“Kevin Costner Tops Stranger Things with Major Character Death—And It’s Totally Satisfying”

With “Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1,” Kevin Costner has outpaced Netflix’s Stranger Things by delivering a major character death involving a shared actor, which hints at the potential conclusion of Stranger Things season 5. Costner, who wrote, directed, and produced the film while also starring in it, faced challenges with the Western saga’s reception. Despite critical panning and a box office take of $34.3 million, prompting Warner Bros. to pull Chapter 2 from theaters, the saga’s continuation on streaming platform Max might still prove advantageous. The third and fourth installments are in production, reflecting a significant investment from both Costner and Warner Bros.

Although Horizon struggled, it offers a glimpse into what Stranger Things fans might expect from the series’ forthcoming villain death. In Horizon Chapter 1, Jamie Campbell Bower, known for his role as Vecna in Stranger Things, plays Caleb Sykes—a villain who meets his end at the hands of Costner’s character, Hayes Ellison. This twist provides a unique preview of the impending dramatic shifts in Stranger Things, where Bower’s Vecna remains a formidable threat.