Protect Steve at all costs!

The Duffer Brothers hint at Steve Harrington’s dark *Stranger Things *fate

Protect Steve at all costs!

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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December 18, 2025 11:40 a.m. ET

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'Stranger Things' creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer; Joe Keery as Steve Harrington on 'Stranger Things'. Credit:

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty; Tina Rowden/Netflix

Danger, Steve Harrington!**

Matt and Ross Duffer seemed to tease the fate of Joe Keery’s *Stranger Things* character — using, of all things, Funko Pops — on Wednesday’s episode of *The Tonight Show*. **

During their visit to late night, host Jimmy Fallon challenged the series' co-creators to tease "how the rest of *Stranger Things* will go" using only the adorable figures. And, well, if they're to be believed… it's not looking good for Steve Harrington.

Joe Keery as Steve Harrington on 'Stranger Things'.

Courtesy of Netflix

The brothers began by banishing Barb (played by Shannon Burser on the show), who was killed in season 1, knocking her to the studio floor. "What is Barb doing here, man?" Ross asked, with Matt admitting, "I know. I feel bad."**

The pair then began assembling characters into their own respective groups, with Max (Sadie Sink) leading Vecna's (Jamie Campbell Bower) group of chosen children like Delightful Derek (Jake Connelly) and Holly (Nell Fisher). Meanwhile, Henry (also Bower) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) were placed next to each other, with Will (Noah Schnapp) standing on top of Henry's head and his Vecna form on top of Will.

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The brothers continued their tinkering by putting Erica (Priah Ferguson) on a riser, submerging Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) in water, and placing Steve precariously on the edge of Fallon's desk. **

"This is Steve," Matt said, drawing immediate sounds of concern from the audience.

"Whoa!" Fallon replied.

Matt shrugged off the worry, teasing, "He's fine, he's fine."

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But then Ross moved Steve just a* little* bit closer to the edge, sending everyone's favorite babysitter careening off the desk.

"There it is!" Fallon exclaimed. "That's how *Stranger Things *ends!"

*Stranger Things *fans have been concerned about Steve's odds of survival ever since the series premiered in 2016. Those fears were only compounded when the Duffers revealed that the character was nearly on the chopping block in season 1.

"That was close," Matt told * *in November. "We just fell in love with Joe Keery, but had we not liked Joe Keery, Steve would've been gone."**

With each new season, Steve has solidified himself as a favorite among the show's many characters, known for his heroics and close relationships with Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Robin (Maya Hawke). As a result, fans have become increasingly worried that he won't make it out of the show alive, with Netflix even unveiling a "Protect Steve" billboard before the release of season 4 in 2022. **

There are definitely alarm bells ringing again after the recently released Vol. 2 trailer showed him and Dustin preparing for the worst. "You die, I die," the pair swear to each other in the clip.

Fans will have to wait to see if Steve survives when Vol. 2 of *Stranger Things* drops on Christmas Day, with the series finale following after on New Year's Eve. For now, watch the Duffers tease the show's ending in the clip above.

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