Sadie Sink weighs in on whether Max should have died in Season 4

Stranger Things actor Sadie Sink answers questions about the future of her character, Max Mayfield.

Season 4 of Stranger Things ended with Max’s fate left up in the air. The actress has weighed in on how satisfied she was with her character’s storyline thus far. (Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4 ahead.)

At the end of the fourth season of Stranger Things, Max Mayfield had been pulled into the Upside Down by the villain Vecna, who sought to kill her in order to open a gate to Hawkins.

Ultimately, Vecna ended up succeeding in his plan, with Hawkins being pulled apart by a massive rift between their world and the Upside Down. However, while this strategy appeared to require the death of Max’s physical body, the show ultimately revealed that she was merely left in a coma at the end of Season 4.

In an interview with Vulture, Sadie Sink, the actor who plays Max, was asked what she thought of her character’s ultimate fate.

Sink recalls the Duffer Brothers telling her, “So, you’re going to die. The script says you die, but just keep reading. It’s all very much up in the air, just a warning for what’s coming!”

Stranger Things has received criticism for this failure to kill off its main characters, even from its own actors. But Sink says that “the thing about the Duffers and their vision for the show is they’re never going to kill someone off for the sake of getting a gasp from the audience… They’re only going to have a death on the show occur when it’s essential in terms of moving the plot along.”

In fact, Sink says that she was expecting for Max to die this season, but doesn’t think that the fact that she’s still alive lessens the impact of her character’s demise. She points to the scene where Max apparently dies in Lucas’s arms.

“The reactions in that moment were exactly what they would’ve been if Max died, because she did die. Obviously, it would’ve been a bit more impactful if she was gone, but just not in the ways you would’ve wanted.”

But Sink says the decision to keep Max alive, in a comatose state, leaves herself and the rest of the cast wondering what exactly will happen next. Given her statement that the Duffers would only have a death that is essential to move the plot along, it seems safe to assume that Max will still have a key part to play in Stranger Things Season 5.