Stranger Things season 4 volume 2: What happened to Max?

Major spoilers ahead of Stranger Things season 4 volume 2

Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 was a high stakes ride from start to finish. Part 2 of the ambitious season picked up right where we left off with Nancy caught in Vecna’s mindscape. It seemed like we were going to lose a main character right at the top of volume 2. But! It turns out that Vecna had other plans for the fierce teen.

He had no intention on killing Nancy. Vecna simply wanted her to pass on a message to Eleven. As such, he invaded her mind and showed her exactly what he plans to do to Hawkins. In her vision, she saw the town torn apart, mass death, and an army of creatures sweeping over the land. It was quite the horrifying sight.

Vecna’s decision to let Nancy in on his plans, however, inadvertently let the group in on a piece of the puzzle they’d been without. The grandfather clock, which was featured prominently in volume one, wasn’t only an ominous foreshadowing of impending doom for Vecna’s victims. It also gave away that he needs four kills in order to open four gates that connect Hawkins to the Upside Down. That’s the significance of those four chimes.

After figuring that out, Team Hawkins came up with a plan to take the fight to Vecna and finally end this fight once and for all. But, unfortunately, their plan went left.

Does Max die in Stranger Things season 4 volume 2?

Admittedly, Team Hawkins’ plan was rather genius. Splitting up into three groups, they each played a vital role in their attempt at keeping Max alive and killing Vecna. Lucas, Erica, and Max went to the Creel House. While Max acted as bait, Lucas stayed by her side so he could pull her out of Vecna’s trance, and Erica’s job was to find Vecna before getting to safety outside of the house.

The group that re-entered the Upside Down were Steve, Nancy, Robin, Eddie, and Dustin. The first trio planned on setting Vecna on fire and then blasting him away while he was vulnerable. The latter duo were meant to be decoys that distracted the bats that swarm in that area of the Upside Down. Also, unbeknownst to the team, Eleven was assisting by entering Max’s mind from California.

Eleven had every intention of taking Vecna down herself, and it seemed like she had the upper hand once Max started going toe-to-toe with the Big Bad. But, ultimately, he bested Eleven long enough to get a hold of Max.

At the time this was happening, Lucas was fighting with Jason who’d followed them there after bumping into Team Hawkins at War Zone. In the middle of their scuffle, Jason stepped on Max’s headphones which made turning on “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush impossible and Lucas couldn’t get to her because he was being choked by Jason.

Through a powerful speech by Mike, Eleven was able to come back swinging at Vecna, but it was too late. He’d already stolen Max’s eyesight and broken her limbs. Steve and Robin set him on fire while Nancy shot him with her sawed off shotgun. The team pulled together and stopped Vecna which was a triumph but Max died in Lucas’ arms.

Eleven, who refused to lose yet another person, did something she’d never done before. She attempted to bring someone back from the dead.

Is Max alive by the end of Stranger Things season 4 volume 2?

Thankfully, Eleven did succeed. Max is in a coma with her limbs in casts, but she’s not dead. Unfortunately, however, no one knows when she’ll wake up and her death did open the four gates that let Vecna back into their dimension. It seems like Eleven will likely be the one to wake Max in season 5 considering the scene before her reunion with Hopper showed her once again attempting to enter her friend’s mind.

Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more Stranger Things season 4 news and coverage! The whole season is available to stream now on Netflix.