*The following contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 4, volume 2*
If you’ve been bingeing season 4 of Stranger Things, you know it ends on sort of a heartbreaking note. Eleven mind-traveled into Max’s head to keep Vecna from making her friend his fourth victim (thus opening up the last gate to the Upside Down), and while she was unable to save her, she did bring Max back to life. But sadly, our new favorite character Eddie died in an attempt to save his friends — making him the season’s hero.
As the fourth gate opens, Will picks up on Vecna transforming Hawkins into the Upside Down. So we’re left with the burning question: when is season 5 coming and what can we expect?
When will season 5 be released?
According to the Duffer Brothers, the fifth and final chapter of Stranger Things will air sometime in 2024. It won’t be a lengthy season as it’ll move very fast, but the finale could be as long as 2 hours — giving us plenty to indulge in before the curtains close. On Stranger Things Day of last year, the writers revealed season 5’s first episode will be named “Chapter One: The Crawl” and more recently, Noah Schnapp (Will Byers in the show) unveiled the series will start taping summer of 2023 so as not to interfere with his studies. We’ll have to stay tuned for an official release date.
What will season 5 be about?
While season 4 took us to Russia and California, season 5 will be focused on uncovering the mysteries of the Upside Down in Hawkins. At the end of the previous season, Vecna unfortunately succeeded in opening a giant gate between the Upside Down and Hawkins, leaving plenty of innocent people to die. Season 5 will most likely establish a fight between the gang and Vecna himself, as residents flee to safety from the chaos of the eerie town.
The creators of the show revealed that the upcoming chapter of Stranger Things will answer some of our questions about the mythical mirror world — giving us a new perspective on past seasons (and hopefully defeating Creel once and for all).
Will there be a time jump?
It seems the storyline will not exactly pick up the way it left off. The Duffer Brothers confirmed season 5 will likely open with a time jump, placing our beloved characters weeks, months, or even years into the future. But how effective will this time jump be if it does happen? We probably won’t see the aftermath of Vecna’s invasion through Hawkins, so there could be room for confusion. Either way, we’ll have to wait until season 5 to know for sure!
What will be the final season of Stranger Things?
Season 5 will be the last chapter of the saga. When the trailer for season 4 came out earlier in the year, Duffer Brothers admitted to placing a lot of effort into the most recent season. And since season 4 has been the longest and more in-depth season so far, it seems the creators of the show wanted to give us as much content as possible before Stranger Things came to an end (cue ugly tears).
Will Max return in season 5?
Only time will tell! Actress Sadie Sink even said in an interview “I have no idea what’s coming in five and what that looks like. Max’s storyline is very up in the air, ’cause obviously she’s in a coma and Eleven can’t find her in the void. So who knows where she is and what state she’s in.” What’s for sure: she suffered incredible pain and trauma from her fight with Vecna and might play a smaller part in the first few episodes of the final season (perhaps to return stronger, and *fingers-crossed* with her own super abilities?)
Who will die in season 5?
While we don’t know if there will be any more deaths, we can’t help but assume Barbara and Eddie won’t be the only ones to bite the dust. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Maya Hawke (Robin) said she would like her character to pass on: “I would love to die and get my hero’s moment,” she admitted. “I’d love to die with honor, as any actor would.” And as if we weren’t already choking up, she added, “It’s the last season, so people are probably going to die.”
Plus, seeing as Vecna won’t give up so easily, Eleven could end up sacrificing herself for her friends and the town — something she’s never hesitated on doing in the past. Then again, the Eggos-loving teen has plenty of power under her belt, including bringing back people from the dead — so we won’t know for sure until we see season 5 in its entirety.
Overall, we’ve got loads of questions: is Eddie really dead? What happens to Hawkins? Will the two worlds merge into one? Does Will finally reveal his crush on Mike? And who will Nancy actually end up with?
Hopefully the wait for season 5 isn’t too long, but in the meantime, why not immerse yourself into the world of Stranger Things coming to Toronto this spring?