Season 4 of Stranger Things was an event. Not only was it critically acclaimed, but it managed to break records and even catapulted Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” back on the charts. After such a blockbuster season, fans have been eager to follow The Party on their last adventure in Hawkins. However, they are going to have to wait a little bit longer since Stranger Things will not be hitting Netflix until 2025.
As Tom Petty once crooned, “waiting is the hardest part,” but that has left a lot of time for fans to speculate about how they want the series to end. In order to keep viewers satisfied, Stranger Things might have to do two things with its ending.
Characters Need to Have Their Storylines Wrapped Up
While the biggest storyline of Season 5 will be the conflict between The Party and Vecna, there are other characters that need their storylines wrapped as well. At the end of Season 4, Max (Sadie Sink) was in a coma and not even Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) could reach her. Fans want to know what her final fate will be. How did fan favorite Eddie Munson’s (Joseph Quinn) affect The Party? Are they going to need to work through it the way that Billy’s (Dacre Montgomery) death affected Max?
On the more romantic side, it would be nice to see Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hopper (David Harbour) finally go on that date. Fans are also looking forward to seeing what direction Steve’s (Joe Keery) love life takes. Also, Season 4 left things open for Robin (Maya Hawke) and Vickie (Amybeth McNulty). Since Stranger Things has a few LGBTQ+ characters, it wouldn’t be surprising to have Vickie be its confirmed first bisexual character. Speaking of LGBTQ+ characters, Will’s (Noah Schnapp) crush on Mike (Finn Wolfhard) was finally revealed. Thankfully, the season didn’t leave him completely alone, since he was able to have a much-needed heart-to-heart with his brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) at Surfer Boy Pizza. Hopefully, he will be able to come out to The Party next season.
On a darker note, some fans speculate that one major character will die a hero. Some fans suspect it will be heroic characters like Eleven or Hopper. Others believe that Will will die, given that the series started with him being spirited away into the Upside Down. Even Steve, who started off as a jerk and came to be one of the show’s breakout characters, has been suggested to sacrifice himself, since it would complete his arc from selfish to selfless. Regardless, after the emotional punches Season 4 gave, Season 5 is bound to up the ante.
Introduce New Elements for Spinoffs
As reported by Deadline, the show in Stranger Things might be ending, but that doesn’t mean that The Duffer Brothers are done with the Stranger Things world. Following Season 4’s tremendous success, Matt and Ross Duffer formed Upside Down Pictures. While not everything on their slate is Stranger Things-related (one is a live-action series adaptation of the manga Death Note), at least two reported projects are. The first is a stage play called Stranger Things: The First Shadow which will center on Henry Creel, played by Raphael Luce in the show and Louis McCartner on stage, in 1959, and the second is a live-action spin-off. Additionally, Tudum has reported that an animated project is in development as well.
All this is to say, that surely there will be some set up for these upcoming spin-offs in the final season. This could be by leaving a door open to a new avenue of adventure or by referencing something else supernatural going on in another town. There could be a potential time skip ala Stephen King’s It. Stranger Things also has some other characters that could be explored further. Kali Prasad (Linnea Berthelsen), aka Eight, was introduced as Eleven’s “sister” or another child Dr. Brenner experimented on. Although the episode she debuted in, Season 2, Episode 7, “The Lost Sister”, has been considered one of the weakest episodes of the show, it did remind the viewer that there are more kids like Eleven out in the world having their own adventures unrelated to Stranger Things. Following one of those kids would be a great way to open the world of Stranger Things while still providing a way to crossover over with the original series with characters from Stranger Things either being mentioned or even appearing in the spin-off.
While fans will have to wait years between seasons, that can only mean The Duffer Brothers have something really special in store to give Stranger Things a proper send off. The behind the scenes video that was released last month revealed that the final season was halfway through filming. Throughout, the cast keeps expectations high by saying that it will be the best season yet. While expectations are riding high, one thing is for sure – the fans will be there in droves.
Netflix
Netflix is one of the most popular and widely viewed streaming services in the world. Beginning with its mail order DVD service, Netflix has since grown into an entertainment juggernaut, with original shows and movies including Squid Game, Stranger Things, The Irishman, and The Killer.
