Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things 4: Volume 2 ahead.
It’s official: Season 5 of Stranger Things will be it's last. Back in February 2022, the Duffer Brothers announced the news themselves in an open letter shared with fans alongside Season 4’s official poster.
 |
| Stranger Things Season 5: Release Date, Cast, Trailer & Everything We Know So Far |
"Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things," the duo wrote in their letter. "At the time, we predicted the story would last four or five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but — as you'll soon see for yourselves — we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last."
“With nine scripts, over eight hundred pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots, and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one,” the Duffer Brothers shared, calling the fourth season “the beginning of the end.” The duo also shared that the decision to split the season in two parts was due to its “unprecedented length” and to get it to fans “as soon as possible.”
Which cast members are returning for Stranger Things Season 5?
Luckily for us, the majority of the main cast made it out of Season 4 alive, and were present in the final scene of the season. That being said, it's safe to assume that most if not all of the main cast will return for Season 5. This includes Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Noah Schnapp (Will), Priah Ferguson (Erica), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan), Maya Hawke (Robin), Joe Keery (Steve), David Harbour (Hopper), and Winona Ryder (Joyce).
We bid farewell to Eddie Munson (played by Joseph Quinn) in Episode 9, as he died a hero to save his friends and protect his town. The Duffer Brothers confirmed this character's death to while appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast following the finale — yet, there's two other character deaths from Volume 2 that may not actually be nail-in-the-coffin deaths.
Max became a victim of Vecna's curse in the two-part finale, and was technically dead for a full minute before Eleven restarted her heart with her powers. The last we see of Max, she's hospitalized and in a coma. Eleven tries to communicate with her by searching for her mind, but there is, tragically, no response.
Will new characters be introduced in Stranger Things Season 5?
While speaking to IndieWire in August, the Duffer Brothers broke down their rationale behind bringing new characters on the show.
“Whenever we introduce a new character, we want to make sure that they’re going to be an integral part of the narrative,” Ross said. “So that’s something with Eddie [in season 4], where we go, ‘Well, we need a character here for this storyline to really work, and to give it the engine that is needed.’ But every time we do that, we’re nervous, because you go, ‘We’ve got a great cast of characters here, and actors, and any moment we’re spending with a new character, we’re taking time away from one of the other actors.’ So we’re just very, very careful about who we’re introducing."
Ross and Matt went on to praise the adaptability and performances of actors brought on the series after season 1, like Joseph Quinn, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, and Dacre Montgomery. Though they avoid introducing multiple new core characters in a given season, the Duffer Brothers admitted that new characters can bring fresh ideas, just like new plot devices or new creatures to battle.
0 Comments