As we enter the last days of the countdown until the start of Stranger Things Season 5, fan speculations, deep dives, and overall activity have skyrocketed. As the world-renowned TV show comes to a close, I’d like to take the time to theorize and predict what’ll happen in Stranger Things one last time.
For these predictions, I used only promotional material available on Netflix. For a recap of all things stranger, there’s a great article to read before diving into the current theories we’re about to unravel.
Netflix officially released the first five minutes of Stranger Things Season 5 on Stranger Things Day (Nov. 6), so we already know the season starts with a flashback to Will’s time in the Upside Down. This scene reimagines all that we knew about the Upside Down and solidifies Will as one of the main characters this season. After this flashback, we dive right back into the chaos at Hawkins.
A leaked still on Variety shows the Wheelers family and the Byers family having breakfast before school. We learn here that the Byers are officially staying with the Wheelers after leaving their home in California.
Noticeably missing from the Byers gang are Eleven, now known as Jane Byers-Hopper, and Jim Hopper. Fans theorize Hop has taken El into hiding to protect her from the military currently hunting her down.
We get an answer as to what these two are up to later, as Netflix posted a video of El training with Hopper and Joyce at the junkyard. It seems like she’s training to get her time down in the obstacle course Hop’s made for her, but why? Hold on to that thought.
Following breakfast, we get shots of Will, Mike, and Holly biking to school, as well as our first look at Mike, Lucas, Will, and Dustin before class. As Dustin walks to class, he’s shoved against his locker by bullies for graffitiing a locker with “Hellfire Lives,” a nod to the now deceased Eddie Munson. Be prepared for Dustin angst this season.
Video clips show the party at lunch, using Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) characters and a map of Hawkins to outline a plan involving the Upside Down. Online fanpages have theorized that these “crawls” (a nod to the episode’s title, “The Crawl”) involve sneaking into the Upside Down to find Vecna’s body.
Theorizers state that these crawls involve Hopper jumping into military trucks heading into the Upside Down’s secret military lab to search for the body at the different places the boys outlined. These theories stem from Hop being seen with military gear and weapons, as well as a paparazzi video of him driving a military Humvee.
Additionally, people theorize that El wants to help on these missions, but Hopper won’t let her, which would explain her frustration in the clip and her determination to shave down her course time. It appears El might eventually get her wish because we get a shot of her jumping into the lab later in the trailer.
Circling back to the same picnic table scene, there are shots of Will walking away and looking up into the sky, perhaps possessed. Later on in the trailer, we see Will fainting, touching his neck, and literally being levitated by Vecna, so it’s clear he’ll be going through it this season. It also means lots of theories are circulating about Will.
One of these theories is that Will can see from Vecna’s or the Demogorgon’s point of view, which aligns with Vecna’s voiceover in the trailer: “William, you will help me one last time.” Additionally, Will’s eyes are highlighted excessively in marketing.
The scene of Joyce with an axe in the trailer seems to be from the same sequence, and it could very well be from the Demogorgon’s point of view. Another theory is that Will somehow obtains powers from the liquid Vecna pumped into his body during the first five minutes.
After school, we see Lucas talking to an unconscious Max, and Dustin visiting Eddie’s grave. A lot of fan theories speculate that Max may come back with powers, but there’s no solid evidence to support that.
Sadie Sink, however, was paid millions for this season, so we can expect to see her do more than just sit in a hospital bed… maybe some mindscape scenes with Vecna? It aligns with her being paired with Jaime Campbell Bower, the actor who plays Vecna, for promotion.
Since Robin and Steve are hosting their own show at WSQK, the radio station, it’s speculated that they use their platform to communicate with the kids at school. Given how intently Dustin is listening to his radio, it could mean Robin will drop some clues about the Upside Down.
Moving into the night, Netflix’s Spain account recently released a clip of a Demogorgon attacking Karen and Holly Wheeler in their house, which ties into the title of episode two: “The Vanishing of ***** ******.”
A lot of people have speculated that the missing person is, in fact, Holly Wheeler, as she was recently recast due to her prominent Season 5 role. Additionally, her vanishing would mirror Will’s disappearance at the hands of the Demogorgon four years ago.
Last, but not least, we must address shipping theorists. Netflix recently posted a clip confirming that a couple breaks up in Season 5, sparking massive uncertainty about the show’s main couples. The Duffers have stated “all is not well” with Jonathan and Nancy, and that Steve is still very much in love with Nancy.
Regarding Mike’s love triangle, there are many shots of him with both Will and El. Plus, Mike still doesn’t know the truth about the painting Will used to inadvertently confess his feelings towards Mike with.
With the additional pairing of two queer characters, Will and Robin, there might be a realization sooner than later. Ads for Discover (Jonathan and Nancy) and T-Mobile (Will and Mike) continue to feed shippers content of their pairings as well.
The Duffer Brothers have stated that they wrote the outlines for Seasons 4 and 5 at the same time, so watch out for overlap and resolving plot holes this season. Tune in to Netflix on Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. EST for Volume One of Stranger Things Season 5.
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