“The stakes are about as high as they can get — the end of the world,” says Matt Duffer about the final season of Stranger Things, the sci-fi/horror hit he created with his brother Ross, who adds, “The battle sequences are the biggest we’ve ever had by a long shot.”
That’s saying a lot for this 1980s-set show that pits nerdy kids in Hawkins, Indiana, against monsters from a parallel world known as the Upside Down in fiery, gory fights that include a lab massacre and a mall inferno. Season 5’s life-or-death conclusion rolls out in three volumes, on November 26, December 25, and December 31.
And battle fatigue isn’t an option for the small-town crew who, in Season 1, confidently pinged a baddy with slingshots. That was early in the insanity, when the kids were still playing Dungeons & Dragons in leader Mike Wheeler’s (Finn Wolfhard) basement, until one of them, shy Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), mysteriously disappeared. The audience knew he’d been taken by a monster, a fate that the kids eventually figured out. In the search for Will, his friends encountered a mysterious girl (Millie Bobby Brown) first known only by the number, 011, tattooed on her arm.
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Mike was smitten with the scrappy waif, who turned out to be a telekinetic escapee from an abusive U.S. government program at Hawkins National Laboratory that trained “gifted” children for use in war and espionage. During an experiment, she accidentally opened a gate into the Upside Down, unleashing monsters like the one that stole Will. From that meeting on, it was a wild banana-seat-bike ride for Mike and his pals, sarcastic Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo); hotheaded Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will, who was eventually rescued. Eleven joined their group and used her ability to move things 10 times her size to beat back the creatures — and some school bullies.
The beast-fighting battalion grew to include parents, siblings, and more friends. With Eleven’s powers, they closed the rift, but every season it was torn open by various antagonists, allowing Demogorgons, Demodogs, and the hive-minded Mind Flayer to use it as a doggy door to invade their world or drag them into the dark one. The fourth season ended with a massive crack in the earth that split Hawkins in two, and seemed impossible to seal.
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When the show returns, it’s 1987, a little over a year later. Hawkins is under quarantine and being patrolled by the military. The gang’s mission: Save humankind by killing the Upside Down’s ruler, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). (Quick resumé: born Henry Creel in 1947; became One at the same lab as Eleven; tried to kill her; she kicked him into the Upside Down; he transformed into Vecna. Main objective: hurt and destroy.)
The Hawkins squad came close to slaughtering the slimy sadist in the fourth season.
“He got blasted into pieces and fell three stories,” says Ross. “They’ve been searching since the last season ended, but have no leads. They don’t know exactly where Vecna is or what he is planning.” When he does appear, he won’t look the same. After the fall, adds Ross, “he had to rebuild his body. Though he appears stronger in some ways, there are also holes and gaps in his body. He is more monstrous and less human. He’s quite a bit scarier.”
Eleven also has the government on her tail.
“They’re hunting her for the same reason they’ve always been hunting her,” says Ross. “She’s a weapon, or at least that’s how they view her. When we find her, she’s been in training. She has the same powers, but she’s honing them and learning how to use them in new and exciting ways.”
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She’s being hidden by her adoptive father, Chief of Police Jim Hopper (David Harbour), who wants to protect her but also prepare her for the fight of her life.
“Hopper’s training for these Upside Down crawls, prepping for a final battle with Vecna,” Harbour teases. “He doesn’t tell the people he loves, but he’s gearing up for something big.” And lying to the people he cares about to keep his mission hidden takes its toll: “There are the exterior threats like Vecna, but the real challenge is living with this heroism that’s full of deep love but also betrayal. He sees it as his only answer, but it strains his relationships when people find out.”
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Leading the Feds’ hunt for Eleven is a scowling new face, Dr. Kay, played by Linda Hamilton. The Terminator action star is just one of many ’80s icons the Duffers have cast over the years.
“I loved the whole world this show invented. It reminded me of E.T. and sweet relationship movies from that era,” Hamilton says.
Dr. Kay is the military’s lead scientist, and “her sole focus is finding Eleven,” the actress previews. “Everything else, the loss of life and the cataclysmic stuff happening around her, does not shake her from her mission. Science is what matters, and she’s very much trying to stop the drama that’s unfolding and thinks she’s doing the right thing for Hawkins. Nothing gets in her way.”
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While Eleven and her action-hero dad are on their journey, the rest of the gang rallies around the show’s other fiercely protective main parent, Will’s mom Joyce (Winona Ryder), who is involved with Hopper. Says Ryder, “They’re a great team because they can call each other out and support each other.” And you can bet their investigator buddy Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) won’t miss any of the fun either.
This bigger group’s HQ is on a new set, the Squawk radio station. Another fresh location is the massive “destroyed” Hawkins, built on a lot. Returning spots are the junkyard and the oldie but goodie (or gooey) Upside Down tunnels.
“A lot of the focus is tying back in to Seasons 1 and 2,” Matt says. “You see how all the puzzle pieces fit together. Lots of callbacks. We flash back to previous seasons and moments, and you see how everything is connected.”
