There are many questions about Eleven, like whether Eleven created The Upside Down, and in the season 4 finale, she brings Max back to life. Eleven uses her telekinetic powers to get into Vecna's mind and battle him herself.
So, while Eleven restarted Max's heart and brought her body back to life, she was trapped inside of Vecna's hive mind. As terrible as that sounds, it offers the perfect segue into Season 5.
The fan-favorite character ended the season in a coma with her bones broken and eyes blinded at the hands of Vecna. Max technically died for one whole minute before Eleven revived her friend, but Eleven's powers weren't enough to bring Max fully back to life.
While Max did briefly die, Eleven used her powers to somehow resurrect Max—but with a catch.
Heading into season 5, Max is technically alive, but things look pretty bleak. The book Lucas was reading to Max - Stephen King's The Talisman - may offer some clues for what lays ahead in season 5. The popular 80s novel has many similarities to Stranger Things with an adventure about parallel universes.
She breaks free, momentarily incapacitates Vecna, and runs with the determination to live toward her friends, dodging debris that Vecna throws in her path. Max hurls herself through the portal, awakes from the trance, and is held by Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). "I thought we lost you," he cries. "I'm still here.
Is Max alive at the end of Season 4? Physically, yes. Lucas tells his friends that Max is in a coma, and we see her wearing casts on her arms and legs. The Duffer brothers have also confirmed that at the end of Season 4, Max is alive yet "brain dead, blind, and all of her bones are broken."
Yes, Max is brain dead in Stranger Things. When speaking with Josh Horowitz on his podcast, the Duffer Brothers said that although Max is alive, she is "brain dead, blind, and all of her bones are broken."
After serving as bait for Vecna, she becomes his “final sacrifice,” getting her bones broken and losing her vision during a low point.
In episode 7, Vecna is revealed to be Henry Creel (played as a youngster by Raphael Luce), the son of Victor Creel (Robert Englund) and his wife Virginia (Tyner Rushing) shown in the 1950s flashbacks.
Max's death was used a device to push Murphy toward killing Josh in the series finale. Max didn't need to die to wrap up the story this way. Sure, Murphy needed to have a complicated place to land.
So, in Season 4, Stranger Things brought back the flesh and blood monsters by introducing the very-pratical Vecna, who was not only terrifying, but he was also more powerful than Eleven, hence why Dr. Brenner was so afraid of him.
Patrick was targeted due to his father's abuse of him. Finally, Vecna targets Max for her trauma from witnessing Billy's death and uses Barb's (Shannon Purser) death as a way to use Nancy.
At his empire's height, Vecna was betrayed and destroyed by his most trusted lieutenant, a vampire called Kas the Bloody-Handed, using a magical sword that Vecna himself had crafted for him, now known as the Sword of Kas.
Vecna's obsession with time appears to be linked to his hatred of humanity. He views time as a human imposition on the natural world; an attempt to impose order on nature.
Refusing to allow Max to die after their battle with Vecna, Eleven pulls out the stops to save her life. As Lucas begs Max to stay alive, cradling her in his arms, Eleven uses just enough power to get Max's heart beating again.
Theory: Karen Wheeler Is Vecna's Sister From Stranger Things 4's Flashbacks.
Max is possessed by Vecna, however, Lucas is unable to bring her back as he is forced into a fight with basketball captain Jason who unfortunately ends up breaking Max's walkman.
At the end of Stranger Things episode 9, Max is left blind.
Max stops breathing for an entire minute, but is brought back to life by Eleven from inside her mind while in a sensory deprivation tank. A sobbing Lucas cradles Max with her shattered limbs and bleeding eyes.
While there are no direct statements, it's still clear that Max suffers from mental illnesses, such as depression, trauma, and even PTSD.
The name Mary picks is Max Jerry Horowitz (voice of Phillip Seymour Hoffman), an overweight 44-year-old Jewish man, who lives in New York and suffers from Asperger's syndrome. Max lives a very ordered life.
Tragically, Vecna succeeds in killing Max, though she's shortly resurrected by Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) — or is she? Vecna doesn't just kill, he consumes his victims, absorbing the essence of their minds and souls. Max, who lies in a coma, might have a pulse, but, as Eleven discovers, her mind is empty.
Despite the best efforts of Eleven and Lucas, Vecna succeeds in wounding Max badly enough with the ritual that she dies. Eleven manages to revive her, but the minute that Max spent dead was enough to trigger Vecna's spell and open the gate.
He reveals what looks to be a tracking device implanted in his neck. As a thanks, Eleven uses her powers to remove the chip, which leads the orderly to reveal his true identity as 001. 001 was born Henry Creel, the son of Victor Creel (played by A Nightmare on Elm Street's Robert Englund).