Several important characters die in Stranger Things, but no core kid from the original friend group (Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas) has permanently died on screen so far.

Main characters who die

  • Barb Holland – Nancy’s best friend, killed by the Demogorgon in season 1, her death becomes a big emotional and fandom talking point.
  • Bob Newby – Joyce’s boyfriend, mauled by Demodogs in season 2 after heroically helping everyone escape Hawkins Lab.
  • Billy Hargrove – Max’s stepbrother, sacrifices himself at Starcourt Mall in season 3 when he breaks free of the Mind Flayer to protect Eleven and the others.
  • Eddie Munson – Fan‑favorite metalhead and Hellfire Club leader, dies in season 4 after staying behind in the Upside Down to distract the Demobats and buy his friends time.

What about Max and Hopper?

  • Max Mayfield – In the season 4 finale, Max is killed by Vecna long enough to count as his “fourth” victim, but Eleven restarts her heart; Max ends the season in a coma, so she is not confirmed permanently dead yet.
  • Jim Hopper – Appears to die in the explosion under Starcourt at the end of season 3, but season 4 reveals he survived and was imprisoned in Russia, so he is alive.

Are any of the core kids dead?

As of the latest released story, none of these main characters has died for good:

  • Eleven (Jane Hopper)
  • Mike Wheeler
  • Will Byers
  • Dustin Henderson
  • Lucas Sinclair
    All remain alive going into the final stretch of the series.

Fandom and “who might die next”

A lot of current forum and video discussion focuses on who could die in the final season, with debates centering on characters like Eleven, Will, or Steve, but these are speculative and not confirmed by the show.

TL;DR: Barb, Bob, Billy, and Eddie are the biggest recurring or main- adjacent characters who actually die on screen so far, while Max briefly dies but is revived and left in a coma, and the original kid group is still alive.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.