The new season has some big questions to answer.
Stranger Things is set to return for its highly-anticipated fourth season this summer.
While no official air date has been announced yet, we know that filming has wrapped, so here’s to hoping it’ll be sooner rather than later.
The new season’s plot has managed to avoid any major leaks so far, but we know it has some major questions to answer following season three’s explosive 77-minute finale. For example, what is the up with the Soviets? And will Eleven’s powers ever come back?
So as we await to embark back on our trip back to ’80s America, let’s take a look at what’s in store.
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It’s the most ambitious season yet.
Producer Shawn Levy previously said that this season will be the scariest and most ambitious season yet, making it well worth the wait.
“I’ll just say that we are long-delayed, and the Duffers and I want to share season four with the world as badly as the world wants it,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
“Part of what’s taking time is long before COVID and the pandemic existed, season four was built to be by far the most ambitious, cinematic, sprawling and epic season that we’ve ever done.
“By not just a little – by a lot. So the complexity of season four, even before we had the obstacles, hurdles and challenges of a pandemic, is taking a lot of time because it is super worth the wait.”
Sounds promising.
There are new cast members galore.
Stanger Things would be nothing without its colourful cast of wonderful actors. And it’s recently been confirmed, via Twitter, that a whole bunch of fresh faces will be coming on board this season.
Myles Truitt will take on the role of a basketball player named Patrick, whose life begins to “spiral out of control” following a series of events.
Irish actress Amy-Beth McNulty is set to play one of the gang’s new love interests and is described as “a cool, fast-talking band nerd”. There will also be a new popular kid in town, played by Mason Dye – and we can’t wait to see Steve’s reaction to this addition.
Outside of High School, Robert Englund, best know for his iconic portrayal of Freddie Kreuger in the ’80s Nightmare on Elm Street franchise will come on board to play “a disturbed and intimidating man who is imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital”.
Meanwhile, Game of Thrones star Tom Wlaschiha plays a handsome Russian guard.
Hopper’s dark backstory will be revealed
Season four is set to dive deep into the story of everyone’s favourite police chief, Jim Hopper. Season one mentioned that, once upon a time, Hopper was a big city cop, but no more major details were given about his backstory. In fact, much is still unknown about him.
David Harbour, who plays Hopper in the show, said his character is about to find himself in some very dark places this season.
“There’s some fun stuff that we’re doing this season, but it’s also the heaviest dramatic stuff I’ve ever had to do,” he told Entertainment Tonight.
“We get to see a lot of Hopper at his most vulnerable, we’re gonna reveal a lot of backstory points that we’ve only hinted at in boxes in his attic. We’re gonna see a lot of these different threads, and also, we get to see a rebirth of him.”
A huge character may be in grave danger
Fans are convinced that season four may be the end for one of the show’s main characters.
The trailer features a very ominous door in the middle of the desert and many are theorising that this is an entrance to an underground military base. Viewers believe that the base houses Project Nina – which also happens to be the title of episode five – and that Eleven is going to end up there.
Diging deep into the theory, one Reddit users suggested it could be where Eleven finds herself trapped and where Dr Brenner will make a comeback.
“It will be where they detain and entrap El for now. It doubling as a lab means I think this will be where El remembers everything and where Brenner will return. Possibly restoring her powers too.”
Others went on to suggest she could be brainwashed there, or even killed – and while we hope that doesn’t happen, we’ll just have to wait and see.
It’s not the final season – but the end is in sight
Shows focusing on children/young teens can only go on for so long before writer’s either have to skip into the future to account for the ages of the actors, or end the story entirely.
Producer Levy previously told Entertainment Weekly: “The truth is we’re definitely going four seasons and there’s very much the possibility of a fifth. Beyond that, it becomes I think very unlikely.”
Harbour also recently hinted that the end of Stranger Things may be coming soon in an interview promoting Marvel’s Black Widow.
“I mean, [season four] is bigger, that’s the first thing,” he said. “In scope, in scale, even in the idea that we’re not in Hawkins anymore. We, locale-wise, we’re bigger. We’re introducing new stuff, but we’re also tightening and wrapping up in a certain direction to make it have a clear, clean specific, and definite ending at some point, which I can’t really talk about.”
Stranger Things season one to three is available to stream now on Netflix.
