While she wasn’t part of the original group of kids in Stranger Things, Max has become an integral part of the series, especially because she adds more girl power to the squad and due to her sassy personality. But season 4 of Stranger Things allowed us to see a more emotional and vulnerable Max, who became one of the targets of Vecna, who went on to kill emotionally troubled teenagers in Hawkins. So, does Max die in Stranger Things season 4?
Max does not die in Stranger Things season 4. She was indeed one of Vecna’s targets as the creature used her vulnerability to his advantage. However, when Nance and Robin found out that a song saved Creel decades ago, the squad made Max listen to her favorite song so that she could escape Vecna.
It was indeed true that Max was basically just seconds away from getting killed at the hands of Vecna. But thanks to the efforts of her trusted friends, she escaped his grasp and was able to live for another day. So, let’s look at what happened to Max in Stranger Things season 4 and what led her to the brink of death.
What Happened To Max In Stranger Things Season 4?
Ever since Max was introduced in season 2 of Stranger Things, the series got a lot more interesting because there was another female character that became a part of the main group of kids. Of course, Max’s overall personality also made her a favorite among different fans because she brought a lot of spunk and attitude to the group. In many ways, she is a badass female character.
As badass as Max is, she has shown a vulnerable side to her as her character continues to grow as a person. Her somewhat sassy attitude can be called a façade that she tries to keep so that she can shun people away, as she has had a pretty troubled past. And while the main group was able to connect with her during seasons 2 and 3, she started distancing herself from them again in season 4.
The reason why Max had been distancing herself from the group was that she was still living with the guilt and regret of not being able to save her brother Billy at the end of season 3. As cruel of a character as Billy may have been, he had a moment of redemption when he sacrificed himself for the sake of Max and her friends. Max was left to watch as her brother died right then and there without being able to do anything to save him.
Since then, Max had been living with this regret, which eventually made her a more vulnerable character in season 4. Of course, her vulnerability also made her an easy target for the creature called Vecna, who is the main antagonist of Stranger Things season 4.
Vecna, who lives in the Upside Down, is a creature of unimaginable power as he uses his psychic abilities to get in the heads of those who he targets. He fed off of the traumatic pasts of the young teenagers that he tormented throughout the entire series as he used these teenagers as a means to feed himself and open up gateways from the Upside Down into Hawkins. His first victim was a cheerleader named Chrissy, who was suffering from a troubled past with her family.
Nevertheless, Vecna eventually targeted Max, who realized that she could be next when the group discovered that she had been suffering from the same symptoms that both Chrissy and the second victim, Fred, were suffering from. In that regard, she began to have visions that were created by Vecna so that he could torment her.
Did Max Die In Stranger Things Season 4?
Max knew that her time was coming because neither Chrissy nor Fred was able to escape Vecna’s curse. This led her to write letters addressed to the people she cared about, as she wrote to her family and even to her dead brother, Billy. She also wrote letters to her friends, only to be told by Lucas that she shouldn’t be shutting herself off from the group. Still, she kept her feelings hidden from them.
At one point, Max threatened Steve to take her to Billy’s grave as she read her letter to her dead brother right then and there. She expressed her regret and sadness at not being able to do anything about his death. Max also told Billy that she believed that they could have been better siblings had they been given another chance to work things out between them.
However, at that very moment, Vecna brought Max’s consciousness over to the Upside Down, where he began chasing her around until he got her cornered. Max’s body in the real world was in a trance-like state as Steve, Lucas, and Dustin couldn’t do anything. So, did Max die at the hands of Vecna in Stranger Things season 4?
No, Max didn’t die during the events of Stranger Things season 4. She survived the ordeal with Vecna thanks to the quick thinking of her friends, who spent a lot of time trying to learn more about Vecna’s curse and the history behind the deaths that were related to what was happening to the people of Hawkins.
How Did Max Survive Vecna?
As mentioned, Max’s consciousness was trapped in Vecna’s world as she couldn’t do anything to escape the creature that was about to kill her using the same way he used to kill Chrissy and Fred. Vecna was telling her that she wanted Billy to die and that she was happy that she couldn’t do anything about her brother’s death.
Meanwhile, Nancy and Robin were over at a psychiatric facility to visit a man named Victor Creel, who was said to be the first person to experience the same things that Hawkins was experiencing from Vecna. Creel told his story to the girls but eventually said that Vecna was about to get him until he heard the voice of an angel in the form of his favorite song.
Nancy and Robin realized that it could be possible that what broke Creel out of his trance was his favorite song because it was able to connect with him on an emotional level. That was when they instructed the group back at Billy’s grave to have Max’s body listen to her favorite song, which happened to be “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush.
While Max was listening to Kate Bush’s song over at the Upside Down, Vecna was telling her that her friends couldn’t save her because she was closing herself off from them. That was what prompted her to find the strength to break free from Vecna as her consciousness made its way out of the Upside Down through the hole created by her favorite song.
In a way, Max was able to survive Vecna through the quick thinking of her friends as she was made to listen to her favorite song, which resonated with her at an emotional level and was able to allow her to find the strength to break out of her trance.
