Stranger Things Creators Confirm The Fate Of Nancy & Jonathan’s Relationship Status After Emotional Fight

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WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 5, vol. 2!

As Stranger Things heads into its final season, a significant love triangle appears to be resolved – two of the show’s original characters have split up.

Okay, so it’s official – Nancy and Jonathan are done. I know a lot of us were scratching our heads after the Stranger Things finale, wondering where things stood with them, but the Duffer Brothers just confirmed it in People magazine. It’s a bit sad, honestly – I really enjoyed seeing Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton together, and their connection started to bloom near the end of season 2. They stayed a couple until the final episodes of season 5, but it looks like that chapter has closed.

The latest season of Stranger Things revealed that Jonathan and Nancy had been struggling in their relationship since the end of season 4. Jonathan tried to solve things by secretly buying an engagement ring, hoping a proposal would bring them closer. However, during a dangerous encounter in the Upside Down in episode 6, they were forced to address their issues. In a surprising turn of events, Jonathan showed Nancy the ring, but asked her not to marry him, and Nancy agreed – essentially calling off their engagement.

Throughout episodes 6 and 7, Nancy and Jonathan continued to act lovingly towards each other, leaving some viewers wondering if they’d actually broken up or just decided against getting engaged. Despite focusing on the bigger threat of Vecna and his plan to merge The Abyss with their world, they never explicitly told anyone on screen that they were no longer together.

Despite earlier speculation, Matt Duffer, one of the show’s creators, has confirmed that the scene in “Escape from Camazotz” signaled the end of Nancy and Jonathan’s romantic relationship.

“That’s a breakup. They are broken up.”

As a big fan of Stranger Things, I wasn’t totally surprised when Nancy and Jonathan broke up. They’d been drifting apart for a while, especially in the last season where they barely shared any screen time. Honestly, it felt like the show was setting things up for a revisit of the Steve-Nancy-Jonathan dynamic, with Steve making it pretty clear he still had feelings for Nancy. While they were a major couple alongside others like Mike and Eleven, and Lucas and Max, it just felt inevitable.

Why Stranger Things Season 5 Broke Up Nancy And Jonathan

The creators, the Duffer Brothers, shared that they had planned Jonathan and Nancy’s split for some time and had a clear idea of how Nancy’s story would end in Stranger Things. However, despite the breakup, Nancy won’t necessarily get back together with Steve. According to Matt Duffer, Nancy is ultimately meant to finish the series independently.

I can’t remember exactly when the idea first surfaced, but both the writers and I agreed that Nancy needed to ultimately become self-sufficient and discover who she is as an individual. It’s rare for people to stay with the same partner they were with in high school, after all.

The Duffer brothers acknowledge that Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship went deeper than simply meeting in high school, a point the characters discuss during their breakup. According to Ross Duffer, their connection was a “trauma bond”—meaning shared difficult experiences kept them together even after it might have been healthy to move on.

Even though Nancy and Jonathan are no longer a couple, they’re expected to remain friendly in the upcoming series finale, which will be released on Netflix on December 31, 2025. The final season of Stranger Things will see the Hawkins group facing a huge threat – Nancy must save her sister, Holly, from Vecna, while everyone works together to defeat him and stop his plans involving The Abyss. This all comes to a head in season 5, episode 8, which will conclude the saga.

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2025-12-27 03:08