and how beloved he is by the audience, I really thought the Duffers might use his death as an emotional catalyst in the finale. Thankfully, that is not the case, as our sweet babygirl made it out of the final episode alive!