'Stranger Things' Creators Confirm Nancy & Jonathan Are Actually Broken Up in Season 5

Matt and Ross Duffer are clearing up confusion about Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship and where the couple stands at the end of Stranger Things season 5, volume 2.

There’s a scene where they believe they’re going to die after getting trapped in the Upside Down’s version of Hawkins Lab as the room fills with sludge.

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Facing what they think is certain death, Nancy admits she hates The Clash, while Jonathan finally fesses up to not applying to Emmerson. He then pulls out an engagement ring, calling it an “un-proposal” as he asks Nancy not to marry him.

They still confess their love for each other, and the moment initially feels more romantic than final.

But Matt told People that “they are broken up,” confirming the scene was meant as a breakup the team had planned for a while.

Many people have shared posts on X/Twitter sharing their confusion over the scene, admitting they didn’t know it was a break-up until reading the People article.

“It’s hard to recall when exactly that idea came, but I think us — and the writers — all felt that Nancy needed to end up on her own and be independent and have an opportunity to find herself,” Matt added.

“I mean, how many people wind up with their girlfriend or boyfriend that they met in high school?” he said, acknowledging that Nancy and Jonathan “have a little bit more of a complicated relationship than normal high schoolers.”

Ross summed it up as a “trauma bond.”

In real life, Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton are still together, having gone public in 2017.

Here’s what happened to Steve, Max, Dustin, and more characters in volume 2. The series finale premieres on Wednesday, December 31 at 8pm ET.