Is Max brain dead in 'Stranger Things'? Yes, Max is brain dead in Stranger Things. When speaking with Josh Horowitz on his podcast,
The fan-favorite character ended the season in a coma with her bones broken and eyes blinded at the hands of Vecna. Max technically died for one whole minute before Eleven revived her friend, but Eleven's powers weren't enough to bring Max fully back to life.
The Duffer brothers have also confirmed that at the end of Season 4, Max is alive yet "brain dead, blind, and all of her bones are broken." The big mystery is where the redhead is mentally. When Eleven later enters the Void to find Max, all she sees is darkness.
Technically, Max does die from sustained from Vecna's curse during "The Piggyback" before Eleven uses her powers to restart her friend's heart. Before doing so, Vecna breaks Max's limbs and causes her to go blind before she dies in Lucas' arms.
Vecna holds off Eleven long enough to brutally attack Max in his signature style—she levitates, her eyes go white and bleed, and he snaps her limbs. Eleven regains her strength and pushes Vecna off before he can complete the job, but the damage is already done.
But while Vecna was finishing her off Eleven and the rest of the Hawkins crew managed to defeat him. Unfortunately, the damage by Vecna's curse was not to be undone and Max lay with Lucas, blind with broken limbs. Max would have died and was dead for a whole minute, but Eleven brought her back to life.
In this case, the "everything" Vecna took was what makes Max the person her friends know and love. The moment she died, Max's essence left her body and became the property of Vecna, explaining why Max is not there to greet Eleven inside her own mind.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the brothers confirmed that Max is "braindead and blind and all of her bones are broken".
Refusing to allow Max to die after their battle with Vecna, Eleven pulls out the stops to save her life. As Lucas begs Max to stay alive, cradling her in his arms, Eleven uses just enough power to get Max's heart beating again.
In the final moments, Max is in a coma. With that said, if Max were to make a full recovery, would she be blind? Well, based on the injuries she sustained, it's likely Max will be blind going forward.
Though they're clouded with cataracts, Vecna in Stranger Things has both of his eyes.
Vecna, however, has proven to be more difficult. Vecna puts a curse on his victims by finding people who are dealing with tragedies and negative feelings like low self-esteem.
Meanwhile, on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Duffer brothers added more insult to injury by saying that Max is literally "braindead and blind and all of her bones are broken".
Theory: Karen Wheeler Is Vecna's Sister From Stranger Things 4's Flashbacks.
"I don't want to die. I'm not ready," Max cries as she succumbs to her wounds — even if only for a minute. Max is clinically dead before being revived by Eleven's powers, but a psychic probe of Max's mind reveals an empty void.
In episode 7, Vecna is revealed to be Henry Creel (played as a youngster by Raphael Luce), the son of Victor Creel (Robert Englund) and his wife Virginia (Tyner Rushing) shown in the 1950s flashbacks.
When asked about Eddie's return chances in season 5, the star offered a disappointing response for fans in attendance, stating that while he would "love" to come back, it was unlikely. See what Quinn said below: I mean, they're shooting soon!
Max's death was used a device to push Murphy toward killing Josh in the series finale. Max didn't need to die to wrap up the story this way. Sure, Murphy needed to have a complicated place to land.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Elaine Esposito (December 3, 1934 – November 25, 1978) held the record for the longest period of time in a coma according to Guinness World Records, having lost consciousness in 1941 and eventually dying in that condition more than 37 years later.
While there are no direct statements, it's still clear that Max suffers from mental illnesses, such as depression, trauma, and even PTSD.
It's not great at all. If you've watched season 4, you'll know that our beloved Hellfire King Eddie was brutally killed in the final episode after being bitten to death by Demobats.
Using past traumas to break down his victims, Vecna brought Nancy to the pool where Barb was killed by the Demogorgon and revealed her mangled corpse. Vecna then taunted Nancy with her own feelings of guilt - that she was responsible for Barb's death and had forgotten about her.
“Dear Billy” is a phenomenal episode and in the moment has an air of finality. Max has escaped Vecna, so she is safe from Vecna. But you don't just beat depression once and go about the rest of your life.
One of the most confusing parts of season 4 of Stranger Things is Eleven being able to revive Max. As far as fans know, Eleven hasn't been able to do this before. It's not clear how she gained the power to revive someone or if she would be able to do it again in the future.