10 Saddest Stranger Things Deaths, Ranked

Throughout its run, "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 (and one of those deaths has a big question mark next to it). But make no mistake, "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" 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.

Look, there are no two ways about it. Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) is a terrible human being. He's abusive toward his younger stepsister Max (Sadie Sink), and if you read between the lines, he's pretty clearly racist toward Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), one of the few Black characters on the show. He even tells Max to stay away from Lucas, emphasizing how there are "certain types of people" she should stay away from. Normally, we'd be glad to see him gone by the end of "Stranger Things" Season 3, but he gets some last-minute redemption.

Billy falls under the Mind Flayer's control in Season 3, luring others to their deaths. We also see how Billy's father is abusive toward him, which isn't an excuse for his behavior, but it helps show how he's also a victim within a cycle of violence. One way in which Billy's (and Montgomery's) performance changed Season 3 is that it forced the Duffer Brothers to humanize what is an otherwise despicable character. When the main cast of characters battle the Mind Flayer at the Starcourt Mall, he's able to escape its control, and he sacrifices himself to allow Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to live.

It's an uncharacteristically heroic moment for an awful character, and it shows how Billy could've changed for the better. He could've been a better brother toward Max and worked on his preconceived notions of others. Then again, maybe he'd continue being a jerk. It's hard to say, but any potential for him is forever lost.

One thing you may have forgotten from the first episode of "Stranger Things" is the incredibly important character Benny Hammond (Chris Sullivan). After Eleven escapes from Hawkins Lab, she first encounters the friendly diner owner. He's nice to her and tries to learn about where she came from. He even tries to do the right thing by getting her in touch with the proper authorities. Sadly, his kindness leads to his downfall, as government agents learn that he has Eleven and shoot him down to try to get her back.

Benny is the first major casualty on "Stranger Things," and even though he's only in a few scenes, he makes a mark. In another timeline, he could've been a father figure toward Eleven instead of Hopper, but his death is important for establishing the show's stakes. Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) had already been abducted, but that was from monsters. Benny dies from a government that's trying to create child soldiers for nefarious purposes, so his death shows how there are more threats than just the Demogorgons in this world.

Benny's death is sad for how senseless it feels. He did everything a person should do in that situation, and he was punished gravely for it.

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A kid dying is always going to be inherently sad, and the memory of Sara Hopper (Elle Graham and Tilly Morris) continues to haunt Jim Hopper throughout all of "Stranger Things." For audiences, we only get flashbacks of their relationship, as she's already passed away by the time the show starts. However, we get glimpses of her time with her parents, as we see Jim read to her while she's in the hospital battling cancer.

Sadly, it was all for naught as she ultimately succumbs to her illness, and Jim seems to be aware that it's inevitable. We see him grieve her before she's even gone, as Season 1, Episode 8 ("The Upside Down") shows him bawling in a stairwell. What we're left with is the aftermath, as Jim and Sara's mother, Diane (Jerri Tubbs), divorce shortly thereafter. In fact, the only reason why Jim's in Hawkins in the first place is due to him moving there to get away from everything. He's also not coping with her death well, as we see him abusing substances like alcohol and pills.

We don't spend a ton of time with Sara. She mostly exists as a plot device to explain Jim's mental state, especially at the beginning of "Stranger Things." Still, any parent will tell you it's their worst nightmare to lose a child, so anyone can empathize with Jim's struggle after her death.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Back in Season 2, "Stranger Things" introduced Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), Eleven's "sister" who underwent the same experiments as her and also has special powers. For years, people thought her inclusion muddied the show's waters, and that her episode, "The Lost Sister," was total filler. However, "Stranger Things" brought back the controversial character for Season 5, where we discover that the army has been experimenting on her. She teams up with Eleven and Hopper, and she ultimately sacrifices her life to protect them.

Kali's treated somewhat oddly throughout Season 5. Hopper is inherently suspicious of her, and that's partially for a good reason, as Kali tells Eleven that they should both die when they destroy the Upside Down so that the government can't experiment on either of them and get another Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). Leading up to the finale, fans may have assumed Kali had ulterior motives, but she really was just trying to protect the world from the government's actions, and she was willing to die to protect her sister.

Kali's death is tragic because she never really knew peace. She was experimented on as a girl, and even when she found a group of punks who accepted her, the government still came to kill them all.

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Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Dien) is introduced in the first episode of Season 4, "The Hellfire Club." At first, it seems like she's going to be a stereotypical popular girl. She's a cheerleader and is dating the captain of the basketball team. But we learn that she's harboring a lot of trauma, namely emotional abuse at the hands of her mother that's manifested in body issues and an eating disorder. Despite being very different socially from burnout Eddie (Joseph Quinn), the two actually develop a pleasant rapport. Sadly, it doesn't go any further, as she's killed by Vecna in the same episode she's introduced.

Chrissy's one character fans agree deserved a lot better, especially upon seeing how much chemistry she had with Eddie. In fact, they both manage to break free of public perceptions in their meetings. Chrissy isn't just a stuck-up popular girl, but someone who's deeply troubled and vulnerable. Eddie isn't the psycho that many perceive him to be, and he's actually quite sweet toward Chrissy even when he's just trying to sell her marijuana. The two could've been unlikely allies, or at least supporting one another when struggling, but instead, Chrissy had to die.

Her death kicks off Season 4, with pretty much everyone in Hawkins blaming Eddie for what happened to her. Her death functions as a catalyst, and it's a testament to the show's writing that it managed to get viewers to care about Chrissy so deeply with only a few scenes.

