TMC
01-26-2026, 08:47 PM
https://www.looper.com/2083602/stranger-things-saddest-deaths-ranked/
BY MIKE BEDARD JAN. 26, 2026 5:18 PM EST
Throughout its run, "Stranger Things" (https://screenrant.com/db/tv-show/stranger-things/) developed a reputation for never really killing off any main characters. Even the finale is a fairly tame when it comes to big deaths (https://www.looper.com/2065852/stranger-things-series-finale-deaths-explained/) (and one of those deaths has a big question mark next to it). But make no mistake, "Stranger Things" (https://www.cbr.com/search/?q=Stranger+Things) still knew when to heighten the stakes when it counted, and many people met their ends. Some characters were gone a little too quickly for fans' taste, and others had their deaths telegraphed from a mile away. However, they all demonstrated that the show was willing to go there when the situation called for it.
Of course, not all "Stranger Things" (https://collider.com/search/?q=Stranger+Things) deaths are created equal. Many people who die are nameless background characters who are designed to be Demogorgon fodder. And there's no shortage of villains who get killed, like Grigori (Andrey Ivchenko), the Russian hitman who gets killed by Jim Hopper (David Harbour) in Season 3. Safe to say there's no love lost there. But even villains can have a slight redemption, dying heroically to save others and showing how there was still some good in them. Regardless if they were a hero or villain, these are the 10 saddest deaths on "Stranger Things" that brought the most tears to our eyes.
BY MIKE BEDARD JAN. 26, 2026 5:18 PM EST
Throughout its run, "Stranger Things" (https://screenrant.com/db/tv-show/stranger-things/) developed a reputation for never really killing off any main characters. Even the finale is a fairly tame when it comes to big deaths (https://www.looper.com/2065852/stranger-things-series-finale-deaths-explained/) (and one of those deaths has a big question mark next to it). But make no mistake, "Stranger Things" (https://www.cbr.com/search/?q=Stranger+Things) still knew when to heighten the stakes when it counted, and many people met their ends. Some characters were gone a little too quickly for fans' taste, and others had their deaths telegraphed from a mile away. However, they all demonstrated that the show was willing to go there when the situation called for it.
Of course, not all "Stranger Things" (https://collider.com/search/?q=Stranger+Things) deaths are created equal. Many people who die are nameless background characters who are designed to be Demogorgon fodder. And there's no shortage of villains who get killed, like Grigori (Andrey Ivchenko), the Russian hitman who gets killed by Jim Hopper (David Harbour) in Season 3. Safe to say there's no love lost there. But even villains can have a slight redemption, dying heroically to save others and showing how there was still some good in them. Regardless if they were a hero or villain, these are the 10 saddest deaths on "Stranger Things" that brought the most tears to our eyes.