It’s been three years since the release of Stranger Things season four, and personally, I’ve been itching for the last season to come out ever since season four ended. In November of last year, the Stranger Things Instagram account released a teaser of what the episode titles would be for season five, resulting in a mix of reactions from fans. While many are excited for the show to end and can’t wait to watch the final season, many fans are also sad to see their favorite show ending after being in production for almost 10 years. Although Netflix has confirmed that the last season will finally be releasing this year, no official release date has been confirmed (and they’re doing everything but that). With the release of season five being sometime this year, I thought it’d be appropriate to put out my predictions for the final season before it comes out. This article does contain spoilers if you haven’t seen Stranger Things, so if you’re interested in watching, I’d suggest doing that before reading!
- We’re going to get more backstory on the Creels
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Last season when the Creels were introduced, I instantly became curious about their backstory and the lore behind Henry and his powers. The writers didn’t make it super clear how he inherited his abilities, and I would be so interested in finding out more. Was it a genetic thing? Was it caused after moving to the house in Hawkins? I also think it’d be interesting as a viewer to learn more about the family’s lives before Henry murdered his mother and sister.
- Will is going to be a major character
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I feel like Will has kind of been on the sidelines since season three, and now that he’s back in Hawkins, I’d love to see more of him becoming a main character in some capacity this season. Whether that’s to defeat Vecna or just being more involved in general, I think it’d be great to see him interacting with the crew more this season.
- Will is going to come out
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Going along with the previous point, I feel like Will being more of a main character this season will also involve him (finally) coming out. Although Noah Schnapp already confirmed that Will is gay in an interview back in 2022, it’d be nice to see it be confirmed in the show as well. I’m hoping he’ll have a nice coming-out moment either with his family and/or friends. In my opinion, this would help build more character to Will and potentially add an arc this season where Will explores his sexuality…at least that’s what I’m hoping for.
- Joyce and Hopper are going to become official
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After that kiss last season, I feel like there’s no way Jopper won’t become official this season. The two of them just have such great chemistry and the fans already love the two of them together. Out of all my predictions listed in this article, I feel like this one is the most likely to happen. Besides, I feel like there’s no way the Duffer Brothers would kill off Joyce or Hopper, since Joyce needs her happy ending with Will and they already went through Hopper’s fake death, so it’d be pointless to kill either of them in the final season.
- Something is going to happen to the Wheelers
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At the end of season four, we got a little sneak peek of Nancy being infected by Vecna after coming back from the Upside Down. I feel in this season that either Nancy is going to be his next victim, or something bad is going to end up happening to one of the Wheelers. I know many online think Karen and Holly are going to become big this season, especially after it was teased that one of the episode titles would be “The Vanishing of…” Although the name of who’s vanishing hasn’t been revealed yet, many speculate that it’ll be Karen or Holly Wheeler.
- The Upside Down won’t be destroyed
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One theory I saw online was that the Upside Down will be destroyed for good by the main crew. However, I feel like since the Upside Down has existed for a while (at least since a little before Henry Creel was sent there), I don’t think there’s any way it’ll be gone “for good”. I do think it’s possible that they’ll be able to close the gates for good and that they won’t have to deal with it ever again, but I don’t think they’ll be able to destroy it forever.
- Max is going to have a vital role in defeating Vecna
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When Max was a victim of Vecna last season, I was certain she wasn’t going to make it through and that the Duffer Brothers were actually going to kill off one of the cast members. However, when she was hospitalized instead, I can say that I was relieved. She’s been through so much with the death of Billy and her family troubles that I feel like it would’ve been somewhat wrong to kill her off. This season, however, I feel like Max is going to play a major role in defeating Vecna, along with El and Will. When El was trying to find Max last season, she wasn’t able to, and I think this is because she’s trapped inside Vecna’s mind. Maybe this will come into play when it’s time to defeat Vecna? We’ll just have to watch and find out.
- Eddie Munson is not going to make a reappearance
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Apologies in advance to the Eddie Munson fans out there for prediction. I know most people will disagree with me on this one, but I am very sure that Eddie will not be coming back for season five. Joseph Quinn’s acting career has been phenomenal since Stranger Things 4 and I just feel like he probably hasn’t had the time in his schedule to reprise his role as Eddie Munson. Even though the fan theory about him returning as Vecna’s right-hand man Kas is quite interesting and plausible, I feel like scheduling conflicts would’ve gotten in the way of him returning. However, I do think a flashback sequence of him could be highly likely!
- Steve is going to die
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I know what you’re all thinking: “Steve is too loved by fans to die” or “The Duffer Brothers would never kill off Steve.” Trust me when I say this, I do not want Steve to die either. He’s one of my favorite characters and I think he has such a great dynamic with all the other characters on the show. However, I think that he’ll try to save the kids or Nancy (we all know he’s not over her in the slightest). If I’m being honest, I think the Duffer Brothers are setting him up to die, especially when he got attacked by the Demobats and with his whole speech about his feelings and dreams for the future. He’s definitely going to sacrifice himself to save everyone else, in my opinion.
- El and Vecna are going to die in a final battle scene
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After seeing last season that El sent Henry Creel to the Upside Down last season, I think that there’s a strong chance that El is going to play a key role in defeating Vecna for good. However, I think that she’ll end up sacrificing herself at the same time, kind of like in Harry Potter and sacrificing himself in The Deathly Hallows with the whole “neither can live while the other survives” ideal. Also, I feel like the Duffer Brothers have been holding off on killing a main character, and I feel like we’ll get a lot of main character deaths this season and even though I’d hate to see it happen, I have this gut feeling it’s going to be El.
After writing these predictions, I can say for certain that I’m hyped for Stranger Things season five, even if Netflix hasn’t released an official release date. When the season does come out though, I’m excited to see if any of my predictions were right!