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"Stranger Things" may have killed Benny right away, but it was Barb's (Shannon Purser) death in that first season that really struck a nerve with fans. She's introduced as Nancy's (Natalia Dyer) best friend who isn't exactly thrilled about who Nancy's becoming. She's hanging out more with Steve (Joe Keery), who was a bit of a jerk that first season, and spending less time with her. She's by herself by a pool when she's snatched up by a Demogorgon and dragged to the Upside Down, where she's eventually killed.

We didn't get a chance to know Benny all that much, but Barb felt like she could become a regular player. She's understandably worried about Nancy and actually confronts her that she's not being true to herself for the sake of having a boyfriend. At first, it feels like Nancy would push her away and then maybe they would go back to being friends by the end of the season, but, of course, that doesn't happen.

Barb's is one of the first "Stranger Things" deaths, but she's not forgotten. In fact, you can draw a straight line between her death and Nancy's entire character arc going all the way up to the finale. Nancy begins training and becomes a total pro at using firearms, protecting those she cares about when the team enters Dimension X to fight Vecna and the Mind Flayer. She's even willing to distract the Mind Flayer, putting her own life on the line to give the others a chance to take it out. She becomes more aware of actively protecting those she cares about, and that doesn't happen without Barb.

Dr. Alexei (Alec Utgoff) is the very definition of a fan-favorite character. He's a Russian scientist working on behalf of the Soviet Union to create a gateway to another dimension, bringing him to Hawkins and the Starcourt Mall to work on his research. He's later captured by Hopper, Joyce (Winona Ryder), and Murray (Brett Gelman); and despite his Russian ties, he soon develops an appreciation of American culture. He's even the subject of a meme where he's sipping nonchalantly on a Slurpee. He was just kind of a silly guy, and that's what made his violent murder hit so hard.

When the crew's at a carnival, Alexei is shot down by the aforementioned Grigori, who took out a hit on the scientist as retribution for switching allegiances. He was having a great day before that and was carrying around an oversized plush animal, almost to drive home the point of how innocent and sweet he was.

A big component of what makes Alexei's death so tragic is that he could've started a whole second chapter of his life. He found a friend in Murray and could've put his genius to good use. Once again, we may not know a ton about this character, but the tragedy of his death comes from what could've been.

Speaking of sweet characters, Bob Newby (Sean Astin) had a real gut punch of a death. He's Joyce's new boyfriend in Season 2, and he becomes a really great father figure toward Will, who could use one. There's a lot of darkness in Hawkins, especially since Season 2 is also when we meet Billy Hargrove. But Bob is a breath of fresh air, driving Will to school and relating to the issues he's dealing with. He just seems like a great guy, all the way up to his death when he helps Joyce and the others get out of Hawkins Lab. Just when it appears like he's in the clear, a Demodog appears out of nowhere and kills him.

Bob's death hits hard, but honestly, it's better than what the Duffer Brothers originally planned for him. An earlier draft saw Bob die a lot sooner, and he gets killed by Will who's under the influence of the Mind Flayer. It would've been an extremely dark death and likely would've made viewers have a hard time rooting for Will afterward. Fortunately, Astin did such a great job with his performance that they kept Bob around a little longer, but he had to go one way or another.

Fans surely knew that Joyce and Hopper had to be endgame, and they get engaged in the "Stranger Things" series finale. But honestly, Bob may have been a better pick for her in every way, even coming down to the fact he's willing to sacrifice himself to keep her and her boys safe.

By the time "Stranger Things" Season 4 rolled around, fans could guess that a new character getting introduced in the first episode probably wouldn't live to the next. Sadly, the writing was on the wall for Eddie from the start, despite what a great character he was. He exemplified the outcast nature of the main characters, which includes a passion for Dungeons & Dragons. But people's perception of him is that he's mean and scary. That doesn't go away after Chrissy's death, with the whole town blaming him for what happened, mirroring real-world fears during the Satanic panic of the 1980s that anyone who played D&D and didn't conform to the all-American lifestyle could worship Satan and kill others.

Obviously, we know the truth, but Eddie teams up with the main cast to clear his name, and he's a great addition to the ensemble. His similarities to the main characters sadly extends to a willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good. When the team's in the Upside Down, he distracts the Demobats by playing Metallica's "Master of Puppets" on the guitar. He isn't able to recover from his wounds.

Eddie's death isn't merely sad because we liked him. It's sad because he dies with the town still believing he's responsible for what happened to Chrissy. When Season 5 rolls around, his grave is continually getting desecrated. We know Eddie's a hero, and it's sad the truth seemingly never got out about what really occurred.

"Stranger Things" may have been averse to killing off main cast members for a long time, but the series finale had to see someone go. Even though we predicted Eleven would die in the finale, it didn't make it hurt less. The team kills Vecna and plants the bomb to destroy the Upside Down once and for all. It seems like everything's going to be okay, but then they're apprehended by the military — except for Eleven, who stays behind as the Upside Down gets destroyed. It's sad for many of the same reasons that Kali's death is sad. She's had an awful life filled with pain and losing loved ones. We just wanted to see her finally attain some happiness, but it's forever taken away from her.

Yes, we're aware Eleven may not actually be dead. Before the finale ends for good, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) offers a story of how Eleven could've made it out of the gateway and traveled to a far-off place where she'll finally be safe. Honestly, there are some pretty big plot holes within his story that we're skeptical of, but more than anything, it feels like an excuse to leave the door open for Eleven to return in a future spinoff if Netflix deems fit. Even if we take his story at face value, it's still sad Eleven has to be separated from her friends. She's all alone in this hypothetical reality.

For our purposes, we believe Eleven sacrificed herself despite her telling Hopper that she was going to live. Eleven never really got the chance to be a kid. She's always fought for her life, and there was a brief glimmer of hope that things could finally be normal for her. But she wasn't allowed to have that.