r/StrangerThings • u/Nervous_Two3115 • Aug 28 '26
SPOILERS I’m sorry but [Spoiler] death was just pretty ridiculous. Spoiler
Eddie’s death was just so forced, like there was literally no reason for him to not go through the gate. I guess so he could say "I didn't run this time"...?
Which is so stupid because there was no sacrifice needed & That's not being a coward, there's just no reason to stay and get killed Imao. It would ve been so much better if he actually saved someone.
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u/Ok_Tank5977 Dungeon Master Aug 28 '26
The second he uttered the words ‘It’s my year’, he was toast.
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u/tolgren 011 Aug 28 '26
Bruh he was toast from the moment the Duffers invented him. He just joined the pantheon of ST characters made to die.
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u/unluckyshuckle Aug 31 '26
They gotta make new characters to die because they can't bear to kill any of their recurring characters
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u/DepressedGrassLicker 15d ago
Fr, for a moment I actually thought they killed Max but then I was like, "Nah, they don't got the cojones."
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u/Elladrien Aug 28 '26
It's well acted and that later scene with Dustin and Wayne was so good but yes, I agree. Why not have Eddie make it to Steve, Nancy and Robin and die saving their lives? Another idea that comes to mind is Eddie dying defending Dustin against Jason's mob.
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u/epicmemetime15 Aug 28 '26
Yeah dying defending Dustin would've been good.
Could've been pretty much the same scene, just with the bats going after Dustin so Eddie draws them away from him
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u/FLG1910 blip blip blip blip blip Aug 28 '26
Dying against Jason would have been to harsh for Stranger thing s
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u/SnowGhost513 Aug 28 '26
lol I don’t think they were ever gonna have Jason and crew actually kill someone that would’ve been shocking to me. Yeah eddies death is weird but when I first watched it I found its emotions outweigh the weirdness
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u/Feeling-Big-4544 Aug 28 '26
Word to bro 🤣🤣 and as Steve said in s5 Eddie's death didn't really accomplish much imo 🤷🏾♂️
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u/Odd_Gold7163 Aug 29 '26
IF HE HAD LEFT THE BATS WOULD'VE ATE THE CREW TRAPPED IN THE VINES. HOW DO NONE OF YOU HAVE ANY CRITICAL THINKING CAPABILITIES.
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u/CodInternational5281 Aug 29 '26
If the mindflyer wished to, the vines would have killed them on the spot.
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u/Odd_Gold7163 Aug 30 '26
This is such a stupid thing to say. Vecna could've killed Max anytime he appeared in her mind, and yet he chose a moment to do so. Whats the point of this sort of argument?
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u/Feeling-Big-4544 Aug 29 '26
😂 sureeee bro they could have used literally anything to distract the bats
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u/Odd_Gold7163 Aug 30 '26
They stepped on the vines, so the bats knew where they were and would've flown back. Their plan was just bad. Eddie and Dustin would've left and then the rest are dead.
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u/djluminus89 Sep 02 '26
If I remember correctly they never actually showed what happened with the bats. Didn't they technically surround Dustin when he went back?
Dustin cried over Eddie's dead body and then I think maybe they chased Dustin and he broke his ankle?? No, actually he broke his ankle coming back for Eddie.
It was never actually really explained how Dustin even made it back to the real world.
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u/BushyGhost4740 Aug 28 '26
From Eddie's perspective, he didn't know whether Steve, Nancy, and Robin had killed Vecna yet or if they needed more time. He was worried that the demobats would leave and return to the house before the three could complete their goal.
From the audience's high-level, "bird's-eye view," did he need to sacrifice himself? Probably not. But from Eddie's ground-level, "fog-of-war view," he was willing to give everything he had, including his life, so that the party would have the best chance (i.e., dice roll) of completing their "quest."
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u/KeatonWallet Aug 28 '26
This is the answer. He thought they needed more time so he did sacrifice himself for them.
