Who Dies in ‘Stranger Things’? Do Steve, Eleven, or Hopper Bite the Dust?

So who dies in the Stranger Things finale?

Not to be ghoulish, but it’s hard to imagine anyone logging onto Netflix tonight who isn’t dying to know which of their favorite Stranger Things characters survived the final episode.

For years, fans have fretted over Steve Harrington’s (Joe Keery) fate, anticipated Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) demise, and wondered if Hopper (David Harbour) will ever die and simply stay dead. Now, we finally know who dies in Stranger Things…

**Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 8 “The Rightside Up,” now streaming on Netflix**

The epic Stranger Things finale takes us back into the Upside Down for one last time and not everyone makes it out alive.

We knew going into tonight’s finale that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) had decided to sacrifice herself, alongside sister Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), in order to prevent the government to ever experiment on her or other children again. However, could the Duffer Brothers really leave fans with such a bitter finale? Furthermore, would Jim Hopper ever really let Eleven do such a thing?

Elsewhere, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) was finally willing to put himself on the front lines of the fight, thanks to his newfound ability to tap into the hive mind and turn the tables on Vecna. Is Stranger Things ultimately the story of Will’s sacrifice? Does Will die?

And what about poor Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), Derek “the Delightful” Turnbow (Jake Connelly), and all the other kids Vecna took hostage? Do they survive their ordeal?

So who lives and who dies in the Stranger Things finale? Here’s everything you need to know about who makes it out of the Netflix show alive and who is forever trapped in the horror of the Upside Down…

Who Dies in Stranger Things?

The first major character to die in Stranger Things is none other than Kali, El’s sister. She is shot by the villainous soldier Akers (Alex Breux) about halfway through the episode.

Even though Eleven, Kali, Hopper, and Murray make it to the Upside Down version of Hawkins Lab, they are stymied by two forces. First, Vecna uses Kali’s powers to trick Hopper into ripping Eleven out of her sensory deprivation tank, thus severing her connection with Vecna’s mind. After this happens, Akers and his men take on the laboratory with the device that immobilizes Eleven and Kali. When Hopper goes back to rescue Kali, the two of them are captured. Akers is about to shoot and kill Kali when Murray uses explosives to take out the copter holding the device. Akers shoots Kali in the blast and she dies of her injuries.

It appears that Steve is finally a goner about twenty minutes into the Stranger Things finale, when he falls from the SQWK tower. However, Jonathan reaches out and saves them just in time.

More to come (or die) as the episode continues…