The future of Stranger Things

Art by Emaline Varava

The future of Stranger Things

At 5 PM PST on New Years’ Eve 2025, thousands of outages were reported on Netflix. This was because their most popular show, Stranger Things, dropped its season finale. So many people were eager to watch it as they had been waiting three years since the last season, and for those who’ve been there from the beginning, nine years since season one. Once the finale dropped, Stranger Things would end its near-decade run of episodes.

And yes, sadly Conformity Gate does not exist. Looks like the ending we’ve received was the true way the story many of us grew up with ended.

So with the main story done, what will happen to the massive fanbase that’s developed over the past decade? Will there be any more to uncover within the universe of Eleven, the Upside Down, and Hawkins? 

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Spoiler warning: If you haven’t watched the final episode of Stranger Things, you are highly advised to stop here if you plan on watching it.

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To begin, let’s address the elephant in the room: what happened to Eleven after the finale? As you know, Eleven decided to stay in the Upside Down as it got destroyed by exotic matter from the rest of the main gang. This led to the characters, especially Mike, looking visibly distraught as a still Eleven remained at the gate while Purple Rain was playing. Well, as for her character’s ending, the Duffer Brothers decided to let the audience choose whether they believe Mike. At the end of the episode, Mike (while playing D&D with his friends) describes that he believes Kali created an illusion of Eleven and using that, Eleven was able to actually escape the Upside Down and live a life in exile. Or else, the military would come for her.

As for the other characters, the majority of them got happy endings to their stories. The original teens along with Robin all decide what they’re going to do with their lives, while the kids graduate and go their own ways. Hopper proposes to Joyce. Lucas and Max are together, Will seems to find a boyfriend in New York City, and Dustin is perceived to have a new romantic interest at the end of season five, with Stacey Albright (a girl who he liked before but never really noticed him) inviting him to a graduation party. 

Everyone seems happy… except for Mike. Mike is without Eleven, and this leads to him being the “gatekeeper” of the entire story he and the gang went through. While Mike is content writing stories, he doesn’t get the “happy ending” the rest of the group gets as he believes Eleven is alive but can never physically see or talk to her ever again.

So, where does the show head towards now that the main story is over? According to Netflix, the original story with the characters we all know and love has ended with season five, and sadly there won’t be a sixth season to look forward to. There is however an animated series reportedly in production titled “Stranger Things: Tales of ‘85” which should be out on Netflix sometime this year. The show takes place between the second and third seasons of the main series. If you know your Stranger Things, this is during the period after the Snowball Dance and before the summer in which the gang (and the show) focuses heavily on the Starcourt Mall as a prime setting. “Tales of ‘85” supposedly has a character named Nikki Baxter, and it will also focus on battling various monsters just like the original show.

In addition to the animated series, there will also be a live-action spinoff, also on Netflix. It is currently untitled. Unlike the animated show, it isn’t expected to take place in Hawkins. However, the themes of the story will be similar to the original one, and it might even explore storylines directly tied to the main series. Rumors circulating online about an anime series titled “Stranger Things: Tokyo” have surfaced, though it is unclear whether that will actually happen soon. The project was rumored to happen in 2022, but it is currently 2026 and there haven’t been any additional updates.

Besides these productions, there isn’t really anything else announced that is scheduled to premiere. However, the Duffer Brothers state that they are trying to expand the universe in ways that don’t have anything to do with continuing the main story. Now that the show a lot of us have watched and maybe even grew up with is over, at least we have even stranger things to look forward to.