The nine-year journey ofStranger Thingsis teed up to finally culminate later this year with its fifth season, andnow fans finally have their first look at what seems to be an epic conclusion. The Upside Down is breaching Hawkins, and the fan-favorite group of unlikely heroes, mostly consisting of children, is posed to face off with evil one last time. Season 4 of the series revealed that Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) first test subject was the greater power pulling the strings from the depths of Dimension X after Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) banished him there, which was how Vecna was fully transformed from his human form, Henry Creel.
Vecna shaped the Upside Down in his image, created the Mind-Flayer, and controls Demogorgons and all the other creatures that inhabit this alternate dimension. The final shot of theStranger Things5trailer showcases a creature that could be the final boss and the true secret to the origin of the Upside Down, one even more powerful than Vecna.
The creature featured at the tail end of this new trailer could possibly be a new form of Vecna after its partial defeat at the hands of Eleven and company inStranger ThingsSeason 4, butits horned features and pointy hands are far more similar to one of the avatars of AsmodeusfromDungeons & Dragons.Stranger Thingscreators,The Duffer Brothers,have been very forthcoming that the big bads of each season were inspired byDungeons & Dragons, the same game Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) started all those years ago to kick offStranger Thingsthat mirrors the events that have taken place throughout the series.
Knowing that Dimension X existed well before Vecna shaped it to be a mirror image of Hawkins, a true mastermind andan even more powerful entity behind it allwould make a lot of sense.Asmodeus is known as the embodiment of evil, the ruler of all devils, a supreme strategist, and overlord of all the Nine Hells, which, in the case ofStranger Things, would be the Upside Down. The goal of Asmodeus is to gain control over as many subjects as possible, to quench his thirst for power. With the endgame ofStranger Thingspointing tomerging the Upside Down with the real world, Asmodeus tricking Vecna into doing his ultimate dirty work seems more than fitting.
Every ‘Stranger Things’ Season, Ranked
Take a look back at one of Netflix’s best original series.
Will Byers Will Be the Key to ‘Stranger Things’ 5
The true form of Asmodeus is sometimes depicted as a massive three-headed dragon, just like the creature Will painted inStranger ThingsSeason 4that he gifted to Mike.Will’s connection to the Upside Down will play a major factor in the final season, so the character predicting the final boss of the entire series is solid storytelling, with his journey coming full circle after being trapped in the alternate dimension in Season 1 and ingesting particles of the Mind-Flayer. This would also not be the first time Will’s drawings predicted threats to come, as he drew the Mind-Flayer after returning from the Upside Down.
As we’ve seen in previous seasons ofStranger Things,Will could be set up as a pawn for either Vecna or Asmodeus, if the demonic entity is indeed the ultimate villain of the series. There has to be a reason Will was the only character to venture into the Upside Down and survive the exposure to its toxic environment for a week’s time.His true connection to the Upside Down has yet to be fully explored, and this final installment is the perfect vessel to showcase the importance of the character, giving him closure to the traumatic event that kick-started the Netflix juggernaut.
Will could have a similar role to what Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) had in Season 2, being controlled by the Mind-Flayer, leaning into one ofStranger Things’greatest strengths — constantly building on what came before to provide epic culmination moments. There’s no doubt Vecna will return toStranger Things5, even if it’s just to usher in the true face of evil and the ruler of the Upside Down. Luckily, fans only have to wait a few months to get answers to these burning questions.
Stranger Things5 will release on Netflix across three premiere dates with Volume 1 on November 26, Volume 2 on Christmas, and The Finale on New Year’s Eve.
Stranger Things
