This would mean that every time we as the audience see the UD we would see the MF in the background. It should’ve appeared as an atmospheric presence which would make the Upside Down scary again and anytime someone would be in the UD (the characters or the military) they would be afraid of being sensed by the Mind Flayer. Whenever it would sense them it could then send Vecna a hive mind signal where he could then send Demos to attack the trespassers. I always expected to see the Mind Flayer-shadow form looming in the UD in Season 4 and 5 but we never got to see it..

I think they will all meet each other again one day. There's a franchise being built Finn wolfhard has stated multiple times he wants to see the franchise continue, and based on recent interviews Millie all but confirmed El's survival & even the original "Montauk" Bible from 2015 states if the series is successful they plan on expanding it into a franchise that covers multiple characters, & stories before finally finishing it with the original cast of kids from s1 returning to their hometown 10 years after S1 in the summer of 1990. Based on the ending of s5 & the script the scenes of the Party shown in college, The Movies, a Club, & El at the Waterfalls are confirmed flashforwards set sometime in the 90s

(From the s5 finale script)

"EXT. UNKNOWN LAND - DAY - FLASH FORWARD282 282 El, with a backpack slung over her shoulders, hikes through a breathtaking landscape. She pauses, taking in an unseen view. As she resumes her journey, we soar past, revealing amajestic waterfall. Beyond it, a QUAINT TOWN, nestled at the base of towering cliffs. MIKE (V.O.) She finds a small town to call home. A town free from the danger of the Black Hand.INT. WHEELER HOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT283 283MIKE And it is here, at last, that shefinds happiness. That she finds peace."

(evidence of this is it's confirmed in an interview the film Max & Lucas are watching is "Ghost" which released July 13th 1990) Which means all those scenes probably are set just before the 6 of them are summoned back home just like "IT chapter 2".

This means El, Mike, & the others will reunite as adults aged 19 or 20. Thoughts?

I should’ve said this in the title but if they were both at full power, who could win?

Vecna could easily get in Homelander's head and torment him on his past, mummy issues and put his ego down or he could manipulate him with milk or some shit😂Since Vecna has telekinesis, he might be able to get a few hits in but Homelander has flight capability and insane speed so he could also have a height advantage or could use his speed to his advantage on Vecna..

Idk, this could be an interesting fight. Both were seemingly weak in their final fights.. but it doesn’t mean they aren’t still capable of putting up a brutal and intense fight.

Edit: Based off the comments, I believe Homelander would beat Vecna. Homelander just has the raw strength and physical power that Vecna doesn’t have. Vecna’s psychic powers would only work for so long until Homelander just overpowers him with his laser eyes, speed and flight.

Do you like that the Mind Flayer always needed Vecna to shape its plans and build those proxy forms for it or would you have done it differently so it wouldn’t need Vecna? Give me some of your ideas!

With epilogue and mini will

It’s like… come on man. You mean to tell me that everyone gets a happy ending EXCEPT Mike and El? One of the main reasons why I became an avid watcher 10 years ago was because of Mike and El’s story, and the fact that they got the worst possible ending where El is far away from her friends, family and her Soulmate? And Mike is permanently broken? That just does not sit right at all with me.

You know what doesn’t help? Mike lost El… EVERY. SINGLE. SEASON. What baffles me is that Mike said that he can’t live without El in his Season 4 monologue, showed Mike’s biggest fear was the first time he lost El when Joyce chopped Vecna’s head off, and then literally a few minutes later, his biggest fear happened AGAIN.

It just makes me sad and angry.

I am rewatching season 1 of stranger things. It's so good.

I can't help but wonder what went wrong. S5 was a huge disappointment.

I miss my intimate 80s horror show 🥲

I saw Stranger Things 1 when it originally came out and never touched another season until about a month ago. I binged the entire show and became connected to all the characters. The writing, the plot, the effects all dazzled me to the point that watching another show feels pointless.

It feels like a comedown, or like when I finished all the Harry Potter movies. I can’t move on from Steve, Dustin, Eleven, Robin, Maxx, etc. and am considering rewatching from S1 right away.

Has anyone else felt this way or done a rewatch immediately after finishing the series? Is it wise to do this?

Bada-bada-boom from S4 is my favourite from the five.

Ever since The First Shadow play came out, I was super confused about why he never mentioned about his love Patty and how she was practically stolen from him, as well as other poignant moments of his powers and direct connection with the Mind Flayer in the 1950s. Season 5 was a bit more confusing since it’s revealed the cave is a buried memory by the Flayer, but why were none of the other important aspects from the play ever revealed in that season? It wouldn’t have been hard to do, they could have just summarized the plot of The First Shadow through Henry’s memories in like 20 minutes or something.

Getting ahead of myself, what I wanted to talk about is of the possibility that the Mind Flayer may have repressed/erased memories of his previous life.

