Stranger Things Season 5 Sets Up 4 Spinoffs

The Hawkins crew is back together again in Stranger Things‘ final episode. With Vecna planning to merge the Abyss with Earth and kill countless people, Eleven and her friends have no choice but to meet him on his home turf and take him out once and for all. The plan they come up with has a lot of moving parts, and more than a few of them stop working throughout the episode. However, Vecna and the Mind Flayer prove no match for a group of people tired of being at their mercy. Once Joyce delivers the final blow to the man formerly known as Henry Creel, the mood shifts, with everyone ready to put this time in their lives behind them.

In typical Stranger Things fashion, though, the show’s final moments are bittersweet. Eleven sacrifices herself to ensure that the government leaves her friends alone and that no one else like her is ever born. Her boyfriend, Mike, doesn’t understand her choice, but he comes to realize that the future is still bright. Here are four spinoffs that Stranger Things 5 sets up.

4) The Next Generation

The finale’s back half focuses on the main crew graduating in 1989. Dustin is Hawkins High’s valedictorian and gives a great speech at the ceremony about not conforming. His words touch everyone, including Stacey, who invites Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will to a party at her house. However, Mike decides that they should turn her down because he has a better idea.

Mike, Lucas, Will, Dustin, and Max head to the Wheeler house to have one final Dungeons & Dragons session. It’s an emotional affair, as all of them know life won’t be the same after they head upstairs. Some things never change, though, with Holly and her friends taking their spots in the basement to start their own campaign. While Stranger Things doesn’t reveal its contents, the new kids in Hawkins are sure to be part of stories worth telling.

3) Montauk

Mike and Co. aren’t the only ones looking to move on. After destroying the upside down, Hopper returns to his post as chief of police and continues to serve Hawkins for 18 months. But a fresh start doesn’t sound like a bad option, so he takes Joyce out to dinner and gives her a lot to think about.

Beyond proposing, the biggest bombshell Hopper drops is that he has a job offer in Montauk, New York. They don’t decide then and there whether moving is right for them, but it seems like a natural next step. There’s also a bit of a behind-the-scenes connection, as Montauk was originally going to be the setting of Stranger Things. It seems like the Duffer brothers might have another mystery they want to solve far away from Hawkins.

2) The Philly Crew

Hawkins isn’t still standing without the bravery of Nancy, Steve, Jonathan, and Robin. Despite being young people who would like nothing more than to have their freedom, they choose to fight the good fight and almost lose their lives in the process. However, they come out the other side stronger than ever and find their places in the world.

Stranger Things‘ epilogue reunites the four friends after months apart and allows them to spend some quality time together. But their conversations reveal that the new friends they have made just aren’t up to snuff. With that being the case, they decide to meet up once a month in Philadelphia. They don’t discuss getting up to no good, but knowing those four, it’s sure to happen.

1) El’s Solo Adventure

As previously mentioned, Eleven dies when she returns through the portal to the Upside Down as it’s about to explode. She believes it’s the right choice and asks Mike to convey that message to everyone else. He gets the job done, but there’s some part of his mind that won’t let her go.

During the D&D session, he tells his friends that he believes Eleven faked her death with some help from Kali and is living in a faraway place. There’s even a clip of her visiting a location with multiple waterfalls. Of course, since Mike and his friends don’t see her in person, there’s no way to know for sure if his theory is on the money. However, the door is open for the Duffer brothers to continue Eleven’s story if they so choose.

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