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A building sign that reads \"Stranger Things.\"
A building sign that reads \"Stranger Things.\"
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GCU | Culture > Entertainment

5 Wild Fan Theories About Stranger Things Season 5 That Might Actually Be True

Ava Piacente Student Contributor, Grand Canyon University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at GCU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

With the first part of Stranger Things season 5 coming out later this month, here are 5 crazy fan theories to keep your mind spinning:

  1. Karen Wheeler is Alice Creel, Vecna’s older sister

This theory postulates that Karen, mother of Mike and Nancy Wheeler, might actually be Vecna’s older sister. In the promotion for Stranger Things Season 4, Karen got her own character poster in front of the Creel House. This is where the theory started, as well as the obvious visual similarities, since both Karen and Alice have blonde hair. 

In the flashback of Vecna’s attack of his family, Alice appears to have initially survived. Later on, she is referred to as dead, so it wouldn’t take a miracle for her to have actually come out unscathed.

If Karen is in fact Alice, there will probably be an explanation of how she changed her name and what she did to escape. Whether this is an individual episode or a few flashbacks, it will be interesting to see all the same. Episode 2, “The Vanishing of ______” could be in reference to Alice ‘vanishing’ by becoming Karen. 

  1. Max will find Henry Creel inside Vecna’s mind

At the end of Season 4, Max was blind and still in a coma. It is possible that she is still trapped inside of Vecna’s mind. While Vecna has been set up as the big bad of the upside down, it is possible that this has been a distraction. This theory states that Henry Creel is being possessed by the Mind Flayer, making him do unspeakable things as Vecna.

This would also set up some horrifying precedents for Will, since he had previously been possessed by the Mind Flayer in season 2. If the end result of the Mind Flayer’s possession is becoming something like Vecna, Will might be doomed. 

  1. Mike will save Eleven this time around

Eleven has had a couple of different moments where she protects Mike from something, whether it is a demogorgon or some school bullies. However, some fans think that season 5 will set up a big moment for Mike to finally save Eleven. 

This could look like a couple of different things. Maybe it’s just him pushing her physically out of harm’s way. Maybe it’s him saving her from Vecna mentally. 

Some fans think there’s even a possibility that he will sacrifice his life for her. While this is a little more out there, it is something to consider because this is the last season of Stranger Things, and therefore the main characters are at risk of being mortally wounded. 

  1. Will is not a good guy, and hasn’t been since he returned from the upside down

This theory has actually been around for a while. It theorizes that Will has actually been helping Vecna the whole time. While burning the Mind Flayer out of him supposedly ended his possession, there’s no way to know for sure. 

In the trailer for season 5, Vecna says that Will is “going to help him one last time,” implying he has helped before. While some fans are opposed to this theory, since just his brief possession may have been the time Vecna was referring to, it’s possible that there were many other times Will helped Vecna. 

  1. None of the kids or teens will die

This theory is not actually that far-fetched. The Duffer brothers have talked about their dislike for killing off main characters on multiple occasions. Stranger Things is a coming-of-age style show, and that doesn’t work out great if none of the younger characters reach adulthood. 

This would mean Nancy, Steve, Jonathan, Max, Will, Eleven, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin will all be safe and alive by the closing credits of the final episode. While this theory is plausible, a final season is exactly when creators of a show might throw caution to the wind and do things they previously stated they wouldn’t.

The fun of Stranger Things is found in its general unpredictability.  Anything could happen, and some of the theories considered completely impossible may be the oddly accurate finale that closes one of Netflix’s most popular shows. What are your theories for Stranger Things Season 5? 

Ava Piacente

GCU '27

I am a Professional Writing student in my third year at GCU. I hate the cold and
the heat, so I’m actually not joking when I say “I hate everything.” Kidding of course. I love volleyball, solving Rubik’s cubes, c̶o̶l̶l̶e̶c̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶d̶e̶a̶s̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶b̶o̶o̶k̶s̶ reading, and painting.

I met my future husband at sunset in May of 2025. All at once I understood what every book I'd read had been about. That was when my life started to fall in place, when the uncertainty of the future was no longer a heavy fog on my shoulders, and when my faith was forever changed in a community college parking lot.

I write the best where I'm from, the magnificent Pacific Northwest. My head, unfortunately, is kinder to me when I live here in the heat. Writing has been my constant companion in a world full of fair weather friends. I had stories to tell before I ever learned how to tell them.

I’ve always been a creative person, but I am now officially sworn in because I have
the burnout to accompany it.

I aspire to become a New York Times Bestselling Author, like children aspire to become astronauts. Realistically, I’m just hoping
to finish my third book.