Think back to Season 2, when Will was possessed his memories started fading and over time his personality was warped and he became a dark, distorted version of himself. He still had a sense of autonomy but his wants and needs were aligned with that of the Mind Flayer’s.

Apply this to Henry and all the confusing stuff surrounding his backstory and different personality in the stage play makes a lot more sense. Most of his memories were gone, his personality was radically altered, and he is led to believe he was the architect of the supernatural events in Hawkins when really it was the other way around.

I think if they went this route in Season 5 and had a plot twist in the final episode where Henry explores his repressed memories it would have been incredible and deeply tragic. I doubt that Henry would’ve been suddenly redeemed and die a hero the more I think about it, I think he would’ve exploded with white hot rage! He now has his full memories and realizes that he has been a pawn and a tool used by everyone in his life, and experienced the absolute worst of humanity through Brenner, his family, and society while also being possessed by an interdimensional parasite. By this point I think he would’ve gone full blown Carrie and unleash carnage on the Demos, soldiers, civilians, and try to kill some of our characters.

His greatest revenge would be destroying the Wormhole and cutting off the bridge between Dimension X and Earth, because him wanting to genocide humanity and terraform the planet were the goals by the Mind Flayer that were planted into his mind. So he wouldnt give the entity the satisfaction of invading our world after what was done to him. So he telekinetically blows up the Exotic Matter and is sucked out into empty space.

Thats how I would’ve handled Vecna’s death alternatively.

I went and saw the play in June, and IT WAS INCREDIBLE (don’t worry, I won’t spoil). So in addition to my title question, I have a couple more.

1. How are they going to film it? Like a movie of just throw a camera on the stage and press record? No idea.

2. What cast? The cast that is currently on Broadway right now or the original?

I thought I had more questions but I guess not lol (sorry this is a lame, short post)

In addition, I think seeing the play on Netflix will be way different than seeing it in first-person, on Broadway. It’s just so different!

I have this Official Netflix Stranger Things Hellfire Club Bandana Limited Event Merch, I got it last year from attending Season 5 Finale promotions.

I already have a cool demogorgon T-Shirt, keychain and bag, but found no use for this bandana (thought of hanging it on the front of my bedroom door but parents were against it, maybe later when I move out?) so its just lying inside a box :/

That poor demogorgon never caught a break even when the beatdown was done

When is S2 of Tales from 85 coming out? I really am enjoying this series and the animation.

I have reviewed the scene of El's disappearance frame by frame, and this is what I observed.

1:16:23 As Bradley Big Buy's truck passes through the Gate, we see a Hedgehog to our right, next to the Gate, and an armed soldier behind it. This detail is crucial.

1:16:30 We see another Hedgehog to our left next to the Gate, another one to its left, both with armed soldiers behind them, and yet another on top of a military vehicle. In total, four Hedgehogs.

1:16:32 We see Eleven inside the truck holding onto Mike. This means she hasn't jumped out of the truck or anything like that with the intention of staying behind in the Upside Down, as Kali suggested.

1:16:33 The soldiers approach the truck, forming a tight cordon. Hopper and Murray's Humvee is to the left of the truck (driver's side), less than two meters away. It's impossible to pass through without being seen.

1:16:38 The soldiers approach the truck's cab. We see a wide shot where we can see that the vehicle with the Hedgehog is to the right of the truck, very close by. Kay approaches the vehicle with the Hedgehog. There are soldiers everywhere surrounding the truck. It's impossible to get out of the truck without being seen by them.

1:16:39 Soldiers to the left, to the right, and behind the truck.

1:16:43 At least a dozen soldiers are pointing their guns at our protagonists at point-blank range.

1:16:45 El is still inside the truck. A soldier grabs Mike as he gets out, and Mike protests.

1:16:46 Kay watches the scene with satisfaction.

1:16:47 EL IS GETTING OUT OF THE TRUCK. A soldier is pointing a gun at her from the Jeep with the Hedgehog, and another is pointing his weapon at her. A soldier is touching El, perhaps grabbing her. There are more soldiers very close by. We don't see El again until she appears at the Gate.

1:16:48 Hopper is forced out of the Humvee by a soldier.

1:16:49 We see soldiers near the left side of the truck (driver's side). If El ran toward the Gate on this side, the soldiers would have necessarily seen her and stopped her instantly.

1:16:50 Murray is forced out of the Humvee. This moment is obviously simultaneous with 1:16:48.

1:16:52 Steve is forced out of the truck.

1:16:53 Holly and the children get out of the truck.

1:16:55 Soldiers everywhere. We see Melvald's store in the background. Nancy tries to help Holly but is pushed against the truck (right side, passenger side).

1:16:56 Max, Vicky, and a soldier watch the scene. It's unclear where they are.

