Season 4 of Stranger Things left some pretty big losses. Many fans have been dying to figure out who is next on the Duffer Brother's Stranger Things hit list. Is there a way to know? Well, yes, a bit. Like with the character of Eddie, there are major context clues left behind in the plot and the screenplay itself

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For Eddie, the big giveaway was his propensity to run away. He mentions this in a few episodes. The biggest giveaway was in episode 1 of the 4th season when he asked the D&D party whether they wanted to flee from death or to fight to the death. His character arc was complete when he decided to not run and, well, fight to the death. Isn't story-building fun?

8 Robin Buckley

Robin Buckley

Robin should be safe for she has yet to see some major character development. Whether it comes around or not isn't really problematic. She can go out thinking outside the box if anything. It is what she is known for. However, she is definitely needed because of this very fact.

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Whether it's deciphering foreign codes, or locating mysterious drug dealers via movie rental lists, she is very much needed to win against Vecna. She might simply be safe from the fact that there are other fish to fry. The only reason to kill off her character is literally that she is beloved. It doesn't have any story function other than to make Steve very upset...as well as fans. So it could be a thing. Yet there are more things that could make Steve Harrington upset, such as Nancy being in peril, or him trying to help others who are close to Nancy who are in peril. Which might indeed give Robin a sporting chance.

7 Max Mayfield

Max Mayfield

Truth be told, Max just went through Hell. Now she is in a comatose and potentially purgatory-like state and her mind is elsewhere. Most likely near Vecna. Although many odds seem stacked against Max she has a heck of a lot going for her. Eleven is still her best pal and will most likely be fairly devoted to finding her consciousness again. Sure her mind is elsewhere, but it could prove useful and be part of the key to defeating Vecna. Max does have a will of iron after all.

If Max was going to die, the creators would have finished her off in season 4. Quite simply it would be almost cruel to put her through all of that torture and not have her come out of it a total rock star. Whether dead or alive. Story arcs are there for a reason and putting a character through torture usually ends in them deflating or dying. Another outcome of this torture is it pushes them to do something pretty great.

6 Jane Hopper/Eleven

Jane Hopper

Jane/Eleven's strongest chance at surviving this whole ordeal lies within one person: not Mike, but Hopper. Killing off Eleven would destroy him. He has already lost one daughter and has claimed to be cursed, which makes Eleven a prime candidate, while Hopper remains fairly safe.

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Do not be surprised that she does die or almost dies and comes back though. Especially when going toe to toe with Vecna. She might have one of those moments where she "might" be dead or "is" dead and then will pull through to dramatic cries of joy. Which is fine. She, too, has been through enough.

It is also quite possible that she may lose her powers for good after Vecna's defeat. This will help tie up loose ends with the government trying to track her down and she can potentially live out a normal life after. Maybe. Is she still safe? Absolutely not. Especially if the writers want to go in for some unsurprising shock factor.

5 Mike Wheeler

Mike Wheeler

Mike hasn't had a big moment since season 2. Nor has he been too prominent in the leader role since that time. Season 5 will be the time his leadership role will most likely come out again, and his character will have the chance to show what he is made of. Hopefully. After all, Will's painting of Mike being the heart of the group is setting Mike up for something big in the final season. Sure there can be self-sacrifice, but again there are other likely candidates to have that scenario play out.

He is a fairly strong target due to his strong relationships with both Will and Eleven. For these reasons, he can be a prime target for Vecna. After all, he helped give Eleven the push she needed to keep him at bay in the final episode of season 4. This can potentially be what does him in. It is possible simply because both his death and his survival can push the plot forward and be a huge motivator regardless. For everyone. Both can push Eleven and her powers to an extreme either way as well.

4 Steve Harrington

Steve Harrington

Steve is legitimately the 50/50 character here. He could be safe due to his many close calls. The fans love him, the Duffer brothers love him, and Nancy loves him. Which might keep the death knell from striking on this beloved character. The only thing that leaves Steve's mortality up for speculation was him talking about the future and having kids toward the end of season 4.

