What happened last on 'Stranger Things'? Everything you need to know before Season 5

Since “Stranger Things” past released caller episodes successful 2022, a batch has happened. The writers’ and actors’ guilds went connected a historical strike, delaying accumulation connected the last season. The Duffer Brothers, arsenic the show’s creators Matt and Ross are known, developed a signifier play acceptable successful the “Stranger Things” satellite that premiered connected London’s West End and transferred to Broadway earlier this year. The star, Millie Bobby Brown, who was 12 erstwhile the amusement premiered, became a woman and mother.

The clip betwixt the 4th and 5th seasons is agelong capable that galore fans — prevention the ones who person been faithfully rewatching and cautiously taking notes successful mentation — whitethorn not retrieve what happened last. And cardinal discourse and developments from earlier seasons whitethorn beryllium adjacent fuzzier successful our memories, similar Eleven trying to callback what happened successful the rainbow room.

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Let’s refresh our memories together.

“Stranger Things,” acceptable successful fictional Hawkins, Ind., (primarily) successful the 1980s, follows a ragtag clump of kids and a fistful of trusted adults arsenic they conflict evil and supernatural forces successful their tiny town. High schoolhouse students Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Max (Sadie Sink), on with older teens Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke), enactment alongside Eleven (Brown), a miss with peculiar psychokinetic abilities, to support the municipality from a parallel magnitude called the Upside Down with monsters, electrical storms and a Lovecraftian, other-worldly force. Joining them successful the combat is Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), Will and Jonathan’s mom, constabulary main Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and a fistful of different instrumental characters.

Here’s a recap of the important storylines to remember, a refresher connected wherever the bid near disconnected and everything other you request to cognize to hole for the 5th and last play that volition beryllium released successful 3 installments, opening with Vol. 1 connected Nov. 26, Vol. 2 connected Christmas Day and the finale connected New Year’s Eve.

Where we near off

The unit gathers arsenic they spot acheronian clouds determination implicit Hawkins astatine the extremity of Season 4, indicating that the Upside Down is infiltrating the existent world.

(Netflix)

Season 4 of “Stranger Things” concludes successful a acheronian place, literally.

Vecna, the main antagonist from Season 4, had been seeking retired 4 victims whose deaths would unfastened 4 gates to the Upside Down. Although his last victim, Max, was lone dormant for a infinitesimal (more connected that later), helium succeeded. The gates converge astatine the halfway of Hawkins, culminating successful a ample roar astatine the Hawkins Public Library. Although it’s dismissed by officials arsenic an earthquake, our pack knows amended — the Upside Down is merging with the existent world.

The last moments of the play amusement acheronian clouds billowing done the entity arsenic the familiar, dandruff-like particles from the Upside Down interval done the air. Earlier successful the season, Vecna possessed Nancy, showing her a terrifying imaginativeness of wide decease and demolition successful Hawkins and the 4 gates to the Upside Down ripping done the town. These are conscionable a fewer steps successful his ngo to destruct humanity.

At the extremity of the season, we besides spot the long-anticipated instrumentality of Hopper, who was trapped successful a Russian situation until Joyce and Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman), their communal person and a backstage investigator, assistance interruption him retired and bring him backmost home. Eleven and Hopper, who person a father-daughter-like bond, reunite successful 1 of the agleam spots of an different acheronian season.

And though helium achieved his goal, Vecna is weak. Nancy, Robin and Steve acceptable his assemblage connected occurrence portion helium was attacking Max, who was successful a trance. Fearless Nancy past shoots him repeatedly until helium falls retired of the 2nd communicative of his lair. Although it seems astatine archetypal that they person killed him, his assemblage is gone by the clip the unit rushes to the crushed floor, and Will senses that helium is inactive alive.

Characters who died successful Season 4

Vecna’s onslaught concisely killed Max, but Eleven was capable to revive her. She’s successful a coma astatine the extremity of Season 4.

(Netflix)

Max Mayfield (sort of)

Vecna preyed connected Max for overmuch of Season 4, and successful the last episode, playing Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” connected repetition from her Walkman is not capable to prevention her. Vecna kills Max, but Eleven is capable to revive her by utilizing her powers to restart her heart. The past changeable we spot of Max is of her hospitalized successful a coma, with breached bones and her acrophobic friends by her side.

She’s alive, but her impermanent decease was capable for Vecna to execute his goal. Theories astir whether Max’s consciousness is trapped successful Vecna’s visions, oregon if she volition retrieve with powers that alteration her to spy connected Vecna, person been circulating connected societal media since the merchandise of Season 4, but fans of the quality shouldn’t fret. Sink is listed successful the credits for Season 5 and she is seen concisely successful the Season 5 trailer, with Lucas carrying her assemblage arsenic a Demogorgon, 1 of the monsters successful the show, runs toward them.

Although helium died successful the Season 3 finale, Billy Hargrove, Max’s stepbrother, is noteworthy since his decease took a large affectional toll connected Max, filling her with guilt and grief, which primed her to beryllium 1 of Vecna’s targets.

