‘Stranger Things’ 5: What Does Max’s Empty Mind Mean for the Next Season?
Max goes through the wringer in both installments of Stranger Things 4. In the first half, she puts the pieces together that she will likely be Vecna’s next target. In Volume 2, Max sacrifices herself as bait to stop him, but as the plan goes awry, she becomes his last victim. After the battle, fans see Max is no longer there mentally, which begs the question of what is next for her in Stranger Things 5.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things 4. ]
Eleven finds a dark and empty void in Max’s mind in ‘Stranger Things’ 4 Volume 2
In their plan to stop Vecna once and for all, the characters hatch a plan that leads to tragedy. Not only do fans see the demise of the beloved metalhead, Eddie Munson, but were shocked to see Max almost lose her life. At Creel House, Jason’s interruption causes Lucas to be unable to play Max’s Vecna song to wake her up from the trance.
While Eleven fights off Vecna as best she can in Max’s mind, he gets the upper hand and begins his torture. Fans and Lucas watched in horror as they saw Max’s limbs break and her eyes being taken from her. But before Vecna can finish, he is “killed” by Nancy, Steve, and Robin in the Upside Down.
In the aftermath, Lucas holds a dying Max. Days later, back in Hawkins, fans presume Max is dead in Stranger Things 4. Instead, Lucas explains she was dead for a few minutes before reviving but is in a coma. Eleven ventures into her mind and finds utter darkness in a void.
Will Max return for ‘Stranger Things’ 5?
It is hard to say where Stranger Things 5 will lead as the character’s grand plan did not stop Vecna in hindsight. Max had been dead for a few minutes and constituted as Vecna’s last kill. It leads to the Upside Down breaking free into Hawkins. Ultimately, the characters’ plans and Eddie’s death might have been in vain.
But the question fans want to know is what is next for Max in Stranger Things 5. In the episode of Volume 2 titled “Papa,” Dr. Brenner explains that Vecna “takes everything from his victims… their memories, their abilities.” It means Vecna took all of Max’s life force, leading to her empty mind.
In retrospect, it is hard to imagine how Max could return in Stranger Things 5 with no mental state. The Duffer Brothers confirmed on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, “Right, she’s braindead, but she’s alive. [Laughs] Braindead and blind and all of her bones broken, but she’s doing great. She’s seen better days.”
The creators also confirmed the final season would not introduce new characters. Sadie Sink has kept her quiet about whether or not her character returns or in what capacity.
Fans theorize Max returns through Vecna’s mind in ‘Stranger Things’ 5
Stranger Things has a long history of fans theorizing possible storylines that may or may not come true. Fans theorized the death of Eddie through multiple clues. For Stranger Things 5, fans have their ideas of what is next for Max. The big bump in the road are the creators confirming she is brain dead.
“Max is completely brain dead and therefore clinically dead. But she is also a part of Vecna now. So I still think we are gonna see Max next season, but it’s gonna be through Vecnas mind. Cause I don’t see any scenario where max comes back from being 100% confirmed brain dead. It would make no sense to me,” said a fan on Reddit. Other fans wonder if Max’s injuries are supernatural and if her mind exists elsewhere.
Another fan takes things on the horror movie route concerning Freddy Kreuger, one of the characters that inspired the season. “I’m just thinking of the Freddy Krueger esc ‘They’re not dead they’re with me’ souleater thing that Vecna has going on, there has been multiple mentions of how each person he has killed adds to his power. Is there a chance that in searching for Max Eleven comes across the other (for want of a better phrase) ‘souls’ and releases them which weakens Vecna to the point where he can be defeated?” said the fan.
Fans will have to wait and see where Stranger Things 5 will lead and if other theories come true.
