Is Vecna a mere puppet controlled by a more powerful entity? How is Kali protecting the laboratory? Is Eleven a traitor? Stranger Things fans are buzzing with speculation ahead of the 26 December premiere of the Netflix show’s Season 5 Volume 2.
Following Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) awakening in the closing scene of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1, the Hawkins gang heads out on an adventure to protect Hawkins from Vecna once and for all as the town teeters on the brink of collapse. Ahead of the premiere of new episodes, we explore five believable fan theories that, if true, could change the entire course of the story, leaving fans shocked before the world could say Happy New Year.
Is Vecna actually protecting the kids?
It is widely accepted that Vecna is the primary antagonist of Stranger Things, the architect behind much of the chaos unfolding in Hawkins and the Upside Down. But what if Vecna isn’t the ultimate evil after all — and is instead a weapon of the Mind Flayer?
Many fans point to a key moment in Season 4, when Dustin Henderson (played by Gaten Matarazzo) explains that the Upside Down functions like a dark hierarchy, with the Mind Flayer at the top and Vecna operating as its “five-star general”.
The idea gains further weight when viewed alongside Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the stage play that explores Henry Creel’s childhood. The play reveals that Henry encountered the other dimension at a young age. Rather than becoming a monster entirely of his own will, Henry appears to have been influenced by a darker presence long ago.
This gives rise to a hypothesis: Vecna may believe he is the master of the Upside Down, but in reality he is still trapped within it. Yet Vecna remains a paradoxical figure. He is capable of cruelty, but also acts as a shield to protect the victims as his alter-ego, Mr Whatsit, while drawing them into his mindscape.
How is Kali singlehandedly keeping the laboratory safe in Upside Down?
Soon after Kali (played by Linnea Berthelsen) turned out to be strapped to a machine as a part of a military experiment in Upside Down, fans could not stop questioning how these operations are taking place right under the nose of Vecna, and he is not even aware of it. Several theories suggest that there could be a possibility that the scientists of the laboratory are utilising Kali’s powers to create an illusion for Vecna and the other monsters so that they can’t see the army base camp and the lab.
Will Nancy and Steve make it through the final season?
Fans of the Netflix sci‑fi series Stranger Things have always rooted for Steve Harrington, the heroic high school grad played by Joe Keery. With Volume 2 of the final season set to hit Netflix on 26 December, many fans have their fingers crossed, hoping to see Steve make it out safe from the Upside Down. However, much to everyone’s horror, the show creators, the Duffer Brothers, have dropped a major hint that might not be a good sign for Steve fans. In the latest episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Matt and Ross Duffer, along with the host, playfully pushed a Funko POP! doll of Steve off the table, leaving the audience speculating about his death in the upcoming volume.
Also, a few fans are speculating that Nancy Wheeler, played by Natalia Dyer, may die in the upcoming volume. Given her crushing survivor’s guilt and unresolved trauma echoing Max’s harrowing Season 4 ordeal, theories suggest that Nancy might fall victim to the monster.
Is Eleven a traitor masquerading as a protector?
Several fans are connecting the dots and speculating if Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown) could be a traitor. In Season 1, when Will locked himself up in a storage shed, some invisible force opened the door, leading to the Demogorgons kidnapping him. Fans pointed out that Demogorgons don’t have psychokinetic powers. Coincidentally, Mike, Dustin and Lucas found Eleven almost at the same spot where Will went missing. Theories suggest that there could be a chance that Eleven helped the monsters kidnap Will in order to save herself.
Is Vecna building up a wormhole to bend time?
Some fan theories suggest that Vecna may be building a wormhole in Stranger Things Season 5.
Revisiting an earlier scene where Hawkins High science teacher Mr Clarke (Randy Havens) explains wormholes as portals that could connect different dimensions or even bend time, fans point out that the hourglass-shaped diagram he draws closely resembles sketches later made by Will Byers during his Vecna visions.
In Season 5 so far, Vecna is believed to be targeting 12 children, which many fans link to the 12 hours on a clock — a recurring symbol associated with him. The theory suggests these children serve as “anchor points” to complete a massive wormhole. Some also believe the impenetrable wall shown this season forms a circular structure, laid out like a clock face.