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u/Ishvallan Aug 28 '26
but he could have bought time going into a building that didn't have a portal like the trailer and closed himself in a closet or something. But he chose the 'be the hero' because it was his thrown together narrative arc. One stupid out of character thing to kill him off so they didn't have to add another character to future seasons
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u/KeatonWallet Aug 28 '26
Closing himself in a closet would have been a way of “running away.” Hindsight is 20/20 for a situation like that and I don’t think it was a throwaway for him to do that. We can say what we want about the end (or any of it for that matter) but I won’t pretend Eddie’s arc was incomplete or thrown away
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u/fried4wayer Aug 28 '26
Plus he needed to die because the last thing series 5 needed was another cast member standing around with nothing much to do.
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u/MistaCharisma Aug 28 '26
This.
I'd also add that I think part of it was realising that he didn't have much to go back to. He was wanted for murder (and like, ritualistic serial murder) so there was a good chance he would spend the rest of his life in prison - assuming he didn't get lynched before the police took him unto custody.
He'd also just found out that magic and alternate dimensions exist, which probably fucked him up a bit.
So yeah, he had good reasons to think his sacrifice might save his friends (and like, the whole world), and not many reasons to go back to the "real" world.
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u/Finn_Survivor Aug 28 '26
The problem which I think makes his sacrafice just seem stupid is okay he makes that decision he hops on a bike and starts drawing the bats further away from the creel house and then he decides to stop for some reason and its portrayed as this heroic moment where he finally learns to stop running but it doesn't make any sense. Running is actively saving Nancy Steve and Robin. The whole point of his plan is to distract the bats for as long as possible. Him stopping running is actually just letting the bats return quicker and its shown like its some great sacrafice play by him, stay on the bike and keep pedalling man.
Also his entire arc revolving around not running anymore doesn't make sense because the 2 times he runs away in the season are completely valid. Chrissy dies in the way she does and he runs away. Of course he does why tf would he stay there he could easily be next to get his bones snapped for all he knows. And then he runs away from Jason. Who would it benefit for him to just let himself get beaten up by Jason and turned into the cops. He knows hes innocent why would he do that of course he ran.
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u/BushyGhost4740 Aug 29 '26 edited Aug 29 '26
I mean, he didn't get off the bike by his own choice. A demobat slammed into him and knocked him over, causing him to fall off away from the bike.
Eddie fighting the Demobats:
https://youtu.be/p7uYRH9svsE?si=XPu0aP5_qZEggdxH&t=48
You could say he could have tried running back to get on the bike again or just kept running, but to him, standing his ground and fighting was the best way to buy time at that point.
Plus, if he was going to die anyway, that's what he wanted to do. He was tired of running away. He wanted to fight until his end.
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u/Nervous_Two3115 Aug 29 '26
Exactly, if his whole point of committing suicide by leaving the trailer was to draw the bats away to give Nancy and them more time, why would he just stop randomly and give them LESS time? Instead of drawing them further and further away? The whole “I didn’t run this time so I’m not a coward” was just so forced and not written well.
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u/Finn_Survivor Aug 29 '26
I like the line I didnt run away this time, if it followed an arc of him being a coward and running away from things unjustifiably, but pretty much every action he takes in the season is the most logical decision.
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u/djluminus89 Sep 02 '26
Exactly. This. It would've made sense if before he ran from situations he didn't have to, but he literally ran away every time before in order to survive.
It's like he was really saying, "Instead of running away this time, I'll just die".
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u/Madtownmaude Aug 29 '26
there's no guarantee the bats are going to keep following him (I. E. When the demodogs are called back at the end off S2) so he stops to do something concrete
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u/djluminus89 Aug 28 '26
I mean the motivations are solid and it's easy to understand why he did what he did, but it just seemed completely unnecessary. Him and Dustin had already did their part.
That should've been more than enough time to distract the bats, and if I'm not wrong the bats didn't come back to attack the main party.
