Please note that this list covers only major characters. I’m sure the countless Soviet soldiers devoured by the Demogorgon and the 22 Hawkins residents who died in the town “earthquake” all had families but we don’t care about them for the purposes of this article.
Dr. Martin Brenner
We’ve been down this road with Eleven’s “Papa,” Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine), before. We all thought he was dead following the events of season 1. Of course, Stranger Things was more than happy to abide by that old TV adage of “no body, no death” and brought the enigmatic character back. This time, however, the dude is most definitively dead.
In episode 8, fittingly titled “Papa,” Brenner finally steps up for the little girl he supposedly loves as a daughter. When the military arrives to Dr. Owens’ underground facility to take Eleven out, Brenner scoops her up in his arms and carries her to safety. Once they make it out into the Nevadan desert, the duo comes under fire from some goons in a nearby helicopter. Brenner shields Eleven from the gunshots and in the process takes more than enough lead to be lethal.
Brenner dies in the desert, but not before he remotely unlocks Eleven’s power-suppressing collar in one final act of contrition.
Eddie Munson
Going into this episode, most fans expected that one or both of Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) or Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) was a goner. The final episode, written and directed by The Duffer Brothers, seemingly has some fun with those expectations. Just about every line that Steve and Eddie utter feels like it could be their last.
Steve waxes poetically about how he wants a future where he’s very much alive and on a road trip with Nancy and their six children. Eddie meanwhile goes out of his way to make clear that his self designation as a coward is bothering him and he’s absolutely itching to go out in a blaze of glory. In the end, Stranger Things season 4 gives Eddie exactly what he wants.
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