The fifth and final season of Stranger Things is gearing up for release, but this game-changing theory could change everything we know about the Duffer brothers’ revolutionary Netflix series. There’s a great deal of pressure on Stranger Things season 5 to deliver a satisfying and exhilarating ending, especially since we’ve been waiting almost an entire decade for answers. Many theories have emerged about how the Duffer brothers will wrap up the series, and while one has proven to be incredibly controversial among fans of Stranger Things, this theory would be the most transformative for the show.
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Trailers for Stranger Things season 5 have revealed the final chapter will be explaining more of Vecna’s motivations and detailing the fight of our familiar crew against him and his monsters from the Upside Down. We’ll get answers for questions years in the making, but a new theory circulating on social media suggests the series could flip this completely on its head. While the general consensus is that fans “hate this theory,” a new suggestion is that the entire series could have been a story written by Mike Wheeler to rewrite Will Byers’ actual death in Stranger Things season 1.
What This Stranger Things Theory Could Mean For Season 5
The theory posits that Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) might have actually wound up dead in Stranger Things’ premiere, “Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers,” which took place on November 6, 1983. His body could have been recovered from the lake in the quarry, leaving a lasting impact on his closest friends. In his grief, Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) may have written a book reimagining these events and bringing his friend back to life, drafting a story of monsters, superpowers, and quests in the style of Dungeons & Dragons, thereby drafting the story of Stranger Things.
This would have been a beautiful memorial to Will Byers, and a great way for Mike to keep his friend’s memory alive long after his death. The theory also suggests that each of Stranger Things’ five seasons reflect one of the five stages of grief: denial in season 1, anger in season 2, bargaining in season 3, depression in season 4, and finally acceptance in Stranger Things season 5. This would explain why the series is ending after five seasons, and would explain some of Mike’s more questionable behavior throughout the series, as well as explaining some continuity errors.
Lighting choices, emotional depth, and the title of Stranger Things season 5’s finale, “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” perhaps inform this theory, too. Even so, it has proven to be remarkably controversial, as many want real answers to Stranger Things’ questions, and most believe twisting the “it was all a dream” ending would be a disservice to the show. Alternatively, this could make Stranger Things an even more detailed exploration of loss, trauma, grief, and dissociation from reality, which could be a touching ending to the series. We certainly hope we get a true ending to Stranger Things though.
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