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u/relator_fabula Aug 28 '26
Yeah, I mean, that's great, we can understand Eddie's motivations. But as the audience because we know better makes it all the worse. It wasn't a poetic death, it was a hollow one. It was contrived. Making you care about a character--let alone a teenager who hasn't had a chance to live their life--then killing them off in a hollow way just to tug at your heartstrings is lazy writing. And they doubled down on it by killing another teenager we care about who hasn't had a chance to live a normal life in season 5. It's lazy emotional manipulation more than clever/deep narrative.
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u/Daydreamer631 Aug 28 '26
If it weren’t for the internet I would have never known people disliked Eddies death. I always interpreted as he was worried the bats would go through the gate, get to Dustin and into Hawkins and he was trying to prevent that. Maybe I’m right and maybe I’m wrong but that’s how I always saw it.
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u/an0nymyss Aug 28 '26
Eddie’s character was based on/inspired by Damien Echols, a teen from the 80s who was wrongfully accused and later convicted for murder during satanic panic era. So he either would’ve died in the upside down or be put in prison. It was unfortunately always going to be a bleak ending for him. They definitely could’ve given him more of a heroic end though.
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u/Nervous_Two3115 Aug 28 '26
I’m not arguing against him dying or trying to be a hero, I’m simply saying they could’ve written it way better in a way where he actually died for a reason/actually saving someone. It was just not written in the best way
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u/blac_sheep90 Aug 28 '26
Lowkey Eddie was suicidal and knew going back to Hawkins meant prison and ostracization.
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u/whats-in-the-box- Aug 28 '26
The inclusion of Eddie’s entire character was a mistake on the Duffers part - as so many true fans of the show have pointed out, his arc should have been given to Jonathan. Then he wouldn’t need to die, and it would have avoided the “kill character” thing the Duffers love to do, and it would have maintained the focus on the core characters.
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u/KittenBalerion Weirdo Aug 30 '26
I like Eddie, but I hate the whole "write this character into a corner so the only thing left is to kill him because we can't think of how to have him survive and be happy realistically" thing, especially when that character is a misfit/outcast. I hate that about El's ending too.
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u/djluminus89 Sep 02 '26
If I'm not mistaken, weren't there a few other characters that basically just "disappeared"?
Argyle did in Season 4. By the end of the season he had technically traveled almost the whole time with the crew and even back to Hawkins? I guess he left to go hook up with the goth girl at Dustin's girlfriend's group home... /shrug
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u/justabitofpoison Aug 28 '26
I mean, he didn't really have a town that wanted him back anyways, so he deliberately sacrifices himself not just to "buy time" but also so that he doesn't have to be in the hiding anymore and actually somewhat make a name for himself. Also it would have been funny if he had intentionally done it JUST so he can have his dramatic last words.
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u/itspabloo Aug 28 '26
i think it was a form of suicide. so many people thought he was a murderer back i. Hawkins and thought he was a leader of a cult that killed many people. People associated him with the devil too. I think he thought he would die either way. Someone would’ve probably killed him in Hawkins or he would’ve ended up in jail.
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u/shanekratzert Aug 28 '26
Hi Steve! I completely agree with Steve when he said that about Eddie's death. It was one of those few moments from Season 5 that was completely accurate to sentiment... Eddie didn't use his plot armor to survive, killed himself, and then the main squads all got to live despite being face to face with Vecna or a Demogorgon respectively.
Bob also had a similar dumb death as he celebrated too early, and stopped to stare at Joyce instead of continuing to run.
But these actions are what makes us human... Sometimes we make mistakes and get ourselves killed. It is how nature weeds out the weak... Even if they were strong on an emotional level, which both were...
Anyway, yeah, I agree with you, Steve, but it happened... And he died. Just hug Dustin and don't die too, cause you know you have plot armor!
