Easily the most influential streaming show of all time, Stranger Things celebrates ’80s nostalgia in an epic paranormal adventure. But, as the series has continued, it’s become increasingly clear that the Hawkins kids are dealing with the fallout from past evils. The end of Stranger Things Season 4 finally pulled back the curtain to reveal the true threat, Vecna, originally known as Henry Creel. A series of flashbacks told Creel’s full story, retconning Vecna as Stranger Things‘ true villain all along.
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Here’s the full Stranger Things timeline to date. Please note that this deliberately ignores tie-ins (many of which sit uncomfortably with Season 4, and thus are of debatable canonicity). Most notably, it ignores Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a stage show that presents an alternate origin for Henry Creel; the end of Season 4 appears to largely contradict this story, meaning it sits uncomfortably with the overarching narrative.
The Creel Family Move to Hawkins – 1959
As seen in flashbacks in Stranger Things Season 4, episodes 4 and 7, Victor Creel brought his family to Hawkins sometime in 1959. Victor, his wife Virginia, and their daughter Alice soon found themselves terrorized by the psychic powers of their son Henry, and approached Dr. Martin Brenner for advice. Learning he was in danger of being exposed, Henry killed his mother and sister, with his father blamed for the tragedy. He overused his powers, though, and woke up restrained by Dr. Brenner. Inspired by Henry’s powers, Brenner began covert experiments to create child weapons.
The Birth of Jane Ives – June 7, 1971
Attempting to replicate Henry Creel’s powers, Dr. Brenner began experimenting on women during their pregnancies, using LSD and enforced periods of isolation in an attempt to reshape the fetus. Terry Ives was one of Brenner’s test subjects, and she gave birth to a daughter, Jane, on June 7, 1971. Brenner took Jane, pretending she died, and took her in as his eleventh test subject. The moment of Jane’s birth was briefly seen in a Stranger Things Season 2, episode 7 flashback.
Terry Ives Tries To Rescue Her Daughter – 1974
Peering into her mother’s mind in Stranger Things Season 2, episode 7, Eleven learned that Terry Ives attempted to rescue her in 1974, breaking into Hawkins Lab. In Stranger Things Season 4, Doctor Brenner noted that the lab was actually a hospital at that time.
Sara Hopper’s Death – 1978
In 1978, Hawkins resident Jim Hopper – who lived in New York with his wife, Diane – suffered a personal tragedy. His daughter, Sara, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away. Curiously, flashbacks in Stranger Things Season 1, episode 8 have led to speculation Sara died at Hawkins Lab (likely then a hospital), giving Hopper a secret connection to the lab. Hopper and Diane split up, and Hopper returned to his hometown, becoming Hawkins chief of police.
Kali Escapes Hawkins Lab – Date Unknown
Kali Prasad, a Hawkins test subject who had been kidnapped from her family by Dr. Brenner and named “Eight,” successfully used her illusion-casting powers to escape Hawkins Lab. She would go rogue, swearing revenge on the scientists who were responsible for experimenting on her, as seen in Stranger Things Season 2.
Henry Creel Manipulates Eleven In A Brutal Escape Attempt – 1979
Henry Creel had been biding his time at Hawkins Lab, and flashbacks in Stranger Things Season 4, episode 7 reveal he manipulated a conflict between Eleven and the other Hawkins kids in an escape attempt. Eleven fell for his tricks, freeing him from the control devices Brenner had implanted within his neck, and Henry went on a brutal and violent rampage through the lab. All the other test subjects were killed, with the killing spree only ending when Eleven confronted Henry. She successfully overpowered him, casting him into the realm that would become the Upside Down.
Stranger Things Season 1 – November 1983
In November 1983, Dr. Brenner’s continued experiments with Eleven – now secretly geared towards discovering what had happened to Henry Creel – opened a gate into the Upside Down. Creel capitalized on the opportunity, sending a Demogorgon through to attack Hawkins Lab and kidnap Will Byers as a potential pawn. Meanwhile, Eleven escaped during the chaos, and she found her way to Will’s closest friends. In the end, Dr. Brenner was believed killed, while Eleven risked everything to destroy the Demogorgon.
Stranger Things Season 2 – October and November 1984
Stranger Things Season 2 picks up a year later, in October and November 1984. Sam Owens had taken over Hawkins Lab after Dr. Brenner’s supposed death, monitoring the gate and keeping a careful eye on Will, but they underestimated Henry Creel’s intelligence – and the power of the Mind Flayer, the hive mind he had created. Fortunately, they had also failed to factor in Eleven, who was being secretly looked after by Hopper. She successfully closed the gate.
The Snow Ball – December 15, 1984
Stranger Things Season 2 ends on December 15, 1984, at the high school’s snow ball. By this point, Eleven has been formally adopted by Hopper thanks to Sam Owens, and she and Mike become a couple at last. The moment of celebration is tinged with threat, though, as the Mind Flayer continues to monitor them from the Upside Down.
Stranger Things Season 3 – June / July 1985
The US government had abandoned its experimental programs involving the Upside Down, but the USSR was attempting to duplicate them. The Soviets discovered that gates could only be opened at Hawkins, where the boundary between realities was thin, and manipulated corrupt politician Mayor Kline to help them construct a new gate generator beneath the town. The Mind Flayer launched a concerted attempt to possess or kill Eleven, but failed because Hopper and Joyce Byers managed to close the Russian gate in time. Hopper was captured by the Russians, believed dead, and Joyce and her family left Hawkins with a now-powerless Eleven.
Stranger Things Season 4 – March 1986
Confident that Eleven was out of the way, Henry Creel (named Vecna by the kids) began committing psychic murders to open gates between Hawkins and the Upside Down. Correctly connecting the killing spree to Victor Creel, Owens and Brenner persuaded Eleven to go through a new experimental process to restore her powers. She was too late, with Vecna torturing Eleven’s friend Max and using her near-death to tear open portals to the Upside Down, plunging Hawkins into chaos. Eleven and her friends all headed back to Hawkins for the final confrontation, reunited with Hopper, who had been rescued by Joyce.
Stranger Things Season 5 picks up 18 months later, in September 1987.
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