Stranger Things season 5’s wildest fan theories – has Will been in the Upside Down the whole time?

Fans of Stranger Things, get ready! The fifth and final season is coming soon, giving us one last adventure in Hawkins and the Upside Down.

The creators of the popular Netflix series, the Duffer Brothers, are preparing a grand finale to the sci-fi teen drama that first captivated audiences back in July 2016.

Nine years after the show first aired, viewers have spent almost a decade speculating about the mysteries of the Upside Down and the strange events happening in Hawkins, Indiana.

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With the new episodes arriving on November 26th, we’ve rounded up some of the most unusual and fascinating fan theories floating around online.

Before we look at all the detailed theories fans have been sharing on Reddit – it’s like a whole other world of speculation! – let’s quickly remember what happened with these teenagers and their bikes last season.

How Stranger Things season 4’s finale set up season 5

Okay, so chapter four dropped in two parts in 2022, and it finally started to reveal who the main villain is! More importantly, it hinted at how this villain is connected to Eleven, and honestly, it made me really worried about what that means for Hawkins and everyone in it.

Originally appearing as a lab assistant at the facility where Eleven was experimented on – under the care of Dr. Brenner, also known as Papa (Matthew Modine) – One/Henry Creel/Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) is ultimately revealed to be the primary antagonist and the sole ruler of the Upside Down.

The season concluded with the group coming together to battle Vecna across two worlds, desperately trying to save Hawkins. It was a tough fight, and sadly, they lost one of their own (goodbye, Eddie Munson).

Though Vecna was defeated, it came at a great price. Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), while under Vecna’s control, seemingly died from her injuries. Eleven managed to bring Max back to life, but even that brief moment of death caused a disruption between dimensions.

Two days after a strange event shakes Hawkins, the season ends with a hint that Max might still be alive, despite appearing to be in a coma. Vecna also remains a threat. Will Byers, who shares a unique connection with the Upside Down from a past experience, feels that Vecna is still out there.

What could happen in Stranger Things season 5?

After briefly splitting up last season, the entire group will be back together in season five, following a short preview that generated a lot of excitement.

The latest installments, taking place in 1987, will focus on the group uniting to finally defeat Vecna. Eleven, with her incredible telekinetic abilities, will once again be crucial in stopping him.

El is pursued by the government, specifically by Dr. Kay, portrayed by Linda Hamilton, a new addition to the cast of Stranger Things and known for her role in Terminator.

Since the creators of the show have hinted that the mysteries of the Upside Down will be revealed in the final season, viewers have been sharing their theories about what it all means.

Will has been in the Upside Down the whole time

Okay, so a lot of us fans have been wondering about this since the end of season two. It all started when Will seemed to shake off the Mind Flayer’s control, and we’ve been trying to figure out what that meant ever since.

As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, and knowing he’s connected to Vecna, it’s possible the original Will is still being held captive in the Upside Down.

A fan theory circulating on Reddit proposes that the Will Byers we’ve been seeing for the last three seasons isn’t the real Will, but a copy made by Vecna, and the actual Will has been trapped in the Upside Down the entire time.

Although Will and Vecna clearly share a powerful connection, demonstrated in the season four finale, it’s probably not true that Will is a clone secretly controlled by Vecna.

So far, Will hasn’t done anything to hinder the group, as one Reddit user noted.

With the gateway between Hawkins and the Upside Down now fully open, Will’s connection to the other dimension will be stronger than ever, potentially even stronger than when he was possessed in season two. He’ll use this connection to try and defeat Vecna, but Vecna will also be actively trying to control his mind, leading to an internal struggle.

Okay, so I’m starting to think the big finale isn’t just going to be Eleven versus Vecna. It looks like Will might actually have a bigger role to play than we thought, which is pretty exciting!

The characters are all committed to a psychiatric hospital

Now, this is a theory that would make us yell at the screen.

Similar to the popular “Pokémon Coma Theory”, one fan proposed a surprising and somewhat unsettling ending to Stranger Things: all the characters, including Joyce, Hopper, and even Murray, are actually patients in a mental institution.

One fan believes Will’s apparent death in the first season deeply traumatized Joyce, leading her to create the events we see. They theorize she’s actually in a psychiatric hospital and everything is based on her interpretation of Will’s drawings and his interest in Dungeons & Dragons.

Hopper is struggling after the loss of his daughter, much like other patients we’ve seen. Murray is obsessed with conspiracies, explaining his connection to the Russians and the unfolding story. Vecna appears to symbolize mental illness, which is why he’s presented as the villain.

“If done well, this could be pretty good,” they concluded.

It seems we have different opinions on this. We’re concerned that ending the story with a difficult depiction of mental health or grief might not be the satisfying conclusion we’re aiming for.

From the very beginning of Stranger Things, fans have playfully theorized that the entire story might actually be a Dungeons & Dragons game. This idea, though seemingly unlikely, stems from the many parallels between the characters, events in the show, and the role-playing game itself.

Erica and Vecna have a one-on-one

Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson), Lucas’s (Caleb McLaughlin) little sister and a standout character in Stranger Things, is known for being both witty and a little bit intimidating.

A Reddit user who enjoys the show expressed a wish to see Erica and Vecna interact in the fifth season, likely hoping Erica would confront him about his actions.

Erica’s witty comments have saved some of the show’s slower parts, but Vecna is on a whole other level of threat. We definitely don’t want anything bad to happen to Erica, so let’s not even consider putting her in danger for now.

Steve fakes his own death

Fans are excited about the possibility of Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) returning, even though it seemed like his character died. Some believe he might have faked his death.

A new and interesting theory suggests Steve Harrington might not actually die in the upcoming season of Stranger Things. It’s based on a brief scene in the teaser trailer where Dustin tearfully hugs Steve, as if they’ve been separated for a long time. One fan believes this emotional moment hints that Steve’s death could be faked.

Given everything we know, it’s clear Steve survived, which is a major relief, especially for Dustin who was heartbroken by Eddie’s death last season. This explains Dustin’s emotional reaction to seeing Steve is still alive.

It’s possible Nancy is grieving someone close to her, as shown in a tearful scene from the trailer. With fans hoping for a romance between Nancy and Steve in the final season, many are speculating about a storyline where Steve seemingly dies but might not be gone for good.

Vecna has already killed Kali

Back in season two, Eleven had her own adventure away from Hawkins.

While traveling to Chicago by bus, Brown’s character encountered Kali Prasad, also known as Eight (Linnea Berthelsen), another child who had been subjected to experiments by Brenner and his team.

Similar to Vecna, Kali has the ability to cause hallucinations. Because of this shared power, a Stranger Things fan has proposed a theory that Vecna might have secretly killed Kali and taken her abilities for himself.

Someone pointed out that Vecna might have already killed Kali, noting his power to create illusions and hallucinations is very similar to hers.

Another viewer felt it would be a missed opportunity not to give Kali a good conclusion to her story, or even bring her back for a future plotline. We’ll have to wait and see if she appears to assist El in the upcoming major conflict.

You can watch seasons 1 through 4 of Stranger Things on Netflix now. The fifth and final season will arrive in two parts: the first four episodes premiere November 26th, then three more episodes will be released on Christmas Day. The very last episode will be available on Netflix December 31st.

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2025-10-26 10:22