Adds his brother, “As our characters learn new information — say, about the Upside Down and Vecna — things in the past take on new meaning. Mysteries of the past are solved.”
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And of course, keep an eye on sensitive, artistic Will, the eye of this story’s storm since the series premiere.
“Will has some sort of connection to the evil that’s going on in the Upside Down. We get into that and explore what that means, and what it means for Will moving forward,” says Matt.
Will has always been able to sense the Mind Flayer, but last season, he was far away in California.
“Now we’re seeing the effects of Will being back in [Hawkins],” says Schnapp. “We hit the ground running, which is not how we’ve started any other season. Everyone is in one place; we have the same objective. He’s more than just the kid who got kidnapped — you see what’s beyond that. I’m excited to see him exploring his identity and understanding his connection to the Upside Down.”
He’ll form a bond with the gang’s polyglot Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), who mentors him. Says Hawke: “His character becomes himself this year, in more ways than one. That makes Robin feel less alone and useful.”
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Also finding more purpose is Mike, who is “back in leadership mode, and he’s taken it upon himself to help plan missions,” Wolfhard notes. “Mike started as the Dungeon Master — always planning for disaster, fun, adventure to protect his friends. As the seasons have gone on, Mike has deviated from that, and now he’s back. No one else is going to be the optimist when there’s such dark things happening.”
Mike and Eleven still manage to see each other, too.
“There’s one scene where he’s talking to Eleven,” Wolfhard previews, “and he tells her that we’re all going to be OK, and that we’re going to move on from Hawkins, and it’s this nice fantasy way of Mike thinking. That was fun to do because it felt like Season 1.”
The actor also hints about a “pivotal, emotional scene” at a hospital where he and big sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) are waiting for their mom, Karen (Cara Buono). “Both of us are feeling the guilt of not telling our parents what’s been going on with the Upside Down.”
Dyer teases that Nancy “has a bit of a journey. At first, she’s leading this charge. That’s very Nancy. But things shift, and she has some real things to come to terms with — some decision. We’re still wearing pastel pink, though, so some things never change.”
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Nancy has been struggling in her murky relationship with Will’s older brother, moody photographer Jonathan (Charlie Heaton).
“He lied to her. All is not well,” Matt says. Waiting in the wings is loyal Steve Harrington (Joe Keery). “Steve has big hero moments,” Matt adds. “And there’s this unrequited love for Nancy.”
Throwing the group dynamic off balance is Dustin’s grief over the death of metalhead Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn).
“Dustin is so wrapped up in the common goal to find and kill Vecna that he’s not really dealing with the loss,” Matarazzo says. “He tries to keep Eddie’s spirit alive through changes in himself, like the music he’s listening to and his clothes. It’s hard for him to be the same person. That’s affected the way he is with his friends.”
At least Steve is there to support his pal. “A lot of Steve’s struggle this season is feeling like [Dustin] is closed off and acting rashly,” Keery notes.
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The worst off is Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), who moved to Hawkins in Season 2. In the fourth-season finale, Vecna killed her during their quest to destroy him. She was revived (barely) and is now in a coma. Lucas visits daily, playing her favorite song, “Running Up That Hill,” by Kate Bush.
“He holds that burden of wishing he could have saved Max,” says McLaughlin. “He feels like it’s his fault that she’s where she’s at.” Adds Sink: “There’s still a small glimmer of hope, though, and her friends are hanging on to that.”
The Hawkins crew has some extra support with new monster-mashing recruits, following in the footsteps of Lucas’ smart little sis Erica (Priah Ferguson). The Wheelers’ youngest, Holly (new actress Nell Fisher), has a significant role, as does a boy who bullies her, Derek Turnbow (Jake Connolly).
With all that’s going on, it’s hard to fathom everyone surviving. When it comes to main character deaths, “There’s always potential, but it’s not like there’s a Red Wedding,” says Ross, referring to Game of Thrones‘ famed bloodbath.
Besides, saying goodbye is hard enough.
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“The last two weeks in general were very emotional,” says Matt, who notes that not everyone is in the final scene. “We tried to work it out so that everyone’s last scene in the show was the last scene [of them] that we filmed. Every time we wrapped one of our leads, it was intense.”
“I’d be like, ‘I’m fine. I’m not going to cry.’ Then someone starts crying, and then you’re crying. We were a mess,” adds Ross.
As for how the characters end up, Heaton says, “There’s a satisfying nature to it. You get closure. It was emotional seeing [the younger cast] playing out their childhoods. That also coming to an end for them in real life was like, wow.”
We’re gonna miss you too, Hawkins.
For an extended celebration of Stranger Things, from a Season 5 preview to must-see photos and more, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Stranger Things: The Final Chapter special issue, available for pre-order online now and on newsstands Friday, November 14.
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 1, Premiere, November 26, 2025, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 2, Premiere, December 25, 2025, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Finale, Premiere, December 31, 2025, Netflix and Select Theaters
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