Sean Astin's Bob Death on Stranger Things Was Originally Much Darker
When it comes to Stranger Things, fans have learnt not to get too attached to characters in the series, as none of them are safe from death.
The Duffer brothers have become notorious for introducing characters that the audience connects with and then killing them off in the same season. The most recent death that left fans shaken up was that of Eddie Munson, who died in the Upside Down whilst helping the Hawkins gang in their fight against Vecna. And there is another death that fans haven't quite gotten over, even though it happened much earlier in the series.
Bob enters the series in season 2 as Will's mother's boyfriend. He is a sweet, nerdy guy that viewers don't pay much attention to in the beginning, but then he plays a crucial role in helping the Hawkins gang solve the latest series of events which leads to them entering the Hawkins Lab to save Will.
One of the things that made Bob so likable in the eyes of fans was his efforts in connecting with Will, who was going through a dark time in his life, being connected to the Upside Down. Kind, humble Bob joins the gang in the Hawkins Lab which has been overrun by Demodogs, and ends up having to make his way through the lab on his own in order to restore power to the buildings and allow everyone to escape. Unfortunately for Bob and the fanbase his character had built up, this was his last heroic act. He gets so close to making it out but is taken out by Demodogs and mauled to death in front of Will's mother Joyce. This moment in the series was absolutely unexpected and heartbreaking, Bob's character deserved so much better than that gory death. To fans' utter shock, the Duffer Brothers later revealed via a Tweet that they had initially envisioned a different death for Sean Astin's character, but that ending was a whole lot darker.
What could be worse than being mauled to death by Demodogs in front of your girlfriend with the exit to the building in sight?
The Duffer Brothers had originally planned for Bob to be killed by a possessed Will. Not only would this have been a really upsetting way for Bob to die, but Will would never have gotten over the guilt of killing Bob, even if he wasn't in control at the time. Thankfully this wasn't the ending chosen for Bob, after his bravery and kindness fans can agree that his death as a hero was the way for him to leave the series, instead of being killed by Will who he had made such an effort to bond with throughout the season.