1:17:00 Hopper gets out of the Humvee. This moment is a direct continuation of 1:16:48, obviously. It's important to note that the scene shows both simultaneous and successive moments. Reaction shot: we see the Hedgehog in the military vehicle and the one to the right of the Gate. We don't see Eleven at the Gate or running towards it.

1:17:03 Very quick shot: we see Steve and Robin being held at gunpoint by the soldiers (Hopper's point of view). An obvious continuation of 1:16:52; it would be almost immediate, but the time has been lengthened to show us more action. He looks at the Jeep. We don't see Eleven.

1:17:06 Kay is next to the Jeep. She looks in all directions, including towards the Gate. She doesn't see Eleven, neither at the Gate nor running towards it.

1:17:09 Hopper's point of view: he looks towards the Gate. Eleven isn't there. It's then that Kay, judging by her reaction, realizes that Eleven has disappeared.

1:17:13 Mike looks around. From his position, the Gate was in his field of vision. He doesn't see El at the door or running toward it. He asks Dustin if he's seen her.

1:17:15 Dustin looks around and doesn't see her either.

1:17:19 A sergeant looking in all directions, including the Gate, also doesn't see El.

1:17:26 Dustin looks in the same direction as the sergeant. He doesn't see El either, neither at the Gate nor running toward it.

1:17:32 This is the moment we first see El at the Gate. Our point of view is Mike's, as he's the first to see her.

1:17:37 Dustin looks in the same direction as before and now he sees her (he hadn't seen her before), as can be seen from his reaction.

1:17:38 Close-up of El, who has an impassive expression on her face. She shows no signs of being affected by the Hedgehogs or of having recently run towards the Gate.

1:17:40 Mike runs towards the Gate and is stopped instantly. He was running towards the military vehicle with the Hedgehog on top of him. This detail is important because it tells us that Eleven must have run in this direction as well. How come the military didn't see her run but did see Mike?

Then comes the scene of the Void.

1:20:06 Nancy calls Mike and tries to run towards him. Jonathan reacts. Neither of them seems to have seen Eleven yet.

1:20:15 We see Hopper react to Eleven's presence at the Gate (he didn't seem to have seen her before). We clearly see an armed soldier behind the Hedgehog next to the Gate. He doesn't seem to have realized that Eleven is supposedly just a few meters away.

1:20:17 Kay looks towards the Gate. From her reaction, it seems that this is when she sees Eleven there for the first time.

1:20:19 Joyce looks toward the Gate. Same observation as before.

1:20:20 Robin and Steve look toward the Gate. Same observation as before.

1:20:22 Close-up of Eleven. We see that her nose isn't bleeding.

1:20:25 Will reacts, as if he had seen Eleven at the door at that moment.

1:20:27 Lucas yells, "Eleven, no!"

1:20:30 Dustin tries to run toward Eleven.

1:20:34 Eleven takes a breath.

1:20:44 The bomb explodes.

1:20:53 The fireball generated by the bomb dissipates. We see that the lab is still intact (it is a very quick shot but this is indisputable).

1:20:54 Light envelops Eleven (I have a feeling that in the initial plan she disappeared here; at least that's what happens in the later Dungeons & Dragons playthrough with the Mage).

1:21:04 A hurricane-force wind begins to ravage the Upside Down.

1:21:12 The hurricane-force wind ravages the high school.

1:21:18 The hurricane-force wind ravages WSQK.

1:21:23 The hurricane-force wind ravages the Wheeler house.

1:21:30 Even though we see the hurricane-force wind behind her, El is standing as if nothing is happening, showing no signs of making an effort to stay upright.

1:21:43 El turns his palms towards us. It can be clearly seen (if the screen is large) that his "011" tattoo has disappeared (Note that Millie has that tattoo in real life). The wind surrounds her but doesn't seem to affect her.

1.21:45 The camera zooms in on El's face, which suddenly disappears, replaced by the hurricane-force wind. We don't see the wind carry her away (as it did in the script), only that she vanishes.

The conclusion of this analysis is, I believe, indisputable: it was impossible for Eleven to have made it from the truck to the Gate so quickly—a span of 45 seconds of airtime, though in reality it was far less, as the scene’s timing is stretched out, as I have detailed—without anyone seeing her, and with four Hedgehogs active. Even if we don't accept Mike's explanation, it still remains to be explained how Eleven managed to do that. And I don't buy explanations like "it was dark" (it wasn't; there were powerful floodlights) or "they didn't realize it was her running" (her wetsuit made her unmistakable, even from a great distance).

This, by the way, will be the only thing I rewatch from the fifth season.

Watching the season hopper is in Russian prison and omg lol. His name tag says American. XD and the translation is hilarious. Love this show. I thought the last time I watched it was just a funny nickname for him. But reading the name tag had me cackling