Credit: Inside the MagicStranger Things has finally concluded on Netflix. After five seasons across nine years, the hit series came to an explosive end on the streamer on December 31.
The finale, titled “The Rightside Up”, pitted our heroes against Henry Creel, AKA Vecna/One (Jamie Campbell Bower), in a battle that determined the fate of mankind, with the “dark wizard” attempting to bring his homeworld to Earth by using the Upside Down as a “bridge.”
The likes of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Joyce (Winona Ryder), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Steve (Joe Keery), Robin (Maya Hawke), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Will (Noah Schnapp), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) were forced to take the fight to Vecna’s home turf, while also setting plans in motion to destroy the Upside Down once and for all. Watch the official trailer for the finale below:
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Executive Producer and Showrunner Hints at More Seasons Beyond Finale
Stranger Things Season 5: Unanswered Questions
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Season 5 Episode 8, “The Rightside Up”!
So how do things pan out? Well, the good guys win, but sadly, it comes at a huge cost.
After beating Vecna, the gang, along with Hopper (David Harbour), Murray (Brett Gelman), and Max (Sadie Sink), return home only to be apprehended by the villainous Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) and her soldiers, who intend to use Eleven to create more telekinetic children.
However, the super-powered teen bows out in a blaze of glory, perishing in the explosion that wipes out the Upside Down, thus ending the cycle of shady government and military types abusing children and expectant mothers in their quest to wield the ultimate power.
However, the Duffer brothers sprinkle the finale with clues that Eleven may have survived. But the episode also leaves another question unanswered: what was that rock inside the briefcase?
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Being Repurposed for Younger Viewers Once Main Series Ends
Season 5 Links to The First Shadow
In the Season 5 finale, we finally learn why Henry is terrified of the cave Max and Holly (Nell Fisher) had been hiding in in his woodland memory. Inside the cave, as a young boy, he brutally murdered an unnamed scientist holding a briefcase containing a mysterious rock.
Upon physical contact, the rock fuses with Henry, connecting him with the Mind Flayer and giving him his powers, setting in motion the events of Stranger Things — he becomes the genetic source for all the “numbered” children at Hawkins National Laboratory, including Eleven. And he eventually becomes the god-like monster the characters come to call Vecna.
The briefcase was first introduced in the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a prequel set in 1959 Hawkins that’s canon with the flagship series, focusing on a young Joyce, Hopper, Bob Newby, and Henry. But the play doesn’t reveal the contents of said briefcase.
All we know is that the scientists travel to “Dimension X”, which is likely the source of the rock and may even be Vecna’s homeworld, the “Abyss”, as revealed in Season 5.
Related: Brand-New ‘Stranger Things’ Experience Allows Fans To Visit Hawkins and the Upside Down
Stranger Things Spinoff
So, it’s fair to say that the rock is alien, but we don’t know anything else. However, a new Stranger Things series will explore it further. In a recent interview with Variety, the Duffer brothers confirmed that a live-action Stranger Things spinoff will “delve into” its origins.
“The spinoff is going to delve into that [the briefcase rock] and explain that, and you’re going to understand it,” Matt Duffer revealed. “But it’s a completely different mythology. So it’s not a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer or anything like that. It’s very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining.”
“We’re actually really excited,” he continued, adding that the show will wipe the slate clean and feature “new characters”, a “new town”, a “new world”, and “new mythology.” He emphasized that there will be “no common characters” with the main Netflix series.
Though it’s not yet confirmed, it sounds like the spinoff will be set in the 1950s like the play.
Tales From ’85
Fortunately, another upcoming Stranger Things spinoff will feature several main characters: the upcoming 3D animated series Tales From ’85.
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 takes place between seasons 2 and 3 and follows Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and other well-known characters from the flagship series, with a new set of actors lending their vocal talents to the entire ensemble.
Tales From ’85 premieres on Netflix sometime this year. Watch the official teaser below:
Where Can I Watch the Stranger Things Finale?
Stranger Things is now a multimedia franchise that includes tie-in novels, comic books, mobile games, tabletop games, VR titles, walk-through experiences, and a stage production.
Stranger Things seasons 1 — 5 are now streaming on Netflix.
Season 5 also stars Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair) and Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler).
Which Stranger Things spinoff are you most excited about? Share your thoughts with us in the comments down below!