Eddie Munson

This fan-favorite quality played by Joseph Quinn died successful the last occurrence of Season 4, but helium went retired with a blaze. Eddie and Dustin were successful the Upside Down carrying retired their portion successful the program to onslaught Vecna, and Eddie shredded retired Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” connected his guitar successful bid to distract the Demobats protecting Vecna’s lair. Dustin says the philharmonic ruse is the “most metallic ever,” but it’s not capable to support them harmless from the terrifying creatures.

After Dustin makes it done the gross backmost into the existent world, Eddie stays down to thrust the bats distant and bargain the radical much time. He is yet attacked by the creatures, and dies successful Dustin’s arms aft protecting his friends.

Eddie initially befriended Mike, Lucas and Dustin due to the fact that of their shared emotion of Dungeons & Dragons, forming the Hellfire Club to play the crippled together. Eddie’s decease is apt to reverberate with Dustin successful the upcoming season, who is seen successful the trailer wearing his Hellfire Club T-shirt.

Dr. Martin Brenner

Dr. Brenner, oregon Eleven’s “papa” arsenic his trial subjects called him, was killed by subject gunfire erstwhile officers invaded his probe installation successful hunt of Eleven. They believed she was down the unusual happenings and murders taking spot successful Hawkins.

Brenner (Matthew Modine) played a important relation successful the arguable MKUltra program, a real-life covert CIA mind-control and chemic interrogation probe program. He took a young Henry Creel (who yet became 001/Vecna) into his custody aft discovering helium possessed psychokinetic abilities and tried to replicate those abilities successful different children, including Eleven.

In his last moments, Brenner tells Eleven helium is arrogant of her and that each helium ever wanted was to assistance her and support her, contempt the intelligence and carnal maltreatment helium inflicted connected her.

Other important things to remember

Although Hopper and Joyce were capable to rescue Will from the Upside Down, helium is inactive intimately tied to the magnitude and its monsters.

(Netflix )

Will’s transportation to the Upside Down

Since helium was trapped successful the Upside Down during Season 1, Will hasn’t been capable to sever his necktie to the dimension. In Season 2, helium is possessed by the Mind Flayer and feels symptom erstwhile the vines successful the Upside Down are damaged oregon Demogorgons are hurt. He is tapped into the dimension’s “hive mind” and tin consciousness Vecna’s presence, usually done a unusual feeling connected the backmost of his neck.

Eleven’s ‘sister’

Although each of the trial subjects who were raised alongside Eleven were killed by Henry/001 successful the massacre astatine Hawkins Labs (Season 4, Episode 7), 1 of her “siblings” managed to flight the laboratory earlier that fateful day. Kali, oregon 008, made a little quality successful a Season 2 storyline — Eleven temporarily joined her pack of misfits to assistance successful Kali’s ngo of getting revenge connected radical who worked successful the lab.

Kali did not look successful Seasons 3 oregon 4, but speech from Eleven and Henry/Vecna, she is the lone different idiosyncratic known to person almighty psychokinetic abilities.

‘The First Shadow’

The signifier play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is simply a prequel diving into Henry’s origins and however helium yet became 001, and Vecna. Although it is considered a standalone work, the Duffer Brothers collaborated with “Stranger Things” writer Kate Trefry to make the play’s communicative and they person confirmed it is canon successful the “Stranger Things” universe.

Some fans who person compared the details from the play and the bid accidental that the play suggests Vecna mightiness not beryllium successful power of the Mind Flayer, arsenic helium has suggested. Rather, the Mind Flayer is successful power of him, oregon that it had astatine slightest corrupted his quality self.

Fans who person traced backmost done the bid to spot if this mentation holds h2o constituent retired that Dustin, whose theories astir the Upside Down thin to beryllium correct, suggested the aforesaid happening successful Season 4. Speaking astir the Mind Flayer, helium says, “If the Demogorgon was conscionable his ft soldier, Vecna’s his five-star general.”

What we cognize is coming next

In the archetypal look astatine Season 5, Will and Vecna travel look to face.

(Netflix)

Netflix released the archetypal 5 minutes of the caller play successful aboriginal November, successful which we spot a flashback to Will’s clip trapped successful the Upside Down. A Demogorgon drags an unconscious Will to Vecna’s lair, and Vecna ominously says they tin statesman their enactment “at agelong last.” “You and I, we are going to bash specified beauteous things together, William,” helium continues.

It looks similar we tin expect a showdown betwixt our heroes and Vecna, but it’s imaginable we mightiness besides get further mentation astir wherefore Will was specifically targeted from the beginning.

Is this the extremity of ‘Stranger Things’?

In a word, yes. But caller stories taking spot successful the satellite of “Stranger Things” volition beryllium coming. Netflix precocious unveiled the archetypal look astatine an animated spinoff series, “Stranger Things: Tales From ’85.” The bid is acceptable betwixt the events of Seasons 2 and 3, and it volition diagnostic the main characters fans cognize and love. The Duffer Brothers collaborated with showrunner Eric Robles to make the series, which does not person a premiere day yet.

The Duffer Brothers are besides processing a spinoff bid with caller characters and a “clean slate,” which they teased successful a caller interrogation with Variety.