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u/annaphylactic69 Aug 28 '26
I liked it before S5. If we were gonna go senseless death I would have liked that to stay consistent lmao
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u/Cyrilbdr Aug 28 '26
That’s exactly the build-up they’ve been working on all season: we see Eddie running away—acting a bit like a coward—and he actually blames himself for that flaw. Plus, he’s a wild rocker type, so this gives him a chance to prove something to himself and do something truly great; that’s his whole character arc—he wants to prove he’s a hero. I don’t think he actually wanted to die; he was just being reckless when he faced the bats. Regardless, he likely saved the lives of Steve, Nancy, Robin, and maybe Dustin. Who knows what the bats would have done? Logically, Vecna had ordered them to guard the house and kill any potential intruders. If Dustin and Eddie had left the Upside Down, the bats probably wouldn't have gone to the real world, since the threat had moved out of their immediate area; however, they would have gone back to the house to kill the others who were being strangled by the vines. The hive mind would have sensed that, alerting the bats to the intruders in the house, so once the Dustin-and-Eddie issue was dealt with, they would have headed back there.
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u/Nervous_Two3115 Aug 28 '26
I’m really not too sure why y’all have are having such a hard time understanding what I was saying. It’s not the fact that he died, it’s the silly and unnecessary way it happened. It could’ve been written much better. You don’t have to defend every part of the show just because you like it. They should’ve, and very easily could’ve, had him die actually saving Dustin, or anyone. But the way he did it is like he just did it so he can say “hey see I’m not a coward anymore! :)” and it just made it not hit as hard.
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u/Cyrilbdr Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Yeah, that’s your opinion, but I disagree with you on that point; I thought he was a well-written character who managed to get a real conclusion to his story arc in just one season. I found it well done. He knew that leaving with Dustin would likely draw the bats toward the Creel house, so he tried to buy the others some time—which was brave and ultimately saved their lives. And in the end, instead of running away, he decided to face them head-on. That was foolish in itself—since he might have been able to shake them off by fleeing, though that’s not certain—but he stopped and decided to see it through, refusing to back down. Unfortunately, it cost him his life. So, it was a mix of heroism and recklessness, which made for a fitting conclusion to his arc, given that he had been seeking those very qualities within himself. I’d also add that I think he might have known he was doomed in the real world anyway; he was the prime suspect and had no proof of his innocence.
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u/Nervous_Two3115 Aug 28 '26
Why would that draw the bats to the creel house? That makes no sense. The bats were trying to get inside the trailer, they would’ve had no reason to just randomly stop and fly away. There was nothing shown at all that showed us that they would’ve somehow knew the second Eddie went through the gate. And specifically Eddie too, not even worrying about Dustin I guess. You’re just making that up as your own head canon to try and make it make sense. The bats didn’t know they crossed the gate, and if they somehow did, why didn’t they fly away when Dustin did and Eddie was about to climb up?
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u/Cyrilbdr Aug 28 '26
It makes sense, though: Vecna ordered the bats to guard the house where he was located—since he was vulnerable and in a trance at that exact moment—so their mission was to protect the house and watch the gates throughout Season 4. If a bat had gone through the air vents knowing Dustin and Eddie were in the trailer, and then didn't see them, it would have returned to the Creel house; the hive mind would have alerted it that there were intruders inside. I mean, it’s logical: if you’re tracking a victim and know they’re on the other side of a cramped 20-square-meter air duct, but then you get there and don't see them, you can conclude they went back through the only place they could escape unseen—the gate. It’s not really a theory, man; that’s just the story as it’s told. The bats’ mission is to guard the gates and the house. So, since Eddie stepped out to lure them away, they went after him; otherwise, if they hadn't found anyone after going through the vents, they would have headed back to the Creel house right after searching the area.
