“It’s not Game of Thrones”: Why the Duffers refused to kill characters in Stranger Things just to shock fans

Stranger Things has never been the kind of show that kills off characters just to make people gasp, and the Duffer Brothers have finally said that part out loud. According to Matt Duffer via The Hollywood Reporter:

“It’s not Game of Thrones. We’re not in Westeros.”

This pretty much explains everything. From the start, the show was built around kids, friendships, and emotional payoff, not shock deaths. The Duffers believe that if a character dies, it has to mean something. Not just a trend on Twitter for a day.

In simple words, Stranger Things chooses heart over headlines, and that choice shapes the entire final season.

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Why Stranger Things never chased shock deaths like other big shows

If you have watched Stranger Things from the beginning, you know the show plays a long game. Characters grow slowly, relationships deepen, and emotional beats matter more than surprise twists. That is why Matt Duffer pushed back hard when asked if fans should expect major deaths just to raise the stakes.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Duffer stated,

“It’s not Game of Thrones. We’re not in Westeros. I love Game of Thrones, but it’s just a very different type of show than that. There’s not going to be a Red Wedding situation.”

This just explains the mindset behind the show. Game of Thrones used death as a world rule. Anyone could fall at any moment. Stranger Things, on the other hand, works differently. Its danger comes from fear, loss, and emotional risk, not random exits.

Matt Duffer also added that the goal was never to shock or upset fans. He told The Hollywood Reporter:

“We’re not trying to shock or upset anyone. I hope by the time people get to the end of the finale that it just feels like there’s something inevitable about what happens...”

That word, inevitable, says a lot. Over here, tension builds through choices, not sudden deaths. Fans worry about characters like Steve, Hopper, Eleven, and everyone else because they care. Not because the show trained them to expect blood at every turn.

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How Stranger Things builds stakes without killing its core characters

Stranger Things is the kind of show that finds other ways to raise the stakes. Take Steve, for example. When asked by The Hollywood Reporter about fans constantly worrying about him, Ross Duffer joked,

“People are always worried about Steve.”

Matt Duffer followed it up by saying:

“It doesn’t matter. We could have put nothing in the trailer and people would still be freaked out about Steve.”

That fear exists even without death. Steve gets beaten up, Hopper is ready to sacrifice himself, and Eleven carries the weight of saving everyone. These scenes feel heavy because the show spends a good amount of time earning them.

Matt Duffer even admitted that death feels like the “next logical step” for Steve, but he also laughed and said he could not say if that will happen. That hesitation shows how carefully the show treats its characters.

The same care shows up in emotional arcs. The Duffers spent the longest time writing Will’s coming-out scene. Ross Duffer said,

“We just wanted to get it right.”

Matt Duffer explained to The Hollywood Reporter that once the friends were involved, the scene finally clicked and felt truthful, especially for Noah Schnapp. This is the show choosing emotional truth over easy shock.

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At the end of the day, Stranger Things refuses to copy the Game of Thrones playbook because it does not need to. The Duffers believe real impact comes from growth, fear, and earned endings.

Death is always a possibility; however, it is never employed as a cheap trick in the series. The show, by concentrating on the fact that it cannot be avoided rather than being taken by surprise, remains loyal to its core. That decision might not be more intense, but it is more durable.

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