Credit: NetflixStranger Things just got blown wide open after the epic prequel officially changed Vecna’s story. Will the result alter the future of the villain? And how will this new information impact the upcoming Stranger Things Season 5?
As one of Netflix’s biggest shows, Stranger Things has millions of fans. The fourth season alone generated so much hype and excitement–thanks in part to the resurgence of love for Kate Bush’s anthem “Running Up That Hill”– that volume one clocked in 287 million hours watched in its first week in May 2022. The second volume arrived in July 2022 and saw the heroes of Hawkins go up against Vecna in a shocking showdown.
And as fans anxiously await the arrival of Stranger Things Season 5, Netflix has finally released the episode titles and release structure. However, before the November arrival, the story has played out further not on the screen but on the stage…
*Contains spoilers for Stranger Things: The First Shadow*
Last year, Inside the Magic attended Stranger Things: The First Shadow in London’s West End and gleaned new information regarding the future of the beloved franchise. Following a cast of familiar characters in Hawkins 1959, Stranger Things: The First Shadow finds the likes of Joyce Maldonado (Isabella Pappas), Jim Hopper (Oscar Lloyd Jr.), and Bob Newby (Christopher Buckley), uncovering a sinister plot centering around Henry Creel, AKA One/Vecna (Louis McCartney).
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Acting as a prequel to the Stranger Things television show, the West End production also introduces new faces in order to explore Henry Creel’s childhood and those that shaped him into becoming the evil force known as Vecna. One of these characters, and one that changes everything we know about the villain’s character, is Patty Newby.
Played by Ella Karuna Williams, Patty Newby is the adopted daughter of Principal Newby (Matthew Pidgeon) and sister to Bob Newby–the character Joyce Byers (née Maldonado) dates in the Netflix show. In the three-hour theater production, Patty and Henry Creel become close friends, connecting over their respective loneliness within their family and community.
This new character, created for the stage show, and her relationship with Henry Creel changes everything fans know about Vecna, and it could be the answer the protagonists need to defeat the foe. The First Shadow explores the love the pair have for each other, and before being acquired by Dr. Brennan (Patrick Vaill) and becoming the first experiment at the institute, helps Patty Newby find her biological mother.
The end of Patty’s story in the production reveals that Vecna is still intrinsically connected to her. It also leaves the door open for Patty to transition into the fifth season of Stranger Things. What this also changes is the audience’s perception of Vecna and knowing this information lets viewers analyze his motives through a different lens.
Fans won’t have long to wait until all is revealed, though. The highly anticipated fifth and final season of Stranger Things is officially set to debut in late 2025, and fans can expect a release strategy that breaks away from Netflix’s traditional binge model.
Season 5 will be released in three parts. The first volume will arrive on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, followed by a second batch of episodes on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025, and concluding with a single-episode series finale on Wednesday, December 31, 2025. All episodes are expected to drop at 8:00 p.m. ET, with the release times aligning closely around the world.
Season 5 will comprise eight episodes, and the Duffer Brothers have teased that each installment will be feature-length, describing the final season as “eight blockbuster movies.”
Picking up about a year after the events of Season 4, the story jumps to fall 1987, as the town of Hawkins braces for its final confrontation with the Upside Down. The final season promises to deliver massive stakes, emotional payoffs, and the kind of cinematic storytelling that has become synonymous with the Netflix juggernaut.
And amid all of the development chaos, star Noah Schnapp faced intense scrutiny and backlash for being involved in controversial social content regarding the conflict in Israel and Palestine. Reports have surfaced suggesting that the dynamic on set has been impacted by Schnapp’s actions.
Stranger Things Season 5 will seemingly continue the story of Vecna’s rise to power and his continued attacks on Hawkins.
The show will see the return of Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven/Jane, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel/Vecna/One. The show will also see the arrival of Terminator icon Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay.
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Stranger Things: The First Shadow is currently playing at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End. The show is directed by Stephen Daldry, with co-direction by Justin Martin. Kate Trefry penned the script from an original story by her, the Duffer Brothers, and Jack Thorne.
Will you be heading out to see Stranger Things: The First Shadow before Stranger Things Season 5? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!