Stranger Things – Season 4, Episode 9

Episode Title: “The Piggyback”

Full Story Explained

The Season 4 finale brings every storyline together in a massive, emotional, and devastating conclusion. This is not a clean victory. It’s a turning point that permanently changes Hawkins and sets the stage for the final chapter of the story.

The Final Plan

The group creates a bold, multi-layered plan to kill Vecna. Each team has a role.

In Hawkins and the Upside Down, Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie will attack Vecna’s physical body at the Creel house. Max will act as bait, drawing Vecna into attacking her again.

In Nevada, Eleven will use a sensory-deprivation tank to psychically reach Max and fight Vecna in his mind.

In Russia, Hopper, Joyce, and Murray will attack the Upside Down creatures in the prison, weakening Vecna’s connection across dimensions.

Everything must happen at the same time.

If one part fails, they all fail.

Max Faces Vecna Again

Max willingly puts herself in danger, knowing she may not survive. Vecna attacks her as expected, pulling her into his mind. This time, Max fights back, confronting her trauma instead of giving in to it.

Eleven reaches Max through the void and battles Vecna directly. Their fight is intense and deeply personal. Vecna mocks Eleven, blaming her for creating him and claiming that everything happening is part of his design.

Meanwhile, in the Upside Down, Steve, Nancy, and Robin attack Vecna’s physical body, setting it on fire and shooting him repeatedly. Eddie stays behind to distract demobats, making the ultimate sacrifice to protect his friends.

Eddie dies a hero, finally proving he was never a coward.

Vecna Falls—but Not Completely

Vecna is badly wounded and thrown from the Creel house. For a moment, it looks like the plan worked.

But victory is short-lived.

Vecna completes his final kill.

Max dies in Lucas’s arms.

Although Eleven manages to restart Max’s heart using her powers, Max’s body survives while her mind does not. She is left alive but unconscious, trapped somewhere unknown.

Vecna needed four kills to open massive gates across Hawkins.

And he got them.

Hawkins Breaks Apart

Earthquakes rip through Hawkins as giant rifts open across the town, tearing streets and buildings in half. The Upside Down begins bleeding into the real world. Smoke, ash, and dark clouds spread across the sky.

This isn’t an invasion anymore.

It’s a merger.

The town is forever changed.

Aftermath and Reunion

Two days later, the survivors reunite. Hopper returns to Hawkins, reuniting emotionally with Eleven. The group mourns their losses—Eddie is gone, Max is unresponsive, and the town is broken.

Eleven tries to reach Max’s mind but finds nothing.

Vecna is alive.
And he is winning.

Ending Explained

• Vecna survives and completes his plan.
• Eddie dies saving his friends.
• Max’s body lives, but her mind is gone.
• Hawkins is permanently torn open by the Upside Down.
• The final battle has only just begun.

Season 4 is not about defeating the villain.

It’s about realizing the cost of the fight.

By the end of “The Piggyback”, the truth is undeniable.

The Upside Down is no longer hidden.
The war is no longer secret.
And Hawkins is the battlefield.

What comes next will not be about survival.

It will be about ending this—no matter the cost.