https://nerdist.com/article/every-stranger-things-main-character-and-their-ending/
The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of Stranger Things. And that’s because Stranger Things is officially over. With Stranger Things 5: The Finale now streaming on Netflix, the fate of every single main character has been decided. So, where did Stranger Things leave your favorites? Below, we break down every single Stranger Things main character and their final ending.


Although he almost didn’t walk in his graduation, we learn that Mike Wheeler has graduated high school in Stranger Things‘ epilogue. In the ending scene of Stranger Things 5: The Finale, Mike offers us a flash forward to some of the characters’ futures. In his future, Mike Wheeler is a writer, he “keeps telling stories, stories inspired by his friends. One day, he hopes their tales of grand adventure will spread far and wide across the land, so all can know of his great bravery.”

We love Dustin Henderson’s Stranger Things ending. In Stranger Things 5: The Finale, we see him graduate as Valedictorian. But though Dustin excelled in school, he didn’t just give a standard speech. Instead, he makes sure to honor one Eddie Munson at his graduation. Dustin creates just the right amount of chaos (chaotic good-style), reminding everyone that their differences are beautiful and shouldn’t separate them. He then rips his gown and shirt off to reveal a “Hellfire Lives” shirt, snatches his diploma, and gives Principal Higgins the bird, just as Eddie always swore he would. Our hearts are full.

In Mike’s vision of Dustin’s future, which we get during the ending scene of Stranger Things, Mike shares that Dustin will go off to study at a university (only a day’s drive away from Hawkins), and he’ll work hard and learn a lot. But he’ll always make time for adventures with Steve Harrington. And that’s a vision of the future we support.

Lucas also graduated from high school in his Stranger Things ending! Hurrah! He and Max are still together and very much in love. We even see them kiss. And good for them. Mike Wheeler lets us know there’s more good things in store for the pair in their Stranger Things ending. He foresees that Lucas and Max will move to a small town, where they’ll find peace and ever-deepening love.

Max and Lucas’ endings are very intertwined. But we feel it’s important to point out that Max is healed all the way from her Vecna injuries at the end of Stranger Things 5: The Finale. In her ending, Max is even skateboarding again. She is ALSO playing Dungeons & Dragons—Nerd!

Will Byers, too, has made it out of high school. And, according to Mike, he’s heading for NYC in his Stranger Things ending. It’s implied he ends up in “The Village,” where he finds love, acceptance, and an epilogue boyfriend. Nice. His brother Jonathan is also in the city.

We’re not sure what Eleven’s true ending is on Stranger Things 5. In one vision of the story, she died when the Upside Down blew up with her inside it. In another version, Kali helped her escape the military unnoticed, and she’s off on her own somewhere, lying low and feeling free.


Steve Harrington is alive in his ending on Stranger Things! Huzzah! Steve Harrington is now the baseball coach at Hawkins High, and, evidently, the Sex Education teacher. Good for him. We know he’ll take his children’s learnings of the miracle of life and how to avoid it very seriously. We also suspect he’ll make sure to always give the freaks and weirdos a hand. We learn that Steve wants to buy a house in Hawkins, a place he really seems to love.

Robin Buckley has headed to Smith College, a place she’ll no doubt be very happy. This all-women’s college has a VERY high rate of queer folks today, and we feel that was pretty likely back in the day as well. Plus, she’s in Massachusetts, just like Nancy… And that means the RoNance dream reamains real.

In a surprise twist on her Stranger Things ending, Nancy Wheeler dropped out of Emerson, her dream school. Instead, she got a job at The Herald. Ah, the good old days of journalism. Nancy says she was sick of school and just wanted to get out there and do the work. After all that Upside Down nonsense, we can see how that might be.

Jonathan Byers headed to New York City. He’s at NYU’s film school… a place where he truly belongs. He’s currently working on an anti-capitalist movie, The Consumer, about a woman who gets hungrier the more she eats. And we love that for him.

Our older kids have made a beautiful pact, though. Once a month, they’re going to get together at Robin’s Weird Uncle’s House in and just be together. Maybe they’ll film Jonathan’s movie.

Hopper has chosen to live this time around after losing his daughter. He wastes no time in proposing to Joyce, who happily accepts. Hopper tells Joyce that they should leave Hawkins and that he has been offered a new job with better pay in Montauk. Montauk was originally the title of Stranger Things, so that’s a little Easter egg nod to the die-hards.

We don’t see too much of Erica’s Stranger Things ending, but we do see she’s still teasing Lucas mercilessly. She also remains close friends with Dustin, which we love, and helps him set up his graduation confetti canon for maximum chaotic good madness.

Henry Creel/Vecna/One is dead on Stranger Things. Vecna’s ending came much earlier than most others in Stranger Things: The Finale. Eleven, Nancy, and the whole Party took down his Mind Flayer form. Eleven impaled him on a spire. And then Joyce chopped his head off with an axe. RIP Vecna.

Kali/Eight is also dead on Stranger Things. We weren’t sure about Kali/Eight’s return on Stranger Things 5, but now that her ending was so tragic, we feel sad about it. We wish Kali could have lived. Instead, Akers shot her in the Upside Down.

You know people are shipping this. And good for those people. We don’t know too much about Murray and Mr. Clarke’s endings on Stranger Things, but we do know they sat together at the kids’ graduation. Hey, it’s never too late to go on a date.

We loved getting to know Holly Wheeler and Delightful Derek on Stranger Things 5. And we love their ending even more. Holly, Derek, and a few more of their friends have created a Dungeons & Dragons party and intend to play their own campaign. Holly is the Dungeon Master!

Although Vickie helped out the Party on Stranger Things 5: The Finale, she vanishes into the sunset without an ending. We’re going to say she was barely a character to begin with, so we’re not that surprised.

Dr. Kay remains alive to menace another day. While she lost Eleven in Stranger Things 5‘s ending, we bet Dr. Kay hasn’t given up on figuring out a way to get back into The Abyss. Perhaps in a spinoff?

Alas, after ALL of that. Barb is still dead on Stranger Things.

The only thing that would have made Stranger Things 5: The Finale‘s ending perfect is Eddie Munson coming back to life. We all deserved that. But he remains dead. RIP.

Although the characters of Stranger Things have all found their endings, a story never has to close. We have all been on this adventure with Stranger Things, and our story continues.
All of Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix.
The post Every STRANGER THINGS Main Character and Their Ending appeared first on Nerdist.