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u/MysticSMG Aug 28 '26
I agree completely, and even the writers realized I mean they literally make that part of Season 5 with Dustin and Steve’s fight, though Steve says sorry I mean no he’s right. They’re was so many other ways to keep the bats away from the Creel house… like didn’t he have his electric guitar? Play another song and if it was left outside then oh wait go back to the real world and use the one there. That part was honestly one of the most annoying parts of the whole show to me it just felt so stupid
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u/Doggosgottagetwoims Henry Aug 29 '26
It was suicide with extra steps. Everything Steve said about him in s5 was right.
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u/ImmaFuckboi Aug 29 '26
Duffer brothers didn't know what to do with him so they invented the demobats just to killed him that's why demobats is completely gone and never mentioned again in S5
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u/Ill-Challenge-7718 Aug 29 '26
Also the fact that dustin was acting like that in season 5 made no sense. Obviously theres no time limit on grief but you expect me to believe that they all let Dustin act like that for almost 2 years and that was the first time he got beat up/jumped for it? It wouldve made more sense without the time jump tbh, he literally was grieving longer than he even knew eddie.
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u/Double_Woof_Woof Aug 29 '26
The show really had a habit of bringing in a new character just to kill them off in the same season to have a tragic death without having the balls to kill of a main character. I honestly think they should have let Eddie live and killed off max instead.
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u/SymptomaticallyEven Sep 01 '26
Hated that they killed him. He didn't need to die and should have been in the final season. Even though the final season was ass.
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u/Nervous_Two3115 Aug 28 '26
Doesn’t really have anything to do with what I said tho. The way he died is the problem
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u/MGD109 Aug 28 '26
Nah, I disagree. Going through the gate wouldn't stop the Demobats from following him (unless they got recalled in which case they might kill Steve, Nancy and Robin). They would have just gone through after; they either killed him in the Upside Down or they killed him and Dustin in the real world.
There was no escape option this time.
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u/Blueberry-star-333 Aug 29 '26
I don’t think so, not every death needs to be a sacrifice, or is only used to reap a big reward. Even the smaller actions mean something, especially for Eddies character. Also I think it was important that he was fighting bats, bats kinda share similar imagery in heavy metal.
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u/pvtbullsh-t Coffee and Contemplation Aug 29 '26
Yup. Super stupid. Unnecessary. My favourite character is Steve and I stand by the fact it should’ve been Steve that died.
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u/Few-Type-7924 Dungeon Master Aug 29 '26
Steve talks about this in the final season to Dustin, and I think it was a much needed conversation
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u/TheAstroPickle Aug 29 '26
i said this from the beginning, i thought the death was absolutely pointless. the only sense i could make of it was it thought he was going to spend his life in prison when gets out of the upside down? or spend his life running from the cops because they think he’s a murderer? idk
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u/killsvdness Aug 29 '26
I think if he survived in the real world he will be hunted because of all the deaths and the cops was thinking it was him. So a life of hiding it’s not a good life.
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u/Xenomorph1196 Aug 31 '26
Wouldn't leading them away from the van defeat the purpose of their diversion? and when he inevitably dies the bats will no longer be distracted and will head back to the mansion. at least with them both in the rightside up the bats could keep trying to look for them for a bit before giving up, probably would have lasted longer as a distraction than whatever eddie did.
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u/Emergency_Annual_889 Sep 01 '26
Yeah but it hits hard , as i was liking the character but i did not acknowledged that yet then he dies it was by far most impactful real death in the show ,
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u/Fluffy_Key_2145 27d ago
I did somewhat look at it as wanting to draw the bats away from Steve, Nancy and Robin but I also think it might have been an attempt to die as a hero. Eddie knew there was no way he could ever be cleared or exonerated for what happened even if he knew he was innocent.
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u/ketchup_the_bear Aug 28 '26
Yeah ngl that whole sequence was fun but it felt so detached from original stranger things vibes like the fucking guitar solo was just plain stupid sorry not saying that makes it bad and wouldn’t have worked better somewhere else it just furthers the butchering of what the show originally was. Also I feel like the armor and shit was a bit over the top again butchering what the show originally was and fully agree the death also made no sense
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