Top Stranger Things Fan Theories to Know Before the Final Season
Some predictions for what's in store for Season 5
It’s been a few months since the trailer for Season 5 dropped, giving fans plenty of time to come up with their own theories for what we might see in the final episodes of Stranger Things. Since the last season aired in 2022 (!!!) fans have had plenty of time to think. In the meantime, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a stage show that serves as a prequel to the series debuted in the U.K. in 2023 and is currently running on Broadway. The events in the play, set in 1959 in Hawkins–before the events of the series take place–also provide potential insights into the final season. The play was written by Kate Trefry, a writer on all seasons of the show, with the Duffer Brothers serving as creative producers and story writers. In the Netflix documentary, Behind the Curtain: Stranger Things: The First Shadow, it is made clear that the biggest reveals would take place in Season 5–meaning the play would have to steer clear of some details. Nevertheless, it definitely seems like they placed some Easter eggs in the play for true fans to find, both in previous seasons and in the upcoming final season. For instance, the trailer begins with Steve at WSQK, a radio station in Hawkins, which could perhaps be a reference to the stage play. In it, young Henry uses a radio and its static to transport him to another dimension. Using sound for mind control or protection is reminiscent of Max and her Walkman in Season 4.
Some fans got to see an early screening of the first episode of Season 5, and while their reactions are easy to find online, we won’t spoil anything that might have leaked for the new season. These are all just educated guesses given what we know. But we are issuing a fair warning right here for spoilers for Seasons 1-4, which we’ll be touching on below. If you haven’t yet caught up, what are you waiting for?! *Beware of spoilers ahead!*
And keep in mind: these are just a few theories our of what are likely hundreds online; we want to hear yours too! Tell us in the comments what you think—or hope—we’re going to see in the final season. Let’s discuss!
Deaths
In this interview, Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna) told fans to bring tissues and loved ones to our respective couches before hitting play on the new season. So we might predict that there could be a significant death (or a few) in the final season. In a chat with fans, most agreed that seeing Will die might be too easy of a plot point, given all the trauma he has gone through. Plus, it seems like they maybe want us to think he’s a goner to trick us. Reading between scenes of the trailer, maybe some other characters would be more susceptible. Steve isn’t in the trailer much, so his demise could be a safe bet. Other names that came up: Lucas and Max. We already know that Max is in a coma as of the end of Season 4; will she survive? And what about Mike? He’s been the group’s heart all along–a death for Mike could really turn things…ahem…upside down.
The Big Bad: Vecna, or the Mind Flayer?
Is Vecna really the Big Bad in this universe? Or is it actually the Mind Flayer, the ultimate controller as Dustin suggests in an earlier season? After all, we know the Demogorgons are “foot soldiers” of a higher power. Or can we blame Dr. Brennan, and his fight for power with Henry Creel, who turns into Vecna? The play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, is the story of Henry Creel’s origins after he and his family move to Hawkins. While we learn in Season 4 that Henry was responsible for the massacre at the Hawkins Laboratory, in the play we meet a younger boy who is tormented by something evil and ultimately responsible for the Creel family massacre too. What’s really going on here? Is the Mind Flayer controlling Henry/Vecna or is it the other way around? Or is it Dr. Brennan’s power struggle with Henry/Vecna that really sets the events of the series in motion? In the stage play, we learn that the Upside Down was established during a government experiment that opened a portal to another dimension–an experiment involving Brennan’s father. With so much evil, it’s hard to figure out which is the worst.
New Normal
What will the new normal look like? In past seasons, the first episode starts with some semblance of normal life: bike riding with friends and playing Dungeons & Dragons. Hanging out at the mall with friends. School and minimum wage jobs. Each season starts with the trappings of normalcy the audience recognizes with a sense of nostalgia, though eventually our beloved characters realize that they’re not as safe as they assumed. But this season, we have been told by the Duffer Brothers, will be different: Hawkins is on lockdown. Vecna succeeded in breaking the portals to the Upside Down open, causing the real world and this other dimension to merge. But what will this new normal look like? Is Max going to be ok? Where is Eleven? And how is everyone doing in the aftermath of the events of Season 4?
Holly Wheeler’s role
The Duffer Brothers have been clear that Holly Wheeler, younger sister of Nancy and Mike, will play a central role in the final season. They state that one of the reasons for this is that her age is harkening back to the first season, which followed Mike, Will, Dustin and Lucas as young boys. Now that the main cast is older, having Holly step up brings a bit of that youth back into the series. As for her role, theories abound online, but at least one hypothesizes that Vecna might target Holly because he’s looking for revenge on Nancy. Some leaked photos also suggest that maybe Holly’s storyline will be reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland and/or Poltergeist. It wouldn’t be the first time that the show referenced other popular movies in the horror, sci-fi, or fantasy genre. Fans have also connected the Alice in Wonderland reference to the stage play which features Henry Creel’s sister Alice, and that perhaps Holly will connect Vecna to his humanity.
Patty Newby
Patty Newby is a new character introduced via the stage play. She is the adoptive sister of Bob Newby. Played by Sean Astin in the series, Bob is the lovable Radio Shack employee that captures Joyce Byers’ heart–and unfortunately the appetite of a Demogorgon. His death in the series is a hard one to take. His younger sister Patty connects with young Henry Creel and the two fall in love in high school, which serves the plot of the stage play. But will the final season include her somehow? Some theorize that the school counselor, Ms. Kelly, could actually be Patty given her clock necklace. But even if she appears as a new character, her existence could answer some questions about Vecna’s motives. Her fate at the end of the play suggests that she is still connected to Henry, paving the way for some interesting character development for Vecna and high drama.
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