Stranger Things has many fan-favorite characters — Eddie being one of them — and his death could be a bad sign for another beloved regular leading into season 5: Steve Harrington. It's surprising how many of the core cast have made it to the final season of Stranger Things, but with the endgame in sight, it could be time to say goodbye to any one of them. And it seems being best friends with Dustin doesn't do your chances of survival any good.
Eddie instantly became a fan-favorite character after his introduction in the opening episode of Stranger Things season 4, and his relationship with Dustin was a highlight going forward. Eddie's Stranger Things death would have been bad enough, but his relationship with Dustin gave it extra weight. This had a similarity with another character from an earlier season: Dart. Starting out as Dustin's pet, Dart quickly turned into a Demodog, but at the end of Stranger Things season 2, he recognized Dustin and let him and the rest of the group escape. As with the rest of the Demodogs, Dart died when Eleven closed the gate to the Upside Down. Dustin's relationship with Eddie mirrored his with Dart, just on a larger scale than with the Demodog. With Dart's death and then Eddie's, a trend is starting to appear, with the possibility of each death being more impactful for Dustin. It looks like if a character gets close to Dustin bad things might happen to them.
Stranger Things' Dustin Death Trend Doesn't Look Good For Steve Harrington
If there's one character whom Dustin is closer to than Max's fate in Stranger Things season 4. What better way to show that this is the biggest threat the group has ever faced than to kill fan-favorite Steve Harrington?
How Stranger Things Has Already Teased Steve's Death
There have been many times during the show's run that Steve's death has been teased in Stranger Things. At different moments, he has been in trouble, as when he defended Dustin, Lucas, and Max from the Demodogs, and when he was interrogated by the Russians with Robin. Most recently, it was when Vecna almost killed Steve, Robin, and Nancy in the Creel house in season 4. The original plan for the show was for Steve to be killed off, but the Duffer Brothers loved Joe Keery's performance and Steve in general. They decided to not kill Steve in Stranger Things season 1, as it would better serve the character if he lived.
Steve Harrington has been shown to be a character who will protect his friends above all else, and with the pattern continued by Eddie's death, it looks like Stranger Things season 5 could be headed in that direction — this time with tragic results. The show could go another way, and have Steve die by other means, but his being killed while protecting Dustin is the most likely. Or he might not die at all. Either way, viewers will be on the edge of their seats for the final season of Stranger Things waiting to find out what happens to Steve and the rest of the show's beloved characters.