Wild Stranger Things finale theory exposed as Netflix hit draws to a close

Netflix is gearing up to release the final episodes of Stranger Things later this month, and fans have a tragic theory about one character’s fate.

Stranger Things fans think they have managed to decipher which of the main characters will meet a tragic end when the show comes to a close later this month.

It had been a whopping three years since Stranger Things last graced our screens, and now it’s set to all come to a climactic end with the release of the remaining four episodes beginning on Boxing Day.

Picking up eight months after the seismic events of the fourth season finale, viewers found the beloved characters sealed off from the wider world, under military guard and trying to pretend like a massive rift between their sleepy town and the hellscape that is the Upside Down never happened.

STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5. picture: Netflix

The psychically gifted Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is still on the run from the authorities – now led by the ruthless Dr Kay (Linda Hamilton) – and being trained by father figure Hopper (David Harbour) for a seemingly inevitable final confrontation with the temporarily vanquished Vecna.

Now, weeks after creators Ross and Matt Duffer teased that the series finale will feature the “most violent death” yet, fans think they have worked out who doesn’t get a happily ever after – and they’re not happy.

“The Duffers most definitely are not killing off the main core cast,” insisted one fan on Reddit. “Steve is too obvious of a death. Robin is the perfect character to die and get the maximum emotional impact while fitting into the story nicely and being an unexpected gutpunch.”

Another agreed, commenting: “I am a huge Robin fan and if it does indeed happen as I also suspect, it will be a ROUGH one.”

The final episodes of the show debut on Boxing Day. Picture: Netflix.

“This would be the main reason I don’t think she’s a goner. The Duffers know tropes better than anyone and I can’t see them doing the “Bury the gays” trope at this point,” said another fan of the show.

The “bury the gays” trope is a storytelling device where gay characters are killed off, suffer tragic fates, or are denied happy endings, often just as their relationships develop, suggesting queer lives are inherently tragic or disposable. It especially plagued TV shows throughout the 90s and early 2000s, but more recent examples include It Chapter 2’s incredibly graphic opening scene involving the murder of a gay couple, and numerous deaths in shows such as Game of Thrones or Killing Eve.

“This is exactly why we’re seeing love scenes with Robin and her girlfriend. I agree 100%,” another fan said disappointingly.

While one added: “If they genuinely pull a bury your gays I’ll be so disappointed in them!”

Originally published as Wild Stranger Things finale theory exposed as Netflix hit draws to a close