Stranger Things season 4 was almost the end for Max

While Season 4 of 'Stranger Things' ends with the possibility that Max will somehow get away with it, his death "has been discussed as a possibility", according to Ross Duffer. "For a while, that's what was going to happen," he said. Matt Duffer explained that at the end of season 4, the protagonists of the series had to fail to set up season 5 well:

"We wanted them to actually lose. We wanted our characters to feel what it felt like. It was the big idea for Season 4, that they were going to lose. We were going to introduce Vecna ​​and they were going to lose against him. This prepares our characters for what will be the ultimate final showdown with Vecna ​​and with the Upside Down in Season 5."

Ultimately, what saved Max from certain and complete doom was the Duffers' desire for a little more ambiguity before Season 5. As Ross Duffer explains:< /p>

"We wanted to end with a little more question mark at the end of the season. Where it's still very dark and we don't know if Max will be okay. We don't really know. We wanted to leave it in air as Season 5 approaches."

One thing is for sure: the death of new fan favorite Eddie (Joseph Quinn) and the shocking physical attack on Max is going to have huge ripple effects on what happens in the upcoming season finale. "The fact that [Max] is in a coma, I can't really go into detail, but it's important that she is," teased Matt Duffer. "And that's going to have a major effect on 5. So it's not cheating. It's incredibly relevant for 5."