Editing Openai/69502a01-8c24-8001-bacb-1a366ef25b59 (section)

=== Assistant: Short answer: it’s very unlikely. ===
Short answer: it’s very unlikely.

There’s been fan speculation, but nothing in ''Stranger Things'' canon suggests Max is a traitor. In fact, the show consistently frames her as a victim of Vecna, not an accomplice.

Here’s why the “Max is a traitor” theory doesn’t really hold up:
* Vecna targets trauma, not loyalty. Max is targeted because of her grief over Billy’s death, not because she’s helping the Upside Down.
* Her inner battle is genuine. Season 4 spends a lot of time showing her trying to survive Vecna’s curse (Running Up That Hill scene), which wouldn’t make sense if she were secretly aligned with him.
* She actively resists. Max follows the group’s plan, puts herself in danger to help defeat Vecna, and never feeds him information or sabotages the others.
* The show doesn’t do hidden-traitor twists that way. When characters betray others (like Billy being possessed), it’s made explicit and tied to supernatural control, not secret scheming.

If anything, Max represents the opposite theme: someone fighting despair and manipulation, not embracing it.

If you want, I can break down where the theory came from or compare it to other Stranger Things betrayal theories that make more sense 👀