As they explore, the wait is almost over; the premiere of “Stranger Things” is just days away. Recently, Netflix dropped the first five minutes of Season 5. And the clip reveals a shocking twist that changes everything we thought we knew about the Upside Down’s biggest villain.
A Recap
A recap: Season one began in 1983 in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. The disappearance of Will Byers and the sudden appearance of a psychokinetic girl named Eleven exposed a secret government lab and an alternate dimension called the Upside Down, where a monster known as the Demogorgon was unleashed.
In subsequent seasons, the core group of kids continually battles threats emerging from the Upside Down. This includes the Mind Flayer in Seasons 2 and 3, while exploring their growing relationships and teenage lives. By Season 4, the group is geographically separated. Still, they unite to face the terrifying new villain, Vecna, a powerful entity from the Upside Down who systematically murders Hawkins teens. Its goal is to tear open massive gates between the dimensions, culminating in a devastating final dimensional rift that leaves Hawkins on the brink of apocalypse.
Eleven, born Jane Ives (and later adopted as Eleven “El” Hopper), is arguably the most central and powerful character in the saga. Introduced in Season 1, she is a young girl with profound psychokinetic and telepathic abilities, acquired through experiments performed on her by Dr. Martin Brenner.
Season 5
The first five minutes of the new season feature a dramatic flashback. It reveals that a de-aged Will (Noah Schnapp) first came face to face with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) years before the vine-covered creep started terrorizing Hawkins!
The intense clip sees a younger Will hiding in his beloved fort, Castle Byers. He tries to calm himself by singing his theme song, ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’
When a Demogorgon smashes into the fort, Will bravely blasts it with a shotgun before bolting up a massive tree to hide. However, after crashing to the ground, the Demogorgon drags his unconscious body to its horrifying lair. This path essentially matched the story he later told Joyce and the crew.
However, as Will lies helpless in the dark cave, the true twist arrives: Vecna approaches. He strings the boy up and ominously whispers the line that rewrites the history of the entire franchise:
“At long last, we can begin. We are going to do such beautiful things together, William. Such beautiful things.”
Vecna then connects a grotesque, sinewy vine directly to Will’s mouth, pumping an unknown substance into him. Will appears unconscious throughout the ordeal; this terrifying first encounter might be a forgotten trauma, explaining why he never spoke of it. This revelation sets a chilling new precedent for the final season.
In Season 5, the group’s mission is complicated by the military quarantine on Hawkins. This forces Eleven back into hiding. A darkness more powerful and deadly than anything they’ve faced before is looming. To end this nightmare, the group will need to stand together, one last time.
If you are truly bummed about the main series ending, we have great news. The franchise is far from over; a spin-off series is on the way!
Stranger Things Season 5 premieres on Netflix on November 26, with Volume 2 dropping on Christmas Day, and the series finale premieres on December 31 and will be in theaters.
