In the fictional world of the TV series Stranger Things, the character Max Mayfield is alive as of the conclusion of the final season, which premiered in late 2025.
There is a small hope that Max will wake up from being brain dead. However, she will be like a vegetable in the head and will probably not be able to eat or dress herself. In addition, she will have to live the rest of her life completely blind.
Max Is Alive Again on Stranger Things 5, Volume 2
But in a very emotional series of moments that stretch throughout all of Stranger Things 5, Volume 2, Max returns to life once more, in a coma/curse no more. Admittedly, we suspected that Max would survive Stranger Things 5 alive, but we did have our doubts at moments.
Her death triggered the opening of the fourth and final curse gate, wreaking havoc across Hawkins. However, Eleven used her abilities to restart Max's heart. She was brought back to life, but remained comatose, teetering on the boundary between life and death.
Max's fate in Stranger Things season 5 has been confirmed by the Duffer Brothers, debunking theories of her demise. Sadie Sink's presence in the cast photo and her participation in script readings confirm that Max will be alive and have a role in the new season.
There's no single "saddest" death, as it's subjective, but Eddie Munson, Bob Newby, and Alexei (Smirnoff) are consistently cited as the most heartbreaking due to their heroism, innocence, or tragic circumstances, with fans often debating Eddie's heroic sacrifice vs. Bob's pure-hearted loss or Alexei's joyful demise. Other significant sad deaths include Barb Holland, the first major character loss, and Billy Hargrove's complex redemption.
As we mentioned, Max blamed herself for Billy's death at the end of Season 3, as her stepbrother selflessly put himself in the Mind Flayer's deadly path in an attempt to protect Max and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) during the destructive mall battle.
But Will will be so much more powerful because this happened in The Upside Down where he has the powers of Vecna, not from Henry in The Right Side Up (Earth). So, Will is essentially 019 and has greater powers than Eight and Eleven.
Yes, according to the show's creators, Mike did realize that Will's "crush" in his coming-out speech referred to him, even though it wasn't explicitly stated in dialogue; his reaction shots and subsequent apology scene were designed to show he understood the depth of Will's feelings, though the payoff for their storyline was minimal in the finale.
Eleven's "kryptonite" in Stranger Things Season 5 is a military-developed sonic weapon, often called the "Hedgehog," which emits a crippling, high-pitched frequency that overloads her psychic powers, causing intense pain and nosebleeds, possibly linked to the powers of Kali (Eight). This technology, developed by Dr. Kay, specifically targets psychics, effectively neutralizing them in ways her own emotional limitations or physical strain (like nosebleeds) couldn't, and it's the first time she's been completely shut down by an external force.
Having been trapped since her death in 1986, Max was able to find an exit into Vecna's Mind Lair from the memory of his possession as a child by the Mind Flayer, aided by Lucas playing "Running Up That Hill" for her in the real world. There, Max found an exit to her body and helped Holly manifest her own.
Helen knew Max would never put her first. She had doubts from the moment they got together (“I never should have let you in”) and no matter how hard she tried to push them down, they kept coming back up. Max only wanted to do what was best for HIM.
Max was actually played by six different dogs, and all were mixed-breed shelter rescues. The two lead dogs were Kelly and Chip—with Kelly doing most of the stunts—and the other four were Topsy, Stella, Zelda, and Bo.
During a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Johnny Depp disclosed that he is blind in his left eye and short-sighted in his right eye! Whilst filming Pirates of The Caribbean, Johnny admits that he could barely see a few inches in front of his face… how disorientating.
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Does Max finally wake from her coma? Yes! After nearly two years of being comatose, Max opens her eyes and Lucas is right at her side.
Before they embark into the Upside Down, Will comes out as gay to his family and close friends, explaining that Vecna showed him visions of his failed and distant relationships with his loved ones after they learnt the truth.
Eventually, she finally told him after the guilt was building up inside of her. Mike then storms out of the apartment and heads to Logan's condo to beat him up. Logan then tells him that she didn't just like the kiss, she loved it. Mike then ended things with Rachel, but they eventually reconciled.
Will Byers' love interest in Stranger Things is Mike Wheeler, with actor Noah Schnapp confirming Will is gay and has long-standing romantic feelings for Mike, a storyline intentionally built over the seasons, culminating in Will's coming out in Season 4 and continued development in the final season (Season 5) where he expresses this love and their bond deepens.
Using her powers takes a physical toll on her body. When using her powers to perform more menial tasks, Eleven usually only suffers from nosebleeds. Based on how her powers are executed, it is likely the source of this blood is actually her brain.
Will telekinetically restrains Vecna and snaps off his left hand, allowing Eleven to fatally impale Vecna on a spike. Discovering him still barely alive after freeing the kids, Joyce Byers decapitates Vecna with an axe, bringing an end to his reign of terror.
Later, when struck by the more powerful Warai Jogo Ragnaraku, Luffy although injured, retained consciousness. Luffy's immense willpower was also seen in Thriller Bark when his body was able to take in 100 shadows without issue, while a normal person could only take in two or three.
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Neil's abuse towards Billy turned him into a childhood bully, and he would beat up other kids and began to extend to the abuse of Max. In 1984, Billy and his new family moved from California to Hawkins, Indiana, and he began attending Hawkins High School.
According to Max, Neil could not get over his son's death.