Stranger Things creators reveal the infuriating reason they didn’t kill off any main characters

Since finishing the Stranger Things finale, people have been wondering how none of the main characters died, and the creators have now revealed the reason why they didn’t kill anyone off.

The final season was meant to be the end of everything. The Upside Down, Vecna, the Mind Flayer, gone. And yet, somehow, every core character made it out alive. No Hopper sacrifice. No Steve hero death. Not even Will, who was literally connected to the hive mind. For a show built on emotional gut punches, people were understandably baffled.

So now, the Duffer Brothers have finally explained why Stranger Things refused to kill off its main characters, and the reason feels a bit like a cop out.

Right, so why didn’t Stranger Things kill anyone important?

via Netflix

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the creators admitted they’re extremely protective of the characters, especially Eleven. They explained that giving a definitive answer on her fate would actually undo the entire point of her sacrifice. In other words, if they confirmed she lived or died, the moment wouldn’t work.

They also revealed that they’ve been working with Millie Bobby Brown for a decade, which made the idea of killing Eleven off even harder.

They added, “I know we get hit for not killing more people, but Ross and I love these characters and these actors so much. It just felt like such a courageous and brave thing for her to do.”

In other words, killing her, or anyone else, just didn’t feel right to them.

They talked about killing characters but backed out

via Netflix

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Interestingly, this wasn’t a last-minute decision. In an interview with Deadline, the Duffer Brothers revealed that every possible outcome was discussed in the writers’ room.

“In the writers room, I think we talked through everything,” they explained. “You talk through everything, every possibility, and we knew from early on what we wanted to do with Eleven and her fate.”

They said they also discussed other characters, but ultimately reminded themselves what kind of show Stranger Things is meant to be. “At the end of the day, for us, the show is an adventure story,” they said. “It’s a coming-of-age story.”

Rather than focusing on shock deaths, they wanted to concentrate on where the characters ended up emotionally. “So for us, it was really talking about those last 30, 40 minutes and where we wanted our characters to be and what we wanted their growth to be and where we wanted to leave them behind,” they continued.

“Having those discussions is how we landed on [the decision] that we want our heroes, most of them, to make it out of there.”

Of course, at least one major death would have made the ending hit harder. Even killing off either of the Wheeler parents could have raised the stakes. Instead, Stranger Things played it safe, faking out danger but never fully committing.

Either way, the Upside Down is closed, and the kids have grown up. And Stranger Things has officially come to an end, even if everyone lived to see it.

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