Stranger Things revisits one of its most haunting storylines as Season 5 Volume 1 turns its focus back to Max’s lingering fate. After the events of Vecna’s curse, the new episodes begin to uncover what became of her, but the truth arrives in fragments that deepen the mystery rather than resolve it.
What happens to Max in Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1?
In Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1, Max remains in a coma throughout the first four episodes. Lucas continues to visit her in the hospital, playing Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” in hopes of waking her. Though she shows no signs of awareness, her physical condition has improved. Her broken bones have healed, and she is no longer in a neck brace. However, she appears to still be blind, a result of Vecna’s curse from season 4.
Max’s consciousness remains trapped inside Vecna’s mind. She tells Holly that she “really did die” in season 4 but felt something calling to her before she woke up in the Rainbow Room. Inside Vecna’s mindscape, Max navigates Henry Creel’s memories and searches for a way out. She almost escapes when she hears “Running Up That Hill.” The song opens a portal to her hospital room, but it closes before she can enter.
In episode 3, “The Turnbow Trap,” Max speaks with Holly and reveals that Vecna cannot follow her into a cave near the Creel house in his mind. Max chooses to stay in the cave, saying, “he can’t get in there,” which keeps her safe. The show has not yet explained why Vecna cannot enter the cave.
Lucas remains hopeful, unaware that Max hears the music while in her coma. Vecna eventually discovers Max trying to escape. Max tells Holly they must not tip Vecna off to her knowledge. She suggests Holly return to the Creel house alone.
Volume 1 ends without Max waking up. Her fate depends on whether she and Holly can escape Vecna’s mindscape before the villain uses the other kids to reshape the world. Volume 2, releasing December 25, will explore whether Max can return to the real world.
