‘Stranger Things’ Season 4: Eddie and Max Were ‘Both Doomed’, According to the Duffer Brothers
The first half of Stranger Things 4 left fans worried for the final two episodes of Volume 2. After the introduction of Eddie Munson, fans soon theorized the metalhead would become the sacrificial lamb. Clues also swayed fans to think Max would be in immense danger at the hands of Vecna. Sadly it all came true in Stranger Things 4 with Eddie’s tragic demise and Max being the fourth victim. The Duffer Brothers explain both deaths were meant to happen.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things 4. ]
Max needed to sacrifice herself because of Vecna’s curse
Max realizes she may be his next victim in the season as she exhibits all the signs of having nightmares about Billy. She manages to escape the clutches of Vecna by listening to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.”
In Stranger Things 4 Volume 2, the characters and Eddie devise a plan to stop Vecna, but it requires Max to be the bait. She bravely turns off her music to entice Vecna. The plan goes awry and Max goes through significant bodily injuries. In the finale, Max was Vecna’s fourth victim but is still alive. While physically breathing, Max’s mind is plunged into darkness.
The Duffer Brothers told Collider how they came to a decision. “We always knew. I mean, we did debate what exactly we wanted to do with Max, but we knew that she was going to obviously be putting herself in real danger. I’m trying to remember exactly how we landed on where we did with Max, but it was pretty early on, I believe, that we decided that was going to be her fate for the end of this season. It had to be Max. Because she was targeted and she had never rid herself [of] this curse,” explained Matt Duffer.
“She was just putting on a bandaid. She was using, effectively Kate Bush, her music as an armor. So it was very early on. That was the plan that she was going to remove that armor and more or less sacrifice herself to back them in order to give them a chance to kill him.” The creators also reveal her and Eddie’s fate in Stranger Things 4 was set in stone.
Eddie was doomed from the beginning of ‘Stranger Things’ 4
Eddie’s tragic fate by the end of Stranger Things 4 was foretold, and the Duffer Brothers planned it that way. Fans realized Eddie would face the same story as other beloved characters. But, from the start, some clues hinted at Eddie’s death after his Metallica solo and Max’s comatose state.
“Both her and Eddie, from the get-go, they are targeted and they’re both screwed as a result of Vecna and circumstance, in the case of Eddie. So in some way we see [in] the season they’re both doomed in a way since the beginning of the season. Different from something like Bob or where it’s just a shocker. It’s like, these characters are hurtling towards disaster from very early on in the season,” explained Ross Duffer.
By doomed, the creators are talking about the many clues fans picked up on. Not only were Eddie’s tattoos a foreshadowing of what would happen in the Upside Down but how Eddie interacted with the characters. Even his cafeteria speech had a foreboding aura.
The Duffer Brothers confirmed Eddie is dead after ‘Stranger Things’ 4
In the four seasons of Stranger Things, there has never been a character that fans have revolted against their death like Eddie. Fans picked up on the clues and developed theories that Eddie would die. But when it came time to witness how he would happen, fans could not stomach it.
Fans felt Eddie’s death was unjustified as the Upside Down still broke free. Still simmering with anger, fans started a petition for the Duffer Brothers to bring back the character.
Fans also have new theories of how Eddie could return in Stranger Things 5. Even Joseph Quinn has a plausible idea. But in a recent interview with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Duffer brothers confirm Eddie is a goner. “Sadly, yeah,” said Ross Duffer.
