The first trailer for the last season of Stranger Things is finally here – and don't mind us, we're just sobbing at the thought of one of the best shows on Netflix coming to an end.
As expected, the promo, which you can watch above, doesn't give away all that much, but it does reveal details of the time jump, plonking us in the fall of 1987 – and a Hawkins that's now under military quarantine. Watch it above.
"Scarred by the opening of the Rifts, our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished – his whereabouts and plans unknown," reads the official synopsis, as it teases that Eleven has been forced back into hiding thanks to the government's intensified hunt to track her down. "As the anniversary of Will's disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming – and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they've faced before. To end this nightmare, they'll need everyone – the full party – standing together, one last time."
With that, the teaser features much of what we've come to expect from the hit series: dreaded demogorgons, emotional pep talks, and characters staring off into the distance with determined looks on their faces. Though there's one thing that struck us, and that's the amount of blood; be it a tearful Nancy washing her sticky red hands in a basin and Dustin's battered and bruised face to a crimson-collared Lucas cowering from with an unseen foe. It seems safe to assume not all of our pals are making it out of this fight alive.
Season 4 concluded with every group – in Nevada, Indiana, and Russia, respectively –somewhat unknowingly teaming up to take down Vecna. While Max baited his mind at the Creel House, Robin, Steve, and Nancy set fire to his defenseless physical form in the Upside Down. Simultaneously, Mike and Will dunk Eleven in a makeshift sensory deprivation tank, and her consciousness finds its way to Max to assist her in facing off against the big bad. But as Will states towards the end of episode 9, Vecna is far from defeated.
"Now that I'm back in Hawkins, I can feel him. And he's hurt, he's hurting, but he's still alive... He's not gonna stop, ever, not until he's taken everything... everyone... We have to kill him," Will solemnly told Mike, teasing one heck of a showdown in the fifth and final chapter.
Now it wouldn't be Stranger Things without adding a few new characters into the mix, even if they're not due to stick around long (we still miss you, Eddie). Those joining the existing cast this time around include Jake Connelly, Alex Breaux, Nell Fisher (Evil Dead Rise) and Terminator star Linda Hamilton.
With Netflix doubling down on what it did with the show's previous season, Stranger Things season 5 is set to be released in three parts: the first landing on November 26, the second half dropping on Christmas Day (December 25), and the finale airing on January 1, 2026. For more, check out our our picks of the best Netflix shows to stream right now.
