SPOILERS: This article contains spoilers about the events of the fourth season finale of Stranger Things titled "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback." Read at your own risk.
There is no denial that Max's story arc was one of the highlights of the fourth season of Stranger Things which is also helped by her portrayer Sadie Sink's powerful performance. The season finale left her character's fate unknown as she was left comatose resulting from the injuries and the temporary death caused by Vecna. Will we ever see Max awake and be part of the action of the fifth season?
Sink was recently interviewed by Deadline regarding her character's journey in the recently-concluded fourth season. When asked about the filming date for the fifth season, the actress revealed that she has "no clue" yet about when they are going to start working again on the series.
"I have no clue. It takes a while to get everything ready to go for a new season, because once we start filming, we do not stop," Sink said. "This last season took two years in total, so who knows how long season five will take. The Duffers definitely know the fans will be eagerly awaiting a fifth season, but I don’t think they’re gonna rush it. They wanna make the best final season that they could possibly make. Hopefully we can get out there soon, but then also I’m like, 'No, drag it out as long as you can.' I don’t wanna have to leave."
When asked if she knows whether Max will live on in the fifth season, Sink also admitted that she has "no idea" regarding it as well since the Duffer Brothers are secretive about it and her storyline is "very up in the air" as of the moment.
"They’ve been very secretive about season five in general. We did have a conversation," she responded. "They called me before I read the ninth episode because in the script it literally says that 'Max dies.' So they called me beforehand and were like, ‘just warning you, this is in there, so you’re not like truly shocked.’ I have no idea what’s coming in five and what that looks like. Max’s storyline is very up in the air, ’cause obviously she’s in a coma and Eleven can’t find her in the void. So who knows where she is and what state she’s in."
Considering that they didn't give a definitive answer on Max's fate by the end of the fourth season, the chances of her continuing to live in the fifth season are very likely and perhaps that will be one of the main storylines that they will also explore. If Max has indeed died, they would have simply killed her off already. Since they revived her after her brief death, that means they have plans for the character to be involved in the final season despite her status.
The fourth season of Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix. There is no release window set yet for the fifth season.
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