This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 2There’s simply no question that season 4 of Stranger Things was jam packed with incredible performances, convincing visuals, and memorably moving scenes. From Max fighting off the powers of Vecna with her favorite song (which is a total banger), to Eddie absolutely shredding on the guitar as he rocks the Upside Down with Metallica music, people were enthralled and can’t wait for more.
While Netflix has already confirmed that fans will have to wait until 2024 for season 5, they haven’t yet released much information about what the story will contain, or who it will contain for that matter. With season 4 of Stranger Things leaving us dangling from so many cliffhangers, two years certainly feels like a long time to have to wait in suspense, and as a result many people are using the time to come up with their own theories and reflections.
When fans left Hawkins at the end of Season 4, Vecna had been severely injured but his evil presence in the air at the very end indicates that he is still alive and will be back, though in what form and with what intentions, no one can be sure yet. Though it was an utter comfort to see Hopper alive and reunited with Joyce, the fate of other lovable characters were not so kind by the time the season ended. Mostly this includes, seeing Eddie’s ending, which he likely won’t come back from, and seeing Max’s struggle which left her in a coma. Not only is it the uncertainty around these characters that has fans anxious for more story, but also the uncertainty around characters that weren’t as badly impacted in this season, like Will and the love triangle between Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve.
Beyond how those more obvious characters will be affected in the next season, there are a multitude of other uncertainties and questions that the show has not yet addressed and that will hopefully be answered in the final season. Some of the things that viewers have wondered about since the ending of the fourth season are centered around the characters while others are centered around story and world-building.
In terms of characters, fans wonder if Dr. Owens, Yuri, or Dmitri will make an appearance in the ending. There’s also the uncertainty surrounding the school counselor, Ms. Kelly’s involvement with the Upside Down, and the question of whether or not there will be more closure around the character’s lost throughout the series, like Barb, Billy, and Eddie. Lastly, regarding the characters, will some of the bigger characters like El and Will finally get to discover and embrace who they are? There are many loose ends still unwoven from Eleven’s childhood with her parents, or what her connection to the Upside Down really is, and fans have been wondering for some time now if Will is struggling with his sexuality. Offering some closure on these topics would certainly help make for a satisfying end.
Regarding the world and storyline of the show, fans still wonder what Russia actually knows about or has planned for the Upside Down and its creatures and how it will play a role in the end. They also wonder how militaristic the setting will get, considering that the problem in Hawkins has grown too large to hide and that enforcements were already escorting people through town. Perhaps the biggest question, however, is how the Upside Down even came to be and what its purpose for being connected to our world is.
Though viewers can’t be sure whether or not the creators will be able to address every one of these questions successfully, they can draw their own theories from what little information has already been released. The Duffer brothers are always pretty secretive about their work until the release, but the fact that they already have an outline for the final season completed should give fans some peace of mind that they know exactly what they’re going to do.
So far, all that they have revealed is mostly centered around what to expect from the series structurally, though they do make it seem like they’ve known for a while how the story will end. That said, the brothers have also hinted that they have plans of continuing the story through a spin-off series. They have also leaked that the last season will mirror the first season in several ways like being set in Hawkins and some of the original character dynamics, so that the story will have a full circle effect. They even noted that the fifth season will be shorter than the 13-hour fourth season.
However, the biggest reveal that the Duffer brothers have shared with their audience is that they will likely incorporate a time jump into the story, separating the fourth season from the fifth. Of course, one of the main reasons for this jump is the inevitable aging of the actors, who, while playing young teens, are practically adults, and that’s becoming harder to mask with makeup and CGI. If the creators could choose, they would prefer for the final season to pick up where the fourth one left off. Because the circumstances don’t allow that, the brothers will have to get creative with how they address a leap in time from such a cliffhanger season finale.
That said, the obstacle could actually be an opportunity as it would give the crack in Hawkins time to fester and affect the state of life in the town, potentially opening the storyline up for a post-apocalyptic element or at least global impact. Because the most recent season left off in 1986, a three-year time leap would make sense of the aging characters and also cleanly bring a close to the decade. This would allow them to easily transition into a new time period for the potential spin-off series. In order to explain what happened in the three years that viewers don’t see, they can just incorporate flashbacks to the important moments, like Max (hopefully) waking up. The show’s proven ability to effectively use flashbacks definitely seems to imply the promise of their capability in making a time jump feel natural.
Regardless of what the Duffer brothers’ final decisions for the fate of the franchise will be, the emotional attachment that the creators, producers, and fans have had to the show surely speaks to the promise of doing the series justice in its ending. Stranger Things is undoubtedly a series that’s had a huge impact on streaming history– maybe even television history– and because of that, no matter how the show ends, it will have a lasting effect on viewers, likely even for generations to come.