While Stranger Things season 5 could probably justify bringing back Dr. Brenner for the show’s final outing, this would be a bad idea since the Netflix hit already gave the villain a perfect death. Stranger Things has struggled with character deaths on occasion, with the series reviving major heroic characters after touching send-offs more than once. The tragic self-sacrifices of both Eleven in the season 1 finale and Hopper in the season 3 finale were swiftly undone when the following seasons of Stranger Things soon revealed that they weren’t really dead, thus sapping these moments of their moving impact.
However, Dr. Brenner’s Stranger Things 4 death proved that the series can pull off a perfect villain demise. Brenner spent season 4 training Eleven to fight Vecna, constantly pushing the teen past her limits in a recreation of the experiments he had once led in Hawkins Lab. While Brenner’s methods were arguably justified, as he claimed only Eleven was capable of stopping Vecna, Eleven’s discovery that the doctor was reasonable for Vecna’s creation complicated things. It turned out that Brenner was still the power-hungry villain from earlier seasons and, as he lay dying on the ground near the end of Stranger Things season 4, Eleven left him behind for good.
Dr. Brenner’s Stranger Things 4 Ending Was Perfect
Understandably, Brenner’s actor Matthew Modine wasn’t thrilled at the thought of the doctor’s time in Stranger Things coming to an end. Since explaining Vecna's origins effectively killed a Stranger Things spinoff detailing the backstory of Brenner and Hawkins Lab, Modine instead suggested that the good doctor could return in the final seasons of the series. Per Modine, “I hope that there's some way to resuscitate Dr. Brenner and put him in season 5 because it would be wonderful to be part of the last season.” While it is possible Brenner survived season 4 (and that does track with the character’s history), the idea of the character returning would undo his perfect death.
While Brenner did try to make up for creating Vecna by empowering Eleven, he was still a coercive, abusive adult who wanted to turn children into super soldiers. As such, Stranger Things season 5 could not find a more fitting end for Brenner than his own greatest creation abandoning him as the military he once worked for shot him down. The Stranger Things season 5 time jump would make it easier to bring back Brenner (and, as Modine noted, the character has survived both a face-off with Vecna and an attack from a Demogorgon before). However, there is no better potential ending for the character.
Stranger Things 5 Doesn’t Need Dr. Brenner
It is thoroughly understandable that Modine wants to be part of the finale, but his character’s arc is perfect as is. While Stranger Things season 4 at first looked ready to redeem Brenner, the revelation that he was instrumental in the creation of Vecna was a harsh reminder of just how evil the character has always been. Meanwhile, his willingness to sacrifice himself to ensure Eleven’s escape came less from a place of comion and more from a desire to safeguard his life's work. Thus, the Stranger Things villain died the way he lived - a clever ending that season 5 couldn’t outdo.