The last time we see Max in season 4, she was still unconscious on a hospital bed, left comatose from her harrowing encounter with Vecna, surrounded by friends worried about her fate. This is most likely where we'll find Max again in the fifth season of Stranger Things, which is also slated to be the last installment of the long-running sci-fi drama.
As most viewers predicted, it's going to take more than almost getting killed by Vecna to take Max out of the picture. But while Max is confirmed to be alive, she's also at Death's Door, which isn't surprising at all.
In the final fight against Vecna during the season 4 finale, Max was the bait. Everyone in the cast had specific roles in the last big Vecna fight. For Max, her role was to both distract Vecna and draw out the villain for an ambush. Accompanied by Lucas, Max sneaks inside the former home of Victor Creed in Hawkins. When Vecna takes the bait by invading Max's mind, another team gets ready to attack the distracted Vecna in the Upside Down.
Max only survives this because before Vecna can kill her, he gets sidelined by a surprise appearance from Eleven, who projects herself inside Max's mind all the way from California. Eventually, Vecna gets the upper hand and drags both Eleven and Max into his own mind. But before Vecna can kill Max there, Joyce, Hopper, and Murray destroy the Demogorgons in Russia, weakening Vecna's powers across the dimensions. Simultaneously, Nancy, Robin, and Steve burn and shoot down Vecna's avatar in the upside down version of Victor Creed's house. Meanwhile, Eleven gets her second wind and attacks the version of Vecna that's actually killing Max. By this point, Vecna has already broken every limb of Max's physical body.
In the end, Vecna is unable to survive the concurrent attacks from every possible dimension, and the villain is temporarily banished. More importantly, the cast manages to save Max just in time. So, although her bones are broken, and the exact state of her mind is unknown, Max Mayfield is still very much alive. It's very likely that Max will have an even larger role in the next season.
This is Hawkins, so it's impossible to predict exactly what will happen to Max. She may not have any powers, but alongside Eleven, Max is among the few living people who have survived Vecna's undivided attention. Even if this doesn't impart powers to Max, the experience could have given her crucial insight into Vecna's mind, which may turn the tide in the final fight. Max could even return the favor and unexpectedly save Eleven when Vecna gets the upper hand again. Apart from characters like Eleven or Will Byers, Max Mayfield may even be the sacrificial lamb needed to finally vanquish Vecna from every dimension.
But what do you think? What do you see in the future for Sadie Sink's Max Mayfield? Tell us your thoughts and theories about the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.