Stranger Things Season 5 is coming to Netflix to finish the epic sci-fi story that started in Hawkins, Indiana, when a little boy went missing. With one of the most epic cliffhangers in recent TV history, it’s no surprise that season 5 is one of the most anticipated TV shows ever. While fans expected this series to land on the streaming platform in 2024, Stranger Things Season 5 will air in 2025.
Thanks to the Duffer brothers, who’ve served as the series creators since the show premiered in 2016, viewers have been on a thrilling and horrific ride with the Hawkins kids as they discover what lies in the Upside Down. But sadly, every good thing ends, and this story will conclude with an epic finale! Here is what you need to know about Stranger Things Season 5.
Stranger Things Season 5 Fan Theories
Fans are going wild with speculation about how the final season of Stranger Things will play out, and here are some of the wildest theories. One of the wildest theories is that Will Byers is evil and could betray the team. Fans still believe that something happened to Will when he was dragged to the Upside Down, and he could be waiting until the last minute to make his move. He is still connected to that world, considering that he feels Vecna’s presence in Season 4 of Stranger Things. Some fans believe Will is the key to finally defeating the Upside Down and its creatures. Eleven and his other friends could use his connection to Vecna to destroy the alternate world. While Vecna has been confirmed to return for the fifth season, he might not be the villain to close out the show. The final villain could be even worse than Vecna, but Eleven might not be strong enough to defeat him alone, considering how she struggled in Stranger Things Season 4.
Another theory is that Eleven will likely be joined by her sister, Kali, to help her kill Vecna and the next villain from the Upside Down if they hope to return Hawkins to its former glory by closing the portal. Kali played a small role in Season 2 of Stranger Things, and bringing her back for the final season could answer many questions. With everything that happened in Hawkins in the previous seasons, some fans speculate that the military could cordon off the town until they get the situation under control.
Intriguingly and perhaps most importantly, another theory that most fans agree with is the likelihood that one of the main characters will die. While Max is returning for the show’s final outing, it’s unclear whether she will be herself so soon or if the gang will have to find a way to save her soul. If she recovers completely, there could be a member of their team who actually dies, and it may not be Eleven. The experiments and her exerting her power to save Hawkins in the final season could prove fatal, but she has worked so hard to get an everyday life that it would gut fans if her story ends that way. Whatever fans expect will happen, the Duffer brothers will likely exceed these expectations.
What Is the Plot of Stranger Things Season 5?
Stranger Things Season 5 is expected to continue where Stranger Things Season 4 left off. Vecna will be back, even though fans don’t know in which capacity this terrifying villain will return. Throughout the series’ four seasons, he was undoubtedly one of the scariest creatures Eleven has had to fight off. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer said they started working on the fifth season’s script soon after Stranger Things Season 4 Part 2 debuted in 2022, so they have been busy. In an interview with Tudum, the creators said they have a mythology reference to what happens in the Upside Down. While fans have a good idea of what happens in Stranger Things Season 4, there is still more they don’t know, which can be explored in the fifth and final season.
During an interview with The Wrap, Ross Duffer spoke about the ending of Stranger Things and how Netflix took it very well when they pitched the final season. He said, “I mean, it was hard. It’s the end of the story. I saw executives crying who I’ve never seen cry before, and it was wild. “Speaking on Stranger Things’ final season, Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler, one of the show’s main characters, said that he hopes the series will get a Lord of The Rings-type happily ever after ending. However, this depends on the direction the creators choose because the ending is also a secret to the cast. Like the creators, Wolfhard added that fans’ questions about the Stranger Things story would be answered in this final season. The actor spoke with Collider and said fans would be happy as the series was going back to what made the show exciting and unique—back to its roots, as he put it.
Who Is Returning for Stranger Things Season 5?
According to Duffer’s photo, the returning cast members include Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Natalie Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Brett German as Murray Bauman, Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler, Jamie Campbell Bower as Peter/Vecna, Paul Reiser as Dr. Sam Owens, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, and Sade Sink as Max Mayfield.
Sink’s appearance in the cast photo confirmed that her character Max was still part of the story, which fans were left to speculate on after Stranger Things Season 4’s finale. Unfortunately, fan favorite Eduardo Franco, who plays Argyle, will not return for the final season. Linda Hamilton from Chuck and The Terminator is joining the show. Her role in this troubled town is yet to be revealed to fans.
It’s been years since this cast filmed Stranger Things Season 4, and while Stranger Things Season 5 is expected to have a significant time jump, it still won’t adequately explain how much older the actors will look. Speaking to TVLine, Ross Duffer said, “I’m sure we will do a time jump. Ideally, we’d have shot Seasons 4 and 5 back to back, but there was just no feasible way to do that. So there are all the discussions we’re going to have with our writers when we start the room up.” However, the creators and producers don’t seem worried about de-aging the actors who have had quite the growth spurt over the years.
When Is the Release Date for Stranger Things Season 5?
Stranger Things Season 5 started filming in Atlanta, Georgia, in January 2024. Ross Duffer shared a black and white photo of the cast to announce that production of the Netflix show’s final season has begun. Filming was expected to start in June 2023 but was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which has since been resolved. The scheduled release date for the series is in 2025. It’s still unknown whether Netflix will release the final season in two volumes like Stranger Things Season 4 or follow the first three seasons format and release all episodes simultaneously. The final season will have eight episodes to close out this epic adventure. Here are some behind the scenes controversy shaking up Stranger Things Season 5.
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