Confirmed Deaths in Stranger Things Season 5 Finale: Spoiler Alert - It's Exactly Who You Think Would Die

The final episode of Stranger Things arrived with a question fans have debated for years: who would survive the showdown with Vecna and who would not. As the fifth and final season raced toward its New Year's Eve finale, speculation pointed to a brutal ending.

Instead, the series closes with a restrained but decisive outcome that confirms only two deaths and leaves one major fate deliberately unresolved.

Who Dies in 'The Stranger Things' Season 5 Finale

Despite expectations of a high body count, the finale confirms just two deaths. Kali, also known as Eight, is killed by one of Dr Kay's soldiers after being recaptured. Her death comes during a confrontation tied to the lab storyline, where Dr Kay is attempting to create more superpowered children using Kali and Eleven's blood.

The second confirmed death is Vecna, the show's long-running villain. After sustaining severe injuries during the final battle, Vecna survives an initial impalement before meeting his end moments later. Joyce Byers delivers the final blows with an axe, beheading the creature once known as Henry Creel and permanently ending the Mind Flayer threat.

How Vecna Is Finally Defeated

The climactic fight sees Eleven and the group working together to neutralise Vecna's power. While Eleven weakens him, Vecna remains alive long enough to pose a final danger. Joyce's intervention is decisive. Her act confirms that Vecna is not merely defeated but permanently destroyed, bringing closure to the central conflict that has defined the later seasons of the show.

Why Most Fan-Favourite Characters Survive

Major characters long predicted to die make it through the finale. Steve Harrington, Dustin Henderson, Will Byers, Max Mayfield and Jim Hopper all survive the final battle. Earlier seasons established the series' willingness to kill popular characters, including Barb Holland, Billy Hargrove and Eddie Munson. The restrained approach in Season 5 reflects a tonal shift, prioritising resolution and survival over shock deaths.

Does Eleven Die In 'The Stranger Things' Finale?

Eleven's fate is the episode's most significant unanswered question. After the group appears to have won, Dr Kay captures most of the heroes. Eleven is missing. She is later shown standing at the gate to the Upside Down as a bomb planted by Hopper and Murray detonates, destroying the gateway between worlds. Following a psychic farewell to Mike and a final kiss set to 'Purple Rain,' Eleven appears to be consumed in the explosion.

Crucially, her death is never shown. No body is recovered and no character confirms she has died.

The 18-Month Time Jump and Mike's Theory

The episode jumps forward 18 months to a rebuilt Hawkins. Life is returning to normal, but Mike remains unsettled. At his graduation ceremony, a burst of audio feedback reminds him of the sonic weapon previously used against Eleven. Later, during a final Dungeons and Dragons game, Mike proposes a theory. He suggests Eleven escaped and faked her death with the help of Kali, whose powers include creating powerful illusions.

The final moments briefly show Eleven hiking alone toward a ridge overlooking waterfalls, dressed in normal clothes with long hair. The scene supports Mike's theory without confirming it.

What the Finale Confirms for Canon

By the end of the series, only Kali and Vecna are definitively dead. Vecna's threat is conclusively ended, while Eleven's fate remains intentionally ambiguous. The show closes by allowing viewers to decide whether Eleven survived, reinforcing the series' long-standing theme that not everything can or should be explained.