His character does have a similar predicament with potential self-sacrifice. He would very much stand likely to sacrifice himself for Nancy, Dustin, Robin, and even one of Nancy's loved ones. Being beloved and having future goals might just save or destroy fans' favorite babysitter.

Sometimes when characters lament about the future in a screenplay it can bode positively like for Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings. However, it can also be the flip side of the coin. Think Thomas J. Sennett in My Girl...he was going to be an acrobat when he grew up... He will probably be fine though because of who is in the number 1 slot.

3 Will Byers

Will Byers looking out the window in Stranger Things

It started with Will and the whole ordeal could very well wind up ending with Will. He has yet to have a truly heroic moment since he has been kind of left on the back burner of character development limbo since season 3 started. To that effect, his shining moments could be in the final season. Although he can sense Vecna, since his possession ended, not much has been said about his ability of true sight.

One thing remains certain: Will still has a strong link to Vecna and the upside down. That said, the overall struggle and devotion that the characters went through mourning him and doing everything in their power to save him could be a marker of fate that can come full circle for him. He was either saved to make an impact in a heroic light or be a tragic hero. One problem he might face is Vecna could potentially manipulate this link that Will has to the upside down

Related: Stranger Things Star Jamie Campbell Bower Apologizes For Vecna's Behavior In Hilarious Video

Will has a few saving graces in his corner. One of which during the series end there will need to be a confirmation of Vecna truly being gone without any loose ends. Will would be that confirmation because destroying Vecna would eliminate Will's ability to sense him. Mike may be the "heart" of the group, but Will is potentially having a connection to the heart of the entire matter. Whatever his fate is in the final season, expect his role in it to be major. What keeps him from the number one spot is simply the character development that he will have in the final season.

2 Murray Bauman

Murray Bauman

Hopefully, the final season doesn't have too big of an appetite for more than one major protagonist's death. If it does, it doesn't look good for Murray. He is single, doesn't have any kids or family, and his character arc doesn't have much legroom to go anymore. Which is quite concerning.

The other thing is there are quite a few comedic reliefs in this series, and none have really croaked yet. Dustin is fairly safe because he has some development to go through after what happened to Eddie. The most danger he may face is Vecna bringing Eddie back to haunt him a bit. Plus killing off Dustin would be like killing off Winnie the Pooh. It's hopefully not a thing. Argyle too would just be an empty body count because he is too fresh-faced. He isn't particularly safe, just safer than most due mainly to dramatic effect. It just wouldn't be dramatic enough.

The only thing that might keep Murray safe is the genuine love fans have for him. Which doesn't really amount to much, for obvious reasons. May he potentially rest in peace with his buddy Alexei. Murray's surviving the final season is legitimately going to be 5% at best. If only it was Ted Wheeler.

1 Jonathan Byers

Jonathan Byers

Many tend to overlook Jonathan, and sadly, it looks the bleakest for him. Jonathan has never really been too heavy at the forefront apart from season 1. Sure, he has kicked some butt here and there, but his expressed uncertainty about his future in season 4 has set off major alarm bells. He is more likely to die than everyone else because there are multiple people in his life who he would die for just like Steve. His future is uncertain and his character development has kind of gone backward rather than forwards. In screenwriting terms, he is in big trouble.

His death would be a simple solution for the Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan love triangle. He has also expressed his desire to be there for Will no matter what. Will has been through a lot and to make a martyr of him kind of deviates from his character development. Will is done being a victim, hopefully, come season 5, but Jonathan would be a perfect choice. The only caveat for him sacrificing himself for Nancy would affect her character development and end-story loose ends. After all, she must live a long and healthy life repenting for what she did to Barb. She is only safe because she is at the center of a love triangle.

With all this in mind, anything is due to change since the Duffers brothers are well known for hefty re-writes during filming.

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