Credit: NetflixFew television franchises have expanded quite like Stranger Things.
What began as a supernatural mystery about a missing boy in Hawkins, Indiana, has grown into one of Netflix’s biggest properties, spanning five seasons, video games, books, merchandise, a stage production, and multiple upcoming spinoffs.
Even though the main series has now come to an end, the story of Hawkins is far from over.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow has already taken the franchise back to 1959, decades before Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the rest of the gang first encountered the Upside Down. The stage production explores the origins of Henry Creel, who would eventually become Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), and has become an important part of the wider Stranger Things mythology.
Netflix has also filmed the Broadway production for a future streaming release, although a release date has yet to be announced. Now, that story is heading somewhere else entirely.
Related: ‘Stranger Things’ Latest Season Not Entirely Canon, Says Showrunner
Stranger Things Is Getting a New Adaptation
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is officially being adapted into a graphic novel by Dark Horse. The 80-plus-page adaptation has been written by Rachel Pinnelas and illustrated by Jake Bartok, bringing the stage prequel to the page for fans who want to experience the story outside of the theater.
The comic will revisit Hawkins in 1959, following young Henry Creel after his family arrives in town and he begins forming a relationship with Patty Newby. However, Henry’s troubled past soon catches up with him, setting the events of The First Shadow into motion.
The comic is currently scheduled for release in January 2027. But this is far from the only way Stranger Things is continuing.
The animated series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is returning for a second season on September 17, 2026, with the new story taking place between the events of seasons 2 and 3 of the original series.
Netflix is also developing an untitled live-action Stranger Things spinoff based on an original idea from creators Matt and Ross Duffer, although few details about that project have been revealed.
For a franchise that has officially ended its main story, there certainly doesn’t seem to be any shortage of Stranger Things left to come.
What do you make of Netflix’s latest plans for Stranger Things? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
