As ‘Stranger Things’ prepares to return for its long-awaited final season, the emotional stakes have never been higher, especially for one of Hawkins’ bravest kids. With the show’s fifth season set to premiere on November 26, actor Caleb McLaughlin is opening up about how Max Mayfield’s uncertain fate will impact his character, Lucas Sinclair, in deeply personal and painful ways.
Fans last saw Sadie Sink’s Max in a coma at the end of ‘Stranger Things‘ season 4, her body broken and her mind trapped in darkness after Vecna’s brutal psychic attack. Despite Lucas’s desperate attempts to save her, Max’s life now hangs by a thread, and that guilt will weigh heavily on him when season 5 begins.
“He Thinks It’s His Fault”: Lucas’s Guilt Over Max’s Fate Runs Deep
In an interview with SFX Magazine, Caleb McLaughlin shared a rare insight into Lucas’s mindset as season 5 kicks off. The actor revealed that the aftermath of Max’s near-death experience and her ongoing coma have left Lucas struggling with self-blame and trauma. “It affects Lucas a lot this season,” McLaughlin said. “In season four, when all that stuff happened to Max, he thinks it’s his fault because he could have helped her. I mean, he helped her, he saved her, in a way, but I feel like he has some internal guilt that he could have stopped it, or he could have helped her more.”
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That guilt, according to McLaughlin, becomes one of Lucas’s defining emotional arcs in the final season. While Lucas has always been one of the more rational and level-headed members of the group, the events surrounding Max have shaken him to his core. Viewers will remember that during ‘Stranger Things’ season 4, Max was haunted by the trauma of losing her stepbrother Billy. Her grief made her an easy target for Vecna, who preyed on her emotional vulnerability.
Lucas, having rekindled his relationship with her, stood helpless as Vecna’s curse nearly took her life. It was an experience that would leave any teenager emotionally scarred. “There’s a lot of trauma for him in that way,” McLaughlin continued. “Someone that he loves and cares about, it was his task to look after her, and now she’s in the situation that she’s in. So that definitely affects him going into the new season.”
‘Stranger Things’ Trailer Might Have Established Something Very Dark With Its Song Choice
Adding to the emotional intensity of the upcoming season is its chilling new trailer, which gives fans their first extended look at the chaos that awaits Hawkins. In one particularly heart-wrenching moment, Lucas is seen carrying Max through a hospital under siege while surrounded by demodogs and darkness. It’s an image that instantly reignites fear for Max’s survival. However, it’s not just the visuals that have fans buzzing; the trailer’s soundtrack choice might be the most revealing clue of all.
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The haunting song playing over the footage is Queen’s “Who Wants to Live Forever”, a powerful 1986 ballad from the band’s A Kind of Magic album. Unlike Queen’s more triumphant hits, “Who Wants to Live Forever” is somber and deeply reflective. Its lyrics, “Who dares to love forever, when love must die”, evoke feelings of love, loss, and inevitability. It mirrors the themes that have run through ‘Stranger Things’ since its very beginning.
The use of the song feels deliberate. It’s a mournful anthem that hints at tragic endings, and given the show’s history, fans are bracing for heartbreak. The ‘Stranger Things’ writers have never shied away from character deaths, and with this being the final season, the stakes are higher than ever. Lines like “There’s no chance for us, it’s all decided for us” could easily apply to the group’s ongoing fight against Vecna, a war that feels almost unwinnable.
