Summary

Barb's death in Season 1 set off a chain of events leading to Vecna's arrival, targeting Hawkins residents.
Nancy's guilt over Barb's death drives her to take down Vecna, the mastermind behind the Hawkins chaos.
Nancy may find closure by finding Barb's body in the Upside Down and confronting her own grief and guilt.

Throughout Stranger Things' four-season run, the Hawkins gang have lost many acquaintances and loved ones to the monsters of the Upside Down. However, the Demogorgon's slaughter spree began with one major character death in Season 1. At Steve Harrington's house party, Barb is grabbed by the Demogorgon near the pool and subsequently killed in the Upside Down. But Stranger Things Season 5 could finally provide closure for Barb's death, an event that's barely addressed beyond Season 1.

Barbara's body is discovered by Eleven during a state of sensory deprivation and a visit to The Void. A year after Barb's death, Nancy and Jonathan are inspired to expose the Hawkins National Laboratory's plans to open a gate between Hawkins and the Upside Down. With some help from Murray, Nancy and Jonathan were able to get a confession from Dr. Owens to have Hawkins Lab shut down. Around the same time, Barbara was finally laid to rest and given a proper funeral. By the time Season 4 rolls around, many residents of Hawkins believe that Barb's death set off a 'curse' that began targeting Chrissy Cunningham and Fred Benson. Unbeknownst to them at the time, Chrissy and Fred's deaths marked the arrival of Vecna.

Stranger Things Season 5 Should Bring Back One Key Character

Stranger Things season 5 needs to do a lot with the main characters, but one figure needs to return in order to properly complete the story.

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By Aya Tsintziras

Fred's death stirred a lot of negative emotions for Nancy, particularly the guilt surrounding Barb's demise. Vecna targeted Nancy to break her spirit, showing her Barb's mangled corpse and blaming her for her best friend's fate. Vecna also taunted Nancy for having forgotten about Barb all the time. After Barb's unceremonious death during Season 1 — just like Benny Hammond, another fan-favorite — the rest of the cast hardly mentioned her. Although Barb had a funeral, her friends never quite got over her death. Since Stranger Things Season 5 will be the send-off for these beloved characters and Barb's death kicked off the events, it makes sense for Barb's story to be readdressed in some way.

Nancy Could Get Closure By Defeating Vecna

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If Vecna is still alive (which seems to be true), then there's every possibility that he will use the blood on his hands to his advantage. Vecna feeds on fear, as established during the sequence with Max in the Upside Down and even the scene where he shows Nancy visions of Hawkins in ruins. The more fear he breeds, the more powerful he becomes. For Nancy, her biggest source of fear or guilt is the deaths of her friends, namely Barb and Fred. For Nancy to gain closure for Barb's death, she will most likely be involved in Vecna's demise. If Vecna was the mastermind behind the Mind Flayer, the Demogorgon, and every other creature from the Upside Down, then Nancy can avenge Barb's death by taking him out once and for all.

And Nancy almost did it, too, during the Season 4 finale. While Eleven fought Vecna in the Upside Down, Nancy, Steve, and Robin all confronted Vecna's physical body at the old Creel house. Although Steve and Robin assisted with some timely Molotov cocktails, it was Nancy who delivered the final blow with a few pumps of her shotgun. It was an interesting choice for the Duffer brothers to have Nancy finish off Vecna in person, especially since he had taunted her a few episodes prior. Nancy probably believed she was getting even with Vecna for Barb and Fred's sakes, but when Vecna's body had vanished, Nancy realized that she had won the battle, but not the war.

Nancy Could Find Barb's Body and Address Her Grief and Guilt

Nancy feels unfulfilled because Vecna appears to have survived their encounter. After Max's sacrifice as the fourth and final victim, Vecna was able to sever the barrier between Hawkins and the Upside Down. Viewers can assume that most of Stranger Things Season 5 will take place in a limbo between both realms, which makes it entirely possible for Nancy to stumble upon Barb's body. That is, if Barb's body hasn't decomposed yet.

The concept of time seems much more staggered in the Upside Down than in the real world. Max, for example, was able to have a whole confrontation with Vecna that lasted much longer than the 10-ish minutes that passed in the real world. If Nancy does find Barb's body, it might be a little unsettling, but at least she would be able to address her grief and speak to her friend's spirit.

By that same logic, Barb's body could still be in the Upside Down somewhere. Vecna could have taken it, hidden it, disposed of it, or even left it to rot. Either way, Barb's corpse may not have decayed as fast in the Upside Down as it would in the real world. There's every possibility of Nancy finding it in Season 5 of Stranger Things, which could spur her on to take down Vecna with Eleven's help. Perhaps Barb's death won't have the literal sense of closure, but at least if Vecna is defeated once and for all, her death won't have been in vain.

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