The epic conclusion to Netflix’s Stranger Things arrived on New Year’s Eve 2025, wrapping up nearly a decade of supernatural thrills, ’80s nostalgia, and heartfelt coming-of-age stories. Season 5’s finale, a sprawling two-hour-plus episode, delivered high-stakes action, emotional payoffs, and bittersweet resolutions as the Hawkins gang faced Vecna one last time. Here’s a breakdown of the key events, character fates, and what the ending means for the beloved characters.
The Final Battle Against Vecna
The episode picks up with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry/One) on the verge of merging the Upside Down – revealed as a darker parallel dimension tied to the mysterious Abyss (the Demogorgons’ homeworld) – with Earth. Using the psychic energy of 12 abducted children as “vessels,” Vecna aims to unleash total chaos, fueled by his symbiotic bond with the Mind Flayer.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), aided by the returning Kali/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen), enters Vecna’s mindscape alongside Max (Sadie Sink), who has been trapped in a coma-like state. The group at the WSQK radio tower aligns it with a massive rift, creating access while a descending “planet” from the Abyss threatens to crush Hawkins.
In a tense mental confrontation, Eleven severs Vecna’s link to the children, halting the immediate merger. Holly Wheeler leads the kids to safety in caves, but Vecna pursues. Revelations about Henry’s origins – touching a black rock infused with the Mind Flayer’s essence as a child – underscore his twisted partnership with the entity.
The physical showdown intensifies when military forces (led by remnants of the government’s super-powered experiments) assault the group at Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down. Hopper (David Harbour) and Murray (Brett Gelman) fight back fiercely.
Who Dies in the Finale?
The finale doesn’t shy away from heartbreak, with sacrifices that close dangerous chapters:
- Kali/Eight: Shot by military forces during the lab assault. In her dying moments, she uses her illusion powers to create a decoy, allowing Eleven to escape unharmed. Kali’s death ends the cycle of government experiments using blood (including Henry’s and potentially Eleven’s) to create more powered individuals.
- Vecna/Henry Creel: Ultimately defeated by the combined efforts of the Hawkins crew. Eleven and Will (Noah Schnapp), harnessing his hive mind connection, weaken him, while Joyce (Winona Ryder) delivers the killing blow with an axe to the head. The Mind Flayer’s influence is severed, and a bomb detonates to collapse the bridge between worlds.
No other core Hawkins gang members – including Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Steve (Joe Keery), Robin (Maya Hawke), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Max, Will, Joyce, or Hopper – perish. The 12 missing children, including Holly, survive and are rescued.
Eleven’s fate is nuanced: An illusion makes it appear she sacrifices herself at the portal, but she actually survives, escaping to live in hiding far from danger. As Mike explains in the epilogue, she’s “somewhere no one can hurt her.”
The Bittersweet Resolution
With Vecna defeated and the gateways closed via the bomb, the Upside Down’s threat ends. Hawkins begins to heal, though scarred forever. The surviving gang reunites for a final Dungeons & Dragons session – a full-circle nod to their origins – reflecting on growth, trauma, and friendship.
