Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Stranger Things Season 5 finale.
With Stranger Things officially over, the supersized series finale provides updates on nearly all of our favorite Hawkins characters 18 months after defeating Vecna and losing Eleven, revealing where their futures lie after the time jump.
Viewers learn that Steve is coaching Little League and teaching sex ed at the high school. Nancy dropped out of Emerson to take a job at the Boston Herald. At the same time, Jonathan is now a student filmmaker at NYU, where he's working on an anti-capitalist cannibal movie.
As for Robin, she's attending Smith College in Massachusetts and briefly returns to The Squawk to reflect on everything that's changed. While hanging out on the roof and reminiscing about how much they miss each other, the group makes a plan to meet once a month at Robin's "weird" uncle's home in Philly.
We see the characters come together again at the teens' graduation from Hawkins High School. Dustin is named class valedictorian, and Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler appear alive and well after the Demogorgon attack. Joyce and Hopper also finally get their romantic dinner at Enzo's, where Hopper gets down on one knee to propose -- and asks Joyce to move to Montauk, New York (the original location of Stranger Things), where he's just been offered the role of chief of police.
In the final Dungeons & Dragons game at the end of Season 5, Mike reveals even more about the group's futures. Max and Lucas will finally go on their movie date and settle down together. Dustin enrolls at a university while still making time for adventures with his best friend, Steve. Will is shown chatting with a man at a bar and finding acceptance in a bigger city. As for Mike, he continues telling stories and ultimately becomes a writer.
"We wanted each of the characters to find happiness but in their own specific ways," Matt Duffer told Netflix's Tudum of Episode 8.
What Happened To Vickie In Stranger Things?
While nearly everyone gets a neatly tied ending (except for Eleven, whose fate is left up in the air after her apparent sacrifice), there is no sign of Vickie Dunne (Amybeth McNulty), Robin's girlfriend in Season 5 and her crush in Seasons 3 and 4.
Vickie plays a larger role in Season 5 and is crucial in helping the crew save Max and survive the Demodog attack at the hospital where she works as a nurse. Her relationship with Robin also helps Will accept his sexuality, allowing him to overcome the mental blocks Vecna tried to use against him.
Thankfully, the Duffer Brothers provided a clue about where she ended up and what happened to her relationship with Robin after she was excluded from the epilogue.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, creators and sibling duo Matt and Ross Duffer clarified that they "did talk" about where Vickie ended up at the end of Stranger Things. However, they said it's up for fans to decide whether Robin and Vickie are still together.
"We do that flash-forward in Mike's story and we bring them up to a certain point, and then we want to leave it a little bit up to fans in terms of where these characters end up ultimately," Ross explained. "Do Robin and Vickie stay together? Maybe, maybe not."
Are Robin and Vickie Still Together After The 18-Month Time Jump?
Matt Duffer said that it's unlikely their high school romance survived beyond their time in Hawkins.
"From my point of view and from everyone I knew in high school, what percentage of couples remain together after they leave for college? Extremely low," he added. "Max and Lucas survive because their love is that deep, but very few others do."
"But," Matt continued, "you never know."
In the flash-forward scene with Robin and the others, Robin appears to mention "overbearing significant others," which could suggest that the two eventually broke up.
If you're already missing Stranger Things, here's everything you need to know about the upcoming spinoffs, including the major clue hidden in the Season 5 finale that hints at what the next live-action series will be about.
Stranger Things Season 5 is streaming on Netflix.