Heading into the final season of Stranger Things, fans had a lot of expectations and predictions as to what would happen in the final chapter of Netflix’s hit series.
One of the running themes going into the season was the theory and expectation that the final season would feature some of the show's biggest deaths yet. This theory and expectation was rooted in the fact that it was the final season for the show and would feature the ultimate showdown between the Hawkins crew and Vecna. Many theorized that the final season would have been bigger, with more shocking deaths as part of the climax to the story, knowing how it’s not uncommon for major characters to die in the final showdown.
There are countless examples to point to of key characters perishing in the endgame battle, Avengers: Endgame being a perfect example of this as the two-part final chapter of Infinity War and Endgame brought about several major deaths, including Vision, Gamora, Black Widow, and Iron Man, as well as the big bad in Thanos and several of his supporting antagonists.
While the Stranger Things series finale did feature some major deaths, not a single main character was killed in the buildup to the final showdown, and even the final battle left many fans underwhelmed. In fact, the biggest death of the finale is one that is shrouded in uncertainty, with the writers keeping the death ambiguous rather than fully committing to the death of Eleven, which would be the equivalent of Iron Man’s death for Stranger Things.
The decision not to kill more characters in the final season is something that has divided many fans and that decision is back in the headlines again, this time after a star from The Boys seemed to subtly throw shade at Stranger Things not taking bigger swings in the final season.
The Boys star Antony Starr comments on Stranger Things final season’s lack of deaths
Antony Starr recently sat down with Wired to answer the internet’s best questions while promoting the final season of The Boys. As part of the segment, Starr was asked whether The Boys will be the next show to join a list of controversial endings or provide a satisfying conclusion fans will enjoy.
In addressing the question, Starr noted that it’s hard for a show to satisfy anyone, as every fan wants something different.
"Has any show ever provided an ending that stratified everyone? I don’t know that you can because everyone’s different and wants different things," Starr remarked.
That's when the conversation shifted into an area in which Starr seemed to throw some shade at Stranger Things. While Starr did not name-drop Stranger Things directly, it seems pretty clear that he's referencing the final season of the show, which was certainly controversial and caught a lot of heat from fans over the lack of major deaths.
"Something just finished – I won’t say what – and nobody died. I was just scratching my head going, 'There's nowhere else to go this is the end of the run, kill some people!'" Starr remarked. "As our boss Eric [Kripke] has said, don’t get attached to characters on the show because everyone’s head is potentially on the block."
The remark is certainly a fair one to make, as this was a sentiment shared by many fans. While they understood the show not wanting to kill off major characters before the final season, this was the end of the road, and there wasn't a point in not killing off more characters—especially for a season that was meant to have such high stakes and be the biggest battle the characters had faced. To have the heroes go up against the show's final boss and nearly everyone make it out unscathed is something that has divided fans.
While The Boys final season has had some ups and downs through its first five episodes, the show has already killed off a handful of characters, including two major characters, one whose death occurred in the very first episode of the season. With three episodes left, we're eager to see if The Boys can stick its landing, but one thing that's certain is the show has not been afraid of killing characters off this season and we won't be surprised to see even more characters killed off in the final episodes of the series.
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