Stranger Things Season 4 came back after three years, and its first volume startled us with so many brutal deaths. So, after the incredible three seasons, the show finally took risks with a much darker tone, and it definitely landed well with the fans.
The premiere episode of Season 4 introduced us to several new characters, but we all knew that not every character would be alive by the end of the volume. However, we never imagined that the show would kill off a new character in the first episode. By doing that, Duffer Brothers wanted to establish that Vecna is, in fact, the most brutal villain of the story so far.
It was clear from the start that Vecna is more intelligent than the other villains from Upside Down. This entity was more aware of humans' behavior, which made him incredibly dangerous. Venca always took over his victims' minds by playing with their emotions. He only targets people who are haunted by a dark memory from their past, which makes Max a direct target. Of course, Max is too crucial to the story, so she eventually survives Vecna's possession with the help of her friends. However, not every character was as lucky as Max.
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Every Death in Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1
1. Chrissy
The first character to die in Stranger Things Season 4 was Chrissy. Initially, Chrissy felt like a person who is living a perfect life. She was the cheerleader of the Hawkins High's Basketball team and was dating the most popular guy in the school. But we never imagined that Chrissy is being haunted by Vecna, who brutally kills her off in the first episode.
2. Fred
The second person to die at the hands of Vecna was Fred, the kid who worked with Nancy for the Hawkins High newspaper. Apparently, Fred had an accident a few years back, which killed a family. However, Fred didn't go to the police because he was too afraid to face the consequences. Well, Vecna used Fred's guilt to possess him, and he was killed the same way as Chrissy.
3. Patrick
We never learned much about Patrick in Stranger Things, so we don't know what memory was haunting Patrick from the inside. We did see him talking to Lucas at some point as he was a part of the basketball team, so we know that he was one of the good guys. Despite being popular in the school, Patrick was always scared for some reason. So, he did go through a traumatic experience at some point in his life, and Vecna used that same memory to possess Patrick.
4. Agent Harmon and His Partner
When Owens took Eleven back to the facility, he left two soldiers to babysit Mike, Will, and Jonathan. One of these agents was shot dead by the US army in Jonathan's house. The other agent, Harmon, took a bullet during the fight, and he successfully saved the kids. However, he eventually died after bleeding out in the car. So, unlike every other death in Stranger Things' latest season, Vecna wasn't responsible for these two.
5. Almost Everyone in the Hawkins Facility
In the final episode, Eleven finally remembers what happened all those years back at the Hawkins facility. Peter Ballard was, in fact, the first test subject of Dr. Brenner, and he tricked Eleven to get back his powers. He then killed everyone in the facility, but fortunately, Eleven sent him to the Upside Down before he could confront Dr. Brenner.
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