Stranger Things Season 5 Is In Danger Of Repeating Max's Season 4 Story With Another Main Character

Although Stranger Things season 5 could be tempted to repeat season 4’s best subplot with a different character, the show’s final outing can't afford to give into this temptation. Stranger Things has changed a lot since the series began back in 2016. What was originally a self-contained small-town mystery series has expanded into a sprawling story told across various continents and featuring alternate dimensions. Despite this growing ambition, Stranger Things season 4 managed to win over viewers after an uneven third outing. This was largely due to a particularly strong subplot starring Sadie Sink’s troubled teen heroine Max.

Introduced in season 2, Max was a teenage rebel who befriended the Stranger Things gang after moving to Hawkins. Her stepbrother Billy became the main villain of Stranger Things season 3 after he was infected by an entity that controlled his mind and turned him into a body-snatching monster. Billy sacrificed himself in the season 3 finale, saving Max and the rest of the gang but dying in the process. Throughout Stranger Things season 4, Max is wracked with guilt over his death. This allowed Stranger Things season 4’s villain Vecna to invade her mind and almost kill her.

Dustin Will Spend Stranger Things Season 5 Grieving Eddie’s Death

Eddie’s Tragic Death Hit The Show’s Young Hero Hardest

Max’s Stranger Things season 4 subplot came to a head when she faced off against Vecna at Billy’s grave. Unfortunately for the villain, Max’s fond memories of time spent with her friends and her love of Kate Bush’s music resulted in her temporarily beating the villain, escaping his grasp, and running from his crumbling mindscape to the tune of “Running Up That Hill.” This sequence swiftly became one of the show’s most memorable scenes and even resulted in Bush’s iconic song returning to the charts decades after its original release. Stranger Things season 5 will want to repeat this feat.

Stranger Things season 5 seemingly has a perfect chance to duplicate Max’s story with Dustin, since Dustin also lost a misunderstood older male mentor figure to a heroic sacrifice during season 4’s finale. Dustin was the protégé of Hawkins’ resident heavy metal geek and Dungeons and Dragons superfan Eddie Munson, who was erroneously linked to Vecna’s killing spree due to his status as an outsider. Repeating Stranger Things season 4’s “Running Up That Hill” scene seems almost too easy in season 5 as Eddie even died playing a beloved Metallica song. However, this would be a bad idea.

Gaten Matazarro’s Comments Imply A Repeat Of Max’s Subplot

Stranger Things 5 May Replay Season 4’s Max Story With Dustin

Dustin will inevitably spend season 5 struggling with the aftermath of Eddie’s untimely death, particularly since the town of Hawkins blamed the innocent kid for the events of the season 4 finale. However, Dustin can't just go through Max’s plot again in Stranger Things season 5, as tempting as this might be for the show’s creators. Dustin has consistently been one of the show’s most important comic relief characters and this role will already be jeopardized by his grief over losing Eddie. Making him as isolated and angry as Max was in season 4 would fundamentally alter his character.

It is a little worrying that Dustin's plot already sounds so much like what Max went through in season 4.

As Dustin’s actor, Gaten Matazarro, noted in an interview with The Direct, “He's still the guy we know and love, but there is a context of that trauma and that weight of loss that seems to carry on with him through the early process of the season.” While the actor noted that he was looking forward to viewers seeing Dustin “Start to deal with intense grief at a young age,” it is a little worrying that this plot already sounds so much like what Max went through in season 4. Replicating Max’s storyline with Dustin wouldn’t work for numerous reasons.

Dustin’s Stranger Things 5 Role Shouldn’t Replay Season 5’s Max Plot

Max Was Vulnerable To Vecna Due To Grief and Guilt Over Billy

Although Stranger Things season 5’s many mysteries mean the series will eventually need to explain the limits of Vecna’s powers, this shouldn’t come in Dustin’s subplot. It would be all too easy to replay Max’s story with Dustin in season 5. Venca could take the form of Eddie to torture a grieving Dustin, just like he appeared as Billy in front of Max, and this would facilitate a comeback from Stranger Things season 4’s breakout star, Joseph Quinn. Meanwhile, Dustin playing music to save him from Vecna would make sense since viewers already know Eddie’s favorite band.

However, remixing Max’s “Running Up That Hill” sequence via Eddie’s final Metallica performance would be too convenient for season 5 and would feel too much like outright repetition. Stranger Things’ best scenes should be Eleven finally defeating Vecna and the show’s heroes uniting to support her, rather than rehashes of season 4’s greatest hits. Moreover, the differences between Dustin and Max mean that this shared storyline would never have made tonal sense anyway. Dustin has been a cheery presence throughout Stranger Things, whereas Max’s spiky aversion to people has been a pivotal part of her character since her introduction.

Dustin Has Always Been The Comic Relief Of Stranger Things

Dustin dismissing his friends and family in the wake of Eddie’s death feels less believable than Max doing so after Billy’s death, since Eddie was unambiguously a hero. The town of Hawkins may not know this, but Eleven, Max, Lucas, Nancy, Robin, Steve, Will, and Mike can all attest that Eddie was instrumental in saving their lives. Max had a far harder time processing her grief over losing Billym since he was abusive even before Vecna took over his mind and he was only ever a violent sociopath towards the rest of the Stranger Things gang throughout seasons 2 and 3.

Max had fewer support structures, despite Lucas’s best efforts, which made her isolation possible.

In contrast, Dustin can expect his friends to share in his grief over losing Eddie. He also has Steve as a support system, a friend who predated Eddie and has always had his back. Max had fewer support structures, despite Lucas’s best efforts, which made her isolation possible. Max’s tragic Stranger Things season 4 story only happened because Vecna was able to isolate her, whereas Dustin’s friends couldn’t get rid of him even when they want to do so. As such, it wouldn’t make sense for Stranger Things season 5 to recreate Max’s story with Dustin despite the temptation.

Stranger Things season 5 is due to be released later in 2025.