Where Things Stand Before Season 5

So much has happened in the real world since we last saw Stranger Things back in the summer of 2023, you can be forgiven for not remembering where things left off with the kids of Hawkins and the demons that stalk them. With Season Five Volume 1 (four episodes) releasing Nov. 26 on Netflix, we’re here to help.

Vecna Opened the Door to the Upside Down

The fourth season centered the backstory of the villainous Vecna, a.k.a. Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower). Revealed to be “One” to Millie Bobby Brown’s “Eleven,” Henry was one of Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) experiments, a child with telepathic powers who became the Pinhead of the Upside Down, and, as revealed in the prologue to the new season, the big bad behind everything that’s happened since the series premiere. Vecna sought the sacrifice of four victims he could traumatize into crashing open the barrier between the real world and the Upside Down, and that’s exactly what happened right down the middle of Hawkins. The fourth season ends with the trademark UD particles floating into the “real” Hawkins. It should also be noted that the Hawkins Heroes probably left Vecna weakened. He was set on fire, shot, and fell before he disappeared into the night, so he’s likely recuperating for his endgame to start Season Five.

Hopper Made It Home to Eleven

So much of Season Four was about Hopper (David Harbour), who was perceived to be dead what feels like a lifetime ago at the end of the pre-Covid (seriously) third season, getting back from Russia with a little help from Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Murray (Brett Gelman). Despite tabloid rumors about on-set difficulties between the real-life actors, the onscreen dynamic between Hopper and his surrogate daughter Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) has been key to the success of the show, and will almost certainly play a crucial role in the final episodes.

Will Has Always Been Connected to the Upside Down

The reveal about Vecna playing a role in Will’s (Noah Schnapp) disappearance in Season One may be shocking, but young Mr. Byers has always had a connection to the other side, whether it was in Season Two’s plot with the Mind Flayer or the goosebumps that rise on the back of his neck when something is about to go down. That unique tie to the Upside Down, and possibly Vecna himself, along with the role that the bad guy intends for him to play in his master scheme, will surely propel the final season.

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Dustin Lost His Best Hellfire Buddy

Remember Eddie Munson? Joseph Quinn played the Hellfire Club badass, but he died in the Season Four plot to defeat Vecna when he played “Master of Puppets” to get the attention of the creatures blocking the villain’s lair. We’ll miss Eddie, but what feels important to Season Five is that Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) watched his new BFF die in his arms. For a long time, Dustin seemed like the comic relief for this show’s version of the Losers’ Club, but trauma will shape his final arc, at least in the first chunk of episodes released.

Max Mayfield Is Not Running Up Any Hills

Sadie Sink’s Max played a huge role in Season Four, and not just in making Kate Bush a star for a new generation. Vecna needed her to open the portal to the Upside Down, employing her trauma against her, but Eleven saved Max by using her powers to do a sort of telepathic CPR. The season ended with Max in a coma, her beau Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) by her side. The big question at the start of Season Five is if Max’s consciousness might be somewhere else entirely, and when she’ll be back.