The Stranger Things series finale has left us with a number of thoughts, feelings, and questions we will likely be sorting through for the foreseeable future. We knew that saying goodbye to this show and these characters would be hard, but given how some of the characters' journeys ended, it's been a much harder farewell than we could have imagined.
While there were some fake-out deaths, actual deaths, and ambiguous deaths in the Stranger Things 5 finale, the vast majority of our beloved Hawkins heroes had something of a happy ending — even if they didn't end up with their love interest. In particular, Lucas and Max were one of the only two couples that managed to end up together (the other being Joyce and Hopper).
After everything they had been through in the last two seasons, obviously including Max being in a coma for two years as a result of being taken by Vecna, Lucas and Max remain together and in love in the series finale and its epilogue. However, the Duffer Brothers wonder whether the couple will make their relationship last now that high school has ended. Are Lumax doomed?
The new doubt surrounding the trajectory of Lucas and Max's romance stems from the Duffer Brothers responding to questions about whether Robin and Vickie have actually broken up. The fate of their relationship is left unanswered by the series finale, though those with a close eye picked up on Robin alluding to the fact that she and her high school girlfriend are no longer together.
Ross Duffer suggested leaving the relationship open-ended was an initial decision to keep fans on their toes. As he told Entertainment Weekly, "We do that flash-forward in Mike's story and we bring them up to a certain point, and then we want to leave it a little bit up to fans in terms of where these characters end up ultimately. Do Robin and Vickie stay together? Maybe, maybe not.
Jumping off on that idea, Matt Duffer expanded the thought and mused about the real-life track record of high school relationships: "From my point of view and from everyone I knew in high school, what percentage of couples remain together after they leave for college? Extremely low. Max and Lucas survive because their love is that deep, but very few others do. But you never know."
"But you never know" officially calls into question what we thought we knew about Lucas and Max's happy ending. The Duffer Brothers talking about the characters and their future doesn't and can't change how their stories actually ended. Lucas and Max are still together, we know this. But the creators are now wondering whether their relationship lasts much longer as college nears.
Realistically, Matt Duffer is probably right. Maybe Max and Lucas part ways at some point in the future if they grow in different directions, if long distance becomes a factor, or whatever normal human obstacles come their way. That's realistic and to be expected. But they could also avoid those obstacles after facing the most unprecedented challenges imaginable.
Obviously, the Duffers casually discussing the reality of young relationships after high school ends and the real world descends (a whole different kind of Upside Down) doesn't have an impact on Lucas and Max's ending up together in the series finale. We're leaving them happily in love on their movie theater date, and they lived happily ever after!