Following the release of the Stranger Things series finale on New Year's Day 2026 on Netflix UK and Ireland, fans are celebrating the epic conclusion but also dissecting one lingering mystery: what became of Dustin Henderson's girlfriend, Suzie Bingham?
The Unresolved Romance
The sci-fi fantasy series wrapped up with the Hawkins gang graduating high school after their final victory over Vecna and sealing the wormhole to Dimension X. While major storylines reached their climax, the fate of several supporting characters, including Suzie Bingham (played by Gabriella Pizzolo), was left notably unaddressed. Her absence became particularly conspicuous during the graduation scene, where another character, Stacey Albright, appeared to show interest in Dustin.
Suzie, who first appeared in season three and played a crucial role in season four's 'Chapter Six: The Dive', helped the California group locate a pivotal computer in Nevada. This action ultimately led them to Eleven, though Suzie believed she was simply helping Dustin get a new games console. This moment confirmed her strong attachment to him. However, audiences also learned that her strictly religious Mormon father discovered the relationship with an agnostic boy and was furious, confiscating her computer as punishment.
Fan Theories on Reddit
Dedicated fans have taken to online forums like Reddit to piece together Suzie's fate, with several compelling theories emerging. One popular suggestion links her disappearance to Dustin's profound grief following the death of his friend, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn). "I can only imagine Dustin being cold and distant now," one fan speculated, drawing parallels to Max's behaviour after Billy's death.
Other theories point to the practical impossibilities of a long-distance relationship in the 1980s, exacerbated by the military lockdown of Hawkins and her father's explicit forbiddance of contact. "Between her father... and the fact he was going through PTSD from losing Eddie, there's a good chance she wouldn't have been able to talk to him again," another Redditor commented. The consensus among fans is that a combination of parental objection, Hawkins' isolation, and shared trauma likely ended the young romance.
Other Missing Characters and Future Spin-offs
Suzie wasn't the only character whose story was left open. Argyle, who was present for the fall of Hawkins in the season four finale, also did not appear in the fifth season, leading to theories he escaped before the lockdown.
While the main series has concluded, the universe will expand with the upcoming animated series, Stranger Things: Tales from '85, slated for a 2026 release. The Duffer Brothers described it as an effort to "evoke a feeling of an 80s cartoon," with showrunner Eric Robles promising it will capture "the magic of Hawkins in a new way." The series will explore gaps between the main seasons, featuring the core characters in cartoon form battling new monsters.
For now, the ambiguous ending for Suzie Bingham remains one of the show's few unsolved puzzles, a small, bittersweet mystery in an otherwise definitive conclusion to the global phenomenon. Stranger Things is available to stream in its entirety on Netflix now.
