Stranger Things 4 ending explained ahead of Season 5 premiere: Eleven's deadly mistake fueled Vecna's victory, leaving Max comatose and Upside Down merging with Hawkins

A review of the tragic Season 4 finale is essential as the much-anticipated fifth and final season of the sci-fi hit Stranger Things on Netflix prepares to premiere on November 27, 2025, in India. The evil Vecna tore the curtain between worlds in the two-hour-plus climax, leaving Hawkins, Indiana, physically and psychologically broken.

In 1986, as the Upside Down started its earthly invasion, here is a detailed, character-by-character breakdown of where the main players stood. It has been three years since the last episode.

Vecna threat and Eleven's origin

The final act revealed the villain who has been terrorising Hawkins.

ALSO READ: Stranger Things 5 trailer: Hawkins crew goes to war as the final season sprints from the start into the ultimate battle against Vecna

Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown): Eleven has returned to Hawkins and is now back with the original crew. Henry Creel/One, the initial test subject for Dr Brenner's studies, is actually Vecna, as she found out. Eleven realised the crucial truth: she created Vecna. She rejected his invitation to join forces, but in her haste to send him to the Upside Down, she unknowingly transformed him into Vecna. In the season finale, she embarked on a daring long-distance "dream-walk" to save Max, but she was only able to revive her after a clinical death. Fortunately, this gave Vecna a chance to open the fourth and crucial gate.

Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower): After his first effort to enlist Eleven failed, Vecna carried out his grand scheme: he ritually murdered four individuals to open four enormous gates that connected the Upside Down to the actual world. Even though Eleven attacked him psychically and Steve, Nancy, and Robin shot him with fire and shotguns in the Upside Down, his corpse was never located. Upon sensing Vecna's presence, Will knows the creature is still very much alive and poses a serious threat.

Hawkins heroes and their personal battles

Along with overcoming intense internal strife, the core ensemble had to deal with existential dangers.

Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink): Max is in a coma after sustaining several fractures and being declared clinically dead for a single minute before Eleven's intervention. Despite being revived, doctors are unsure if she will ever regain consciousness. Despite its brevity, her demise set in motion Vecna's fourth and last gate, which in turn caused the devastating rip over Hawkins.

Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin): Lucas devoted the entire season to safeguarding Max and re-establishing contact with him. He stood by her side while Vecna attacked, hoping that their shared past and her song Running Up That Hill would be enough to set her free. He has now become a constant presence at her hospital bedside.

Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo): The sad death of Dustin's friend Eddie Munson has left him reeling. The others were able to attack Vecna because of their courageous fight against the Demobats in the Upside Down. While the rest of Hawkins wrongly accuse Eddie of being responsible for the deaths of the season, Dustin pays tribute to Eddie's sacrifice by telling Eddie's uncle the heroic, true account of his death.

Will Byers (Noah Schnapp): The Upside Down was re-established in Will's season finale, confirming Vecna's survival. Along with his family, he went back to Hawkins. Will harbours deep-seated romantic feelings for Mike, which he suppressed when he pushed him to prioritise Eleven and express his love.

Couples and confessions

The testing has left relationships unstable.

Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard): Mike is back in Hawkins, and things are looking promising with Eleven. He backed Eleven up in her telepathic fight to save Max, and Will helped. Even when the end-of-the-world events play out, he has no idea how deeply Will loves him.

Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer): As Henry Creel in a trance, Nancy was a key witness to Vecna's past and the plot. She, Steve, and Robin successfully executed the assault on Vecna's physical form. However, she maintains a tense connection with Jonathan.

Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton): Once Jonathan returned from California, he consoled his brother Will about his heartbreak. Upon their return to Hawkins, he could feel the gulf between them and wanted to know how their romance was doing. An unconvincing assurance was her reaction.

Steve Harrington (Joe Keery): Steve made it through the dangerous battle in the Upside Down. He made it back to Hawkins unscathed, and he's there with the others as the spatial rift appears. Because Jonathan feels insecure, it is unclear what his love future holds with Nancy.

Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke): Robin managed to escape the meeting with Vecna as well. The subplot ended on a positive note: when she went back to broken Hawkins, she saw that her crush, Vickie, might return the feeling, which was a glimmer of light in the midst of the black clouds.

Adults and the closing scene

To confront a new world, the older generation were able to reunite in time.

Hopper (David Harbour) & Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder): Joyce orchestrated a successful rescue effort to return Hopper home from the Soviet prison. Hopper battled a Demogorgon while incarcerated, reducing the Upside Down's overall strength. Even though the dimensional catastrophe clearly delayed their long-awaited date at Enzo's, they are reunited and safe in Hawkins.

The Wheelers (Karen, Ted, and Holly): Karen and Ted, who are Mike and Nancy's parents, were at home when the earth cracked apart, along with Holly Wheeler. Holly, the younger sister, seems to have a keener sense of the supernatural than her parents do, and she seems to be feeling the effects of the invisible Vecna more strongly than they do.

The convergence

At the climax of Season 4, the characters gathered in a Hawkins field to face the terrible truth of Vecna's victory. The town has been ripped apart by four massive, smouldering fissures, and the sky is darkened by an ash-like substance that has leaked out of them. Due to its active integration with the actual world, the Upside Down no longer exists as a hidden dimension. Season 5 will set the stage for the decisive and last fight.

With Vecna's corpse gone, Max in a coma, and the town turned into a real battlefield, the central question is: how will Eleven and her allies manage to close the dimensional rift permanently that they unintentionally created? The last ascent of the slope is just around the corner.

FAQs:

Q: Is Vecna really dead at the end of Season 4?

A: No, Vecna is not confirmed dead. Although Eleven beat him in the psychic battle and Steve, Nancy, and Robin severely injured his physical body with shotguns and Molotov cocktails in the Upside Down, his body vanished before they could confirm the kill. Will Byers also immediately senses Vecna’s presence, confirming that the powerful entity is still alive and active, preparing for his final phase.

Q: What happened to Max Mayfield in the Season 4 finale?

A: Max was clinically dead for a full minute after Vecna broke all her bones, which was enough for the villain to successfully open the fourth and final gate. Eleven used her powers to revive Max, but the damage was done. Max is now comatose in the hospital with severe injuries, including potential blindness. Her mind is reportedly empty, leaving her fate highly uncertain for Season 5.

Q: How was the Upside Down unleashed on Hawkins?

A: Vecna needed four kills to open four corresponding gates across Hawkins. Max was Vecna's final, critical sacrifice. Even though Eleven revived Max, the moment her heart stopped was sufficient to activate the fourth gate, causing a massive, destructive rift that tears through the town. This physical fracture allows the atmosphere and decay of the Upside Down to literally seep into Hawkins, signaling the start of the two worlds merging.