For this character, the matter is actually far more complicated than death.
Editor’s note: The below article contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2.
Is (SPOILER) Really Dead? The status quo has been totally upended in its dramatic two-and-a-half-hour finale (overused pun intended). Finally, our four groups of heroes from California, Russia, and Hawkins came together for an epic conflict with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). And like most legendary conflicts, there were casualties. The lives of every character in the season finale were on the line, which made the triumphs feel epic and victorious while also making the deaths and injuries much more terrible. Max (Sadie Sink) suffered more than anybody else in the gang because he was Vecna’s main target in his evil scheme. But the issue still stands: Is Max indeed dead after she was attacked?
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Is (SPOILER) Really Dead?
Technically, the answer is no, but the reality of her circumstance is far more convoluted. Vecna targeted residents of Hawkins throughout the course of the season with intrusive memories of the horrors that occurred in the mall back in Season 3. He would hunt them down and then torment them for his own evil fun. violently extracting their eyeballs and breaking and twisting their limbs out of their sockets. More doors between Hawkins and Upside Down would become accessible because of this practice. A genuine cataclysmic situation would result from the opening of four portals, allowing evil creatures from the Upside Down to free them and enter our world.
She was exactly what Vecna was searching for due to Max’s mixed emotions over the loss of her brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery) in the previous season. a mind that is simpler to control and corrupt. In their first encounter, Max was able to flee thanks to Kate Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill” and its musical accompaniment. The second time, though, she set herself up as bait consciously so that her friends could murder Vecna while she was obstructing them.
Due to Vecna’s knowledge of her plan to stop Max from being tortured, this second haunting is considerably harsher for Max. She is able to seek solace for a moment, hiding in the joyful memories she enjoyed with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). This makes it unlikely that Vecna will be able to murder her by dragging her back into her horrific memories. However, such security is just temporary. Vecna manages to track her down and inflicts fresh horrors on her. In a clever nod to Stephen King’s IT, one of the ways he shocks her is by making the balloons from her recollection of the school dance from Season 2 burst with a gruesome spurt of blood.
Naturally, since this is Stranger Things, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is able to locate her and assist her in battling the creature. Unfortunately, Eleven can’t totally foil Vecna’s scheme. Just as Steve (Joe Keery), Robin (Maya Hawke), and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) complete their assault on Vecna’s physical form, Vecna still manages to open the fourth portal, Max gets her limbs twisted, and her eyes begin to bleed. With the exception of having her eyes gouged out, Max goes through practically the entire grueling process that Vecna made his other victims go through.
Max’s heart stops after expressing how she can no longer feel or hear anything, and she passes away in Lucas’ arms. In a feat that can only be compared to Force healing in Star Wars, Eleven is able to conjure up enough strength to bring her back to life. Max’s limbs and legs are still broken, and she is still in a coma. According to Lucas, the doctors are still unsure about whether she will ever be able to wake up but view her survival as a miracle. It’s a meager glimmer of hope in an utterly hopeless circumstance.
Max’s destiny still continues to weigh heavily on Eleven in the epilogue of the finale, which takes place after Vecna nearly destroys Hawkins by ripping a hole through the town. She doesn’t talk about it much, but her behaviors indicate that she holds herself responsible for Max’s situation. The program wouldn’t focus so much on how Max’s coma is impacting everyone if she were actually dead. To depict all of this and then have her pass away off-screen in between seasons would be incredibly anticlimactic.
Lucas appears to be keeping a close check on Eleven at the hospital as she begins to consider ways to improve Max’s condition. This is a sad moment since just before Max was attacked; she and Lucas stated they wanted to give dating each other another try after coming to terms with their unsuccessful relationship from previous seasons. Even though Max can’t talk to them, it’s heartwarming to see Lucas and his sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) stick by him. Small choices like these show how much each character in this show cares about and cares about the others.
Even though a hell dimension broke through into our world, the Hawkins gang was mostly successful, giving the fifth and final season more to work with. Out of the core ensemble cast, only one friend from the group of heroes truly perished. Our heroes were able to rejoin (Rock in Peace, Eddie Munson). Even though there was still some loss for these characters, they did a very good job of saving the world. At least, until we see how the events of this finale affect the rest of the season of Stranger Things. But whatever happens, you can be sure that Max will appear in some capacity in the next scary adventure the Duffer Brothers concoct.
FAQ
Is Max dead at the end of season 4?
Because of Vecna’s actions, the fan-favorite character spent the final episode of the season in a coma, with her bones fractured and her eyes blinded. Max had been officially dead for an entire minute before Eleven was able to bring her back to life; nonetheless, Eleven’s abilities were not sufficient to bring Max back to full consciousness.
Who dies in Stranger Things 4 spoilers?
This post may reveal plot details from episodes in the fourth season of Stranger Things. The Hellfire Club president and metalhead Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), as well as Dr. Martin Brenner, both passed away during the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things, which included the deaths of popular (and not so beloved) characters (Matthew Modine).
How did Max come back to life?
As Max ascends into the sky, she begins to lose control of her limbs and she gets blind. Max has a brief encounter with death, during which the portal to The Upside Down begins to open; however, Eleven is able to bring Max back to life, which throws a kink into Vecna’s plan.
Will Max be blind forever?
Having said that, if Max were to make a full recovery, would she be unable to see properly? As a result of the damage she experienced, there is a good chance that Max will be unable to see in the future. In addition, during a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Duffer Brothers stated that Max had both blindness and brain death.
