WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
As every Stranger Things fan is aware, the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series will be released in three parts: the first four episodes on Nov. 26, three more episodes on Dec. 25, and the series finale on Dec. 31. The first season premiered in 2016, starring Millie Bobby Brown, and nearly a decade later, the long-awaited final season is finally here.
Almost every Stranger Things fan has a plethora of theories that they’ve conjured up or believe in, and whether or not those ideas are backed by solid evidence, they are definitely worth exploring.
Theory #1:
Will is the eye of Vecna—a supernatural artifact from Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), the role-playing game that inspired Stranger Things. The eye of Vecna gives whoever wears it powers, including True Sight (which Will had in season two), meaning that he can see into the Upside Down. Will is also repeatedly associated with Phineas Gage, the historical railroad worker who endured a serious brain injury when a pole impaled his left eye, and a subsequent personality change. Will is the subject of imagery that covers his left eye, and there are several close-up shots of his eyes in seasons two and five. According to this theory, Will can see and feel everything Vecna does because he embodies the eye of Vecna. However, using it comes with a cost; it can exhaust someone and leave their soul exposed for Vecna to tear apart. This explains why Will lost control after spying on Vecna to find Hopper and why he is unconscious in the season five trailer. Will is using his power once again to spy on Vecna and fight him, which, in turn, is killing him. (@3rdduffer on TikTok)
Theory #2:
Max will find Henry Creel inside Vecna’s mind, hinting that the Mind Flayer has possessed Henry for years. Eleven will make contact with Max (like she did when Max was dying) and use this knowledge to defeat the Mind Flayer with Henry’s help. Max will also warn the group that Will has been possessed again, so they may have to help him like they did in season two. (@theitalianrob on Reddit)
Theory #3:
When Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie entered the Upside Down through the Watergate in season four, they encountered demobats that they had to kill and run from. These demobats look strikingly similar to the dragon that Will drew. These demobats could have been baby dragons that were breeding in the Upside Down. While in her trance, Nancy said that she saw an army of monsters. We know that Henry could draw the future, so Will may have the same ability as Henry, and the demobats could grow up to be dragons that the party has to defeat. (@strangerthings_theory1 on TikTok)
Theory #4:
There may be a new monster in season five. We know that Henry “created” the Mind Flayer by drawing it, basically conjuring it up from his imagination. Will could have done the same with his drawing in season four of the Red Dragon, which looks very similar to a Calastryx, a monster in D&D. Similarly, in the drawing, the group is in a grassy field fighting the dragon, which looks very similar to the field the characters are in during the closing scene of season four. This suggests that the battle could take place in the same setting, and Will could be predicting or even conjuring the future. (@huh.wallpapers on TikTok)
Theory #5:
In many of Vecna’s clocks seen in season four, there seem to be keyholes to the left of them. Ms. Kelly, a guidance counselor at Hawkins High School—who Chrissy, Fred, and Max all go to in season four—wears a necklace shaped like a key with a clock on it. Coincidentally, every one of her patients has been a victim of Vecna and experienced the same symptoms (headaches, past trauma, etc.), and have all ended up dead. She could somehow be involved with Vecna or be controlled by him, because she knew exactly what would scare each of the victims, and she could have used Billy against Max to scare her. (@editslife_b on TikTok)
What theories do YOU have for Stranger Things season five? Do you believe any of these theories will come true? There’s only one way to find out, so tune into the adventure and thrill that is the Upside Down for one…last…time…
