Where’s Every Stranger Things Character Before the Final Episode (And What’s Their Goal)

The release strategy for the final season of Stranger Things has been a unique experiment in event television, effectively transforming the conclusion of the saga into a months-long global phenomenon. Netflix decided to split the massive fifth season of Stranger Things into three distinct chapters, allowing the tension to build over time rather than releasing it all for a single weekend binge. Volume 1 premiered back in November, and the narrative momentum has only accelerated with the recent arrival of Volume 2. The stage is now officially set for the final feature-length episode, which is scheduled to premiere in select theaters and on Netflix on New Year’s Eve.

Warning: Spoilers below for Stranger Things 5, Volume 2

With the board set for the ultimate confrontation against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the sprawling cast of Hawkins survivors is currently scattered across different dimensions and locations. The narrative has evolved from a small-town mystery into a complex war played out on multiple fronts, making it difficult to keep track of exactly where everyone stands. Before the final credits roll on this cultural juggernaut, here is a complete breakdown of where every major Stranger Things character is located and what they are trying to achieve in the face of annihilation.

1) Vecna, Holly, and the Kidnapped Children

Stranger Things‘ main villain and his victims are currently located in a dimension that is distinctly separate from the Upside Down. While the heroes spent years believing the dark reflection of Hawkins was Vecna’s home, recent episodes revealed that Henry Creel actually resides in the Abyss. This desolate wasteland of dust and rock is the realm where he was originally banished by Eleven in 1979 and where he is currently holding twelve children captive. Among these prisoners is Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), who briefly escaped into the Upside Down before being dragged back into the sky by Vecna’s psychic grip.

Vecna has gathered these children to serve as living batteries for his cataclysmic finale. By placing Holly and the others into a synchronized trance, he is harvesting their combined psychic energy to facilitate a dimensional merge. His goal is to pull the Abyss through the wormhole of the Upside Down, forcing it to collide with Earth. This event would effectively destroy the barrier between realities, allowing his realm of chaos to consume the physical world. As the Stranger Things finale begins, Vecna is protecting this ritual within his stronghold in the Abyss, using the immense power of the kidnapped children to inch the dimensions closer to impact.

2) Eleven, Kali, and Hopper

As part of their master plan to defeat Vecna, Jim Hopper (David Harbour) is escorting the two most powerful psychics on the planet to the Upside Down version of the Hawkins Lab. Their objective is to reach the immersion tank located within the facility, which will amplify the psychic abilities of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and allow her to project her consciousness into the Abyss to battle her brother. She is joined by Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), who has volunteered to enter the tank alongside Eleven to provide backup in the mental arena.

However, the dynamics within this group are built on secrets and mistrust. Hopper remains wary of Kali, suspecting that she has her own agenda, and he is right to be concerned. Unknown to the former police chief, Kali has convinced Eleven to agree to a tragic suicide pact. She believes that as long as they are alive, the military will hunt them to manufacture biological weapons. Consequently, the two girls plan to kill Vecna and then remain in the Upside Down as it is destroyed, ensuring the government loses its assets forever. Hopper is determined to keep his daughter alive, unaware that she has already accepted that this is a one-way trip.

3) Will and Joyce

Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) has finally weaponized his trauma and is heading straight into the heart of danger alongside his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), who refuses to let her son face this nightmare alone. After realizing that his connection to the hive mind is a two-way street, Will has joined the main assault team traveling into the Upside Down. His specific mission is to tap into the hive mind and locate a traumatic memory from Henry Creel’s childhood. By forcing the villain to relive this moment of weakness, Will hopes to distract Vecna long enough for the others to strike a fatal blow. 

Will’s mental state is clearer than it has been in years, following his decision to come out to his friends and family. By shedding the secret that Vecna was using to shame him, Will has removed the psychological leverage the villain held over him. Now, he is entering the war zone as a crucial tactical asset who knows the enemy better than anyone else.

4) Dustin, Steve, Robin, Mike, Lucas, Nancy, Jonathan, and Murray

The bulk of the Hawkins heroes are currently in the Upside Down, crammed into a delivery truck driven by Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman). In addition to the psych assailants, this group includes Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin). They smashed through the gates of the military base MAC-Z and entered the portal with a high-risk plan devised by Steve.

Their strategy relies on Vecna successfully starting the dimensional merge. They are waiting for the Abyss to descend physically closer to the Upside Down, which will allow them to use the height of the alternate dimension’s radio tower to cross the threshold into Henry’s realm. Once they bridge the gap, their goal is to rescue the twelve kidnapped children while the psychics distract Vecna. If they succeed in extracting the prisoners, Dustin has a final contingency plan. The team intends to detonate a bomb next to the exotic matter in the lab, collapsing the wormhole and destroying the Upside Down once and for all.

5) Max

While the majority of the team has ventured into enemy territory, Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) has remained behind in the real world at the radio station known as Squawk. Although her body is confined to a wheelchair and she is physically weak after waking from her coma, her mind is sharp. Having spent months trapped within Henry’s psyche, she possesses a unique map of his mental defenses. She is serving as the navigator for the mission, communicating with the team to guide Eleven through the treacherous landscape of the villain’s mind. Max’s role is critical, as she is the only person who has escaped Vecna’s mind before. Her knowledge of the cave and the layout of the dreamscape will be the difference between life and death for the strike team.

6) Erica and Mr. Clarke

The logistical support for this massive operation is being handled by Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson) and the science teacher Mr. Clarke (Randy Havens). The unlikely duo is currently positioned on a surveillance tower near MAC-Z. They played a pivotal role in the infiltration by remotely hacking the gate systems to allow Murray’s truck to breach the perimeter. Currently, they are acting as scouts, keeping watch over the military movements and the stability of the portal. While they are not on the front lines in the alternate dimension, their vantage point allows them to warn the main group of any incoming threats from the government forces remaining on Earth.

7) Dr. Kay and Lt. Akers

The human antagonists of Stranger Things Season 5 are in hot pursuit of the heroes, determined to secure their biological assets regardless of the apocalyptic stakes. Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) was last seen at the MAC-Z base, engaging in a firefight with the Hawkins crew as they broke through the blockade. She is undoubtedly following them into the Upside Down, as her primary directive is to capture Eleven to continue the government’s psychic weapon program.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Akers (Alex Breaux) is already deployed within the Upside Down with a squad of soldiers. He was investigating the damage near Hawkins Lab when he realized that the heroes had breached the Upside Down. He was last seen mobilizing his forces to intercept the group, unaware that he is marching into a crossfire between a telekinetic girl and a dimension-shattering monster.

Who do you think will survive the final battle against Vecna? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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