How Stranger Things' Barb Actress Feels About The Reactions To Her Character's Death

"Stranger Things" season 1 was momentous for a number of reasons. It introduced one of Netflix's biggest original IPs to date with a run of episodes that arguably hasn't been matched in the seasons since. It was arguably the single largest force in rejuvenating the retro '80s nostalgic aesthetic that quickly became ubiquitous in pop culture. It launched several actors to stardom, including Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour, and threw Winona Ryder back into the spotlight with a fantastic performance.

And then there was #JusticeForBarb.

Barb, a supporting character in the show's first season played by Shannon Purser, is the first character to meet her brutal end at the hands of the violent realm known as the Upside Down. Barb is killed by the monstrous demogorgon early in the season, but it was the lead-up to that death that pushed fans to demand justice. Through those first two episodes, Barb is consistently treated poorly by her supposed best friend, Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), culminating in a total abandonment at a party hosted by Nancy's new boyfriend Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). With Nancy going upstairs for some alone time with Steve, Barb is left alone at night by the pool, where the demogorgon strikes.

It's worth going back over the details because while some fans will remember, it's hard to emphasize just how huge the #JusticeForBarb campaign became online. "It was pretty wild," Purser said of the response to her character's demise in a recent interview with Empire. "Some people were really upset and angry about it. I remember John Stamos tweeting about it, which is when I was like, 'Wow, I've made it!'" Despite the backlash, however, Purser has no issues with how Barb went out.

In any horror or monster movie (or streaming series), someone has to die first. It's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. While it's understandable for fans to speak up on behalf of the characters taken from them too soon, Shannon Purser has no issues with her sacrificial role on "Stranger Things."

"I totally agreed with the brothers and their reasoning [to kill me]," Purser told Empire, referring to "Stranger Things" creators Matt and Ross Duffer. "There had to be some amount of high stakes or it wasn't going to feel scary. It had to be established that people can and will die."

While Purser is absolutely right, it's worth noting that "Stranger Things" has been a bit hesitant to give any of its actual core characters fatal storylines. While supporting characters like Bob Newby (Sean Astin), Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery), and Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) have all died on the show, they've more often than not been of the "doomed from the start" sort — characters designed to make you love them so that it hurts that much more when they're killed off. The growing ensemble of "main characters" on "Stranger Things," however, feel increasingly too beloved and precious to die.

Regardless, Purser remains a good sport about Barb's fate. "It was actually an honor to be one of the first ones to go," she told Empire. And while the character has been dead since very near the start, Barb has stayed a fan favorite.

The massive fan response to Barb's death led to a major storyline in "Stranger Things" season 2 dealing with the aftermath, in which Nancy, wracked with guilt, tries to give Barb's parents some closure. Purser herself made quite a name for herself off of the relatively short performance, earning a Primetime Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actress in a drama series. She's the only actor to be nominated for that particular trophy from the show. Just two other "Stranger Things" actors — leading stars Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour — have received Emmy nods.

"We were Barb in high school," Ross Duffer explained to Time in an October 2025 interview. "We had friends who were Nancy, who left us," Matt Duffer continued, tongue in cheek. "We did not die, but we died on the inside." In the same interview, the co-creators revealed that Netflix gave constant notes about not letting the town of Hawkins forget Barb. The Duffers didn't add much material around her family or the search for her in season 1, but that neglect, reflected in the world of the show, is ultimately what made Barb such an icon.

"That was the first time we kind of experienced a viral moment with the show," Matt Duffer explained, giving Purser huge credit for making such a relatively small role so popular. "That character, thanks to Shannon, ended up resonating a lot with people, even though she had such little screen time."