Fans of Stranger Things are still emotionally dealing with season four’s epic ending. We are the fans, along with all of you. And while Netflix and Matt and Ross Duffer still haven’t told us where to send our therapy bills, we still aren’t ready to be done talking about all the moments that wrecked us. But that list is for another day. This one is all about the questions we need to be answered when the series returns for its fifth and final season. And before everyone asks, the most crucial question is – when? Right now, there is no definite date, but in an interview with GQ, David Harbour mentioned that shooting would be starting soon, so hopefully, we will see it drop in 2024. But, without further ado – let’s dive into those questions!
DISCLAIMER: We can’t discuss our theories and questions for season five without talking about season four. So, there will be spoilers ahead. Come back later if you haven’t had the chance to experience the epicness of Stranger Things season four the whole way through. You can binge all nine episodes here on Netflix.
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Where is Vecna hiding?
Just when we thought Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) had met his end at the hands of El (Milly Bobby Brown), Will (Noah Schnapp) dropped some bad news on us. Vecna isn’t actually dead. He is just really wounded and hiding somewhere in the Upside Down, recuperating. But where? If he is smart (debatable since a group of teenagers almost managed to take him out), he won’t be hanging out at Creel House. But how far does the Upside Down go? Is it just Hawkins, or does it expand further?
We’ve got a theory about where Vecna might be hiding. One of the last things he does is attempt to sacrifice Max (Sadie Sink) in order to open the final portal. Her death afterward triggers the events that lead to Hawkins being nearly torn in half. Thankfully El is able to restart her heart, but this leaves Max in a coma. What if Vecna has lost his physical body and is hiding somewhere in Max’s mind? That might explain why El couldn’t find Max when she trance walked into her mind at the end of the final episode.
What will happen to Max?
Speaking of poor Max, what does season five have in store for her? Clearly, we aren’t ready to say goodbye to Max, and neither is Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). They have a movie date they must go on, so hopefully, the portalquake didn’t destroy the theater. After her death and rebirth at the hands of El, Max is stuck in a coma. We wonder if El will ever tell Lucas what happened or if she is worried he will be angry that she couldn’t do more.
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But really, our heart is with Max in this case. If our theory about Vecna is correct and he is hiding away in her mind, Max is up for another fight that Kate Bush might not be able to help her with. We just hope that Max will get some time to just be a kid after all the suffering she has been through since joining Stranger Things in season two. Hopefully, they will find a way to bring her back in the first or second episode so she can spend the rest of the final season hanging out with the others.
What will happen to Will?
Poor Will. He has been suffering from episode one, and it only seems to get worse. Leaving Hawkins appears to have helped alleviate his creepy feelings, making us wonder if the Upside Down doesn’t extend past Hawkins. Or being there and close to a portal is what is triggering his chills. But either way, Will is going to have a lot going on next season. But what exactly is going to happen? Clearly, with his connection to the Upside Down, the Mind Flayer and Vecna, he is going to be a key piece in figuring out how to bring it to an end.
And outside of the Upside Down supernatural issues, we also have Will’s own personal journey to learn about. During season four, we watched as Will struggled to share his feelings toward Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and open up about his sexuality. We would love to see this further explored in the season finale, and while we love El and Mike, we want nothing more than to see Will happy. Just know, Duffer Brothers, if something happens to Will, we will riot.
What will happen to Hawkins?
At the end of Stranger Things season four, Hawkins suffered quite a bit, thanks to portalquake. Everyone was seen rushing out of town, leaving behind a small group to deal with the consequences. But to make matters worse, we see the Upside Down spilling into Hawkins. We spot the ash snow/rain first before finally seeing that the grass and flowers around the opened ground are starting to die. But will it keep expanding? Or is this as far as it will go?
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It doesn’t seem like much of a threat if portalquake only did a bit of damage. And knowing the Duffer Brothers, they have more up their sleeve. Maybe one of the major problems our Hawkins crew will have to deal with is this giant portal. Chances are the Upside Down is going to continue to leak into Hawkins, and maybe we will start to see more monsters roaming around. Plus, we can’t imagine that the government will stand by while all this is happening, which adds another level of trouble for Hawkins.
Who lives, and who dies?
Netflix and the Duffer Brothers love to watch us suffer. It’s a known fact. Just look at what happened with Eddie (Joseph Quinn). So, of course, we have to ask ourselves who will live and who will die in the final season of Stranger Things. And we don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but everyone’s lives are up in the air. Except maybe Steve (Joe Keery) because my heart just can’t take that, and Robin (Maya Hawke) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) need their best friend. But we do have some theories on possible deaths coming in season five.
The First would be Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). He spoke a lot about doing whatever he has to do for his family and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) during this season (and previous ones) and would be the first to sacrifice his life in order to save them. In the same vein, we can see Hooper (Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) doing the same thing. Those two would do anything to protect their kids. Max and Will’s connection to the Upside Down seem to have them in a hot spot. It really worries us that they aren’t going to make it out alive.
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Who I Am: A nerd by the strictest definition. I enjoy diving straight into my favorite fandoms without a care in the world. I live on video/board games, fantasy movies and TV, and all things geeky.
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