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We’re expecting two trailers for Season 5 of Stranger Things ahead of its second volume, which is due out at Christmas. We’ve already had plenty of details about what’s still to come, thanks to interviews, theories, and clues (see our full Volume 2 look-ahead here), but you might not know that several first looks for Volume 2 have already surfaced. Let’s walk through where the story seems to be heading next and how that lines up with recent leaks and other hints.
With massive thanks to Stranger Things Spoilers for helping piece together some of these sequences and predictions for Volume 2! As soon as Netflix releases a Volume 2 teaser and official trailer, we’ll post it with complete breakdowns!
Warning: The following section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!
Nancy, Jonathan, Dustin, and Steve: Return to Hawkins Lab
Nancy, Jonathan, Dustin, and Steve followed one of the Demogorgons into a portal in the side of a grain silo, and now they’re trapped in the Upside Down. The last we see of them, they are in a small chapel, devising a plan to get through the wall. Dustin uses algebra to discover that the wall is in a circle and at the center of this circle: Hawkins Lab.
In the initial teaser trailer, we can see the four walking up to the Hawkins Lab (Department of Energy), which they determine is where the Upside Down was created.
The Theory: Leaks suggest Hawkins Lab will be a massive part of Volume 2 in two timelines. While the main group investigates the vine-covered, present-day lab during the dimension merger (likely in the episode Shock Jock), we also expect significant flashbacks.
These flashbacks may reveal the early days of the lab involving Dr. Kay. As a two-star general, she may have been Dr. Brenner’s superior.
In the main trailer, Jonathan and Nancy witness an exploding ball that sends massive electrical shockwaves toward the wall, which has thus far been indestructible.
Picture Credit: Netflix
Picture Credit: Netflix
Lucas & Max: The Hospital Escape
One thing we know from the teaser and trailer is that a tense hospital escape is coming. We see a Jurassic Park-style “Raptors in the Kitchen” sequence, where Demodogs are hunting Max, Lucas, and Vickie in the laundry room. We’ve yet to see the Demodogs in the season thus far, with Demogorgons having primarily been used to “collect” kids thus far. The use of Demodogs suggests a “hunt and kill” mission given that we suspect Max is now causing havoc in the dream world of Henry’s mind.
Picture: Netflix
The “12 Kids” Connection: The ongoing theory is that Vecna needs 12 children to power a wormhole large enough for the Mind Flayer to cross into Hawkins in its final physical form. Max is a crucial piece of this puzzle, which explains why the creatures are so desperate to stop her from escaping Henry’s mind, where she’s now causing an issue, given that she seems to be out of reach in the cave.
Hopper and Eleven: The Tank
By the end of Volume 1, Hopper and Eleven have broken into the military installation within the Upside Down and found Kali.
“Let’s end this kid,” Hopper tells Eleven as she puts on a plastic head cover, akin to the one she’s previously used with Papa when searching for people.
Fun fact as previously reported, Hopper is wearing an Ace Hardware hat from Heflin, Alabama. It’s been discovered that this is a real shop that burned down in 1988.
What is happening here? Eleven is seen wearing a plastic head covering, heavily implying a sensory deprivation tank sequence. Leaks strongly suggest this is the moment Eleven dives into a makeshift tub to rescue Max and Holly. Some leaks and theorists have also thought that El, Max, and Holly will further go into Henry Creel’s memories from the 1950s.
Since this episode, Escape from Camazotz, is written by Kate Trefry, who wrote the stage play The First Shadow, many believe that it ties into the fact that this episode will be more of a flashback one in the hopes to learn how to defeat Vecna.
The Villains: The Mind Flayer and Vecna’s Evolution
In the initial teaser trailer, we see the radio tower swarmed by the Mind Flayer.
Picture: Netflix
The Merger: This visual supports the theory that Hawkins is merging with the Upside Down (likely during the episode The Bridge). The Mind Flayer attacking the tower—which has been the hub of communication and planning—suggests a strategic move to cripple the heroes before the final invasion.
Furthermore, leaks indicate Vecna will evolve further in Volume 2, becoming less human and more monstrous, potentially matching early concept art by Michael Maher Jr.
Will Byers: “The Spy” Returns?
While not pictured in the stills, there is a massive quote looming quote over Volume 2 that was placed in the main trailer but not actually used in the volume 1 finale: “You were my vessel. My spy. My builder.”
Many expect this moment to occur in the episode “Shock Jock,” during a sequence in which Will screams as Vecna’s hand covers his face (visually similar to Voldemort touching Harry Potter’s scar). Ross Duffer has teased that Season 2, Episode 6 (“The Spy”) is the key to understanding this: Will has, in a way, been working for the Mind Flayer all along.
The group hug picture
One still from the trailer, which hasn’t been used yet in the series, is the group hug photo, which has caused a lot of discussion. Most of the speculation circles around the idea that the person at the centre is Will Byers, thanks to the hoodie and the overall body language that match his usual wardrobe.
Across Reddit threads and trailer breakdowns, the consensus leans toward a big Byers family beat, framed as a post-ordeal embrace rather than a mid-season reunion. What do you think?
Picture Credit: Netflix
As revealed today, the finale of Stranger Things will run 2 hours and 5 minutes, and will be shown in 500 select cinemas across the United States and Canada.
Countdown to Stranger Things 5
Stranger Things 5 Volume 1
Stranger Things 5 Volume 2
Stranger Things 5 Finale
