Following Billy's death, Max distances herself from her friends and boyfriend and feels immense survivor's guilt, traumatized by her stepbrother's violent death. She consequently feels responsible for the dissolution of her family and is so entrenched in her shame that she becomes Vecna's next victim.
Vecna starts to kill people, but he only picks a certain kind of person – people who have experienced great loss and trauma. Max catches Vecna's eye. She is wracked with guilt, grief, and pain after Billy's death. She silently mourns the future she will never have with Billy.
Season 3 made it evident that Max and her stepbrother Billy weren't in the same place as season 2. In “Chapter Four: The Sauna Test,” she desperately wanted to help him and was pained by his pleading. Therefore, her grief over his death wasn't conjured up; it's very much real.
The relationship between Max and Billy never really improves as it is too broken to begin with. Like Max, Billy was also abused since he was a kid, causing him to repress his intense emotions and later on resent Max as his stepsister. Billy actively refused to bond with Max which explains their toxic relationship.
Max Mayfield
Neil's abuse towards his son also indirectly caused Billy to take out his anger on Max. Max tried to to stand up to Neil's abuse of Billy but was mocked for being a “stupid little girl.” Following Billy's death, Neil left Susan and abandoned her and Max, though Max admitted to her school counselor, Ms.
In his final words, he apologized to Max. His death was covered up by the government, as part of the Starcourt Mall's fire. The following year, his death had a major effect on Max, who removed herself from her friends, and was eventually targeted by a new force from the Upside Down due to her trauma.
Billy was Max Mayfield's older stepbrother, and he wasn't a very nice one at all, often abusing her and demonstrating racist views towards her friend Lucas.
Following Billy's death, Max distances herself from her friends and boyfriend and feels immense survivor's guilt, traumatized by her stepbrother's violent death. She consequently feels responsible for the dissolution of her family and is so entrenched in her shame that she becomes Vecna's next victim.
But when Max finally got her wish, when Billy actually died for real, it sent her spiralling into an even darker place. "I've tried to forgive myself. I've tried, but I can't. So now, when I lie in bed at night, I pray that something will happen to me.
Dear Billy, I don't even know if you can hear this. Two years ago, I would've said "that's ridiculous, impossible." But that was before I found out about alternate dimensions and monsters, so I'm just going to stop assuming that I know anything. So much has happened since you left. Your dad was a total mess.
It should've been called “Still Here,” but “Dear Billy” holds power differently. In her decision to forgive Billy, she stands firm in keeping his memory alive and hoping that he could've had a chance at a proper redemption. Because more than anything, Max forgives, even when people might deserve it.
In the episodes leading up to his death, Billy was consistently abusive towards Max and her friends. Max says she “wanted him out of her life” and she is undeniably valid in feeling that way because of his actions.
Forget the Russians, the Mind Flayer, and the rats—one of the most interesting storylines at the beginning of Stranger Things season three is the flirtation between Cara Buono's Mrs. Wheeler and Dacre Montgomery's Billy.
Proving that his final moments were his and his alone, Billy's last words to his sister Max are a simple apology for everything he has done: “I'm sorry.”
Billy threatening Eleven while possessed by Vecna. Billy's final words to Max. I'm sorry.
Billy's Step Sister — Max Mayfield
Neil married Susan Mayfield, who had a daughter named Max Mayfield. Max was introduced as Billy's stepsister, and he was not affectionate towards her. Neil's abusive behavior had a destructive impact on Billy, and he started bullying his friends and other kids.
The reason that Eleven couldn't find Max is actually pretty simple -- Max had already died. That means her soul had already been absorbed into Vecna's consciousness.
After serving as bait for Vecna, she becomes his “final sacrifice,” getting her bones broken and losing her vision during a low point. Once the fight is over, she dies in Lucas' arms, unable to see or feel anything as Eleven looks on from her mindspace.
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.
She loved Billy and supported his surfing hobby, but Neil's accusations of her cheating on him and physical abuse towards her eventually drove her to abandon her son in order to escape.
The memory of his mother and of being happy, helps Billy to break free from the Mind Flayer's control. With his own free will, Billy stands up to the Mind Flayer and is stabbed multiple times. However, his sacrifice gives the gang just enough time to execute their plan and make it to safety.
"I don't want to die. I'm not ready," Max cries as she succumbs to her wounds — even if only for a minute.
The theory goes that Billy and Max moved to Hawkins after Max found out that Billy was gay, perhaps seeing him in a compromising situation with another young man…
Her stepbrother, Billy Hargrove, later broke Max's skateboard in retaliation for being with Lucas Sinclair, though Max attempted to fix it with duct tape.
She reads the letter in front of Billy's tombstone. Max writes in her letter to Billy, “Ever since you left, everything's been a total disaster. And the worst part is I can't tell anyone why you're gone. I can't tell them you saved El's life, that you saved my life.