Stranger Things Creator Says Season 4 Fan Theories are “Startlingly” Accurate

When Stranger Things returns for its fourth season this May it will have been almost three years since the series’ last batch of episodes. Even though that gap was largely to do with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic it has resulted in a much longer delay than anyone could have planned for, and it’s left fans with time to think. As fandoms are want to do, those that follow Stranger Things have been pondering the next wrinkle in the plot for some time and apparently there’s a few fans out there that have figured some of it out before even seeing an episode.

Speaking in an episode of the Netflix podcast Present Company With Krista Smith, series creators the Duffer brothers opened up about the fan expectations and also confirmed that some of the theories are spot on. “I think they’ll be happy when they see it. It’s very, very long, which is why it’s taking us a very long time,” Ross Duffer said, revealing that some theories online have been “startlingly” accurate. “I’m constantly impressed with how sharp the fans are, and how quickly they’re able to put something together with very, very little information.”

Very little has actually been released about the plot for Stranger Things season 4, but we do know that it will begin six months after the events of season three and that the cast will largely be fractured, split across multiple locations. While much of the cast remains in Hawkins, Indiana, the Byers family and Eleven have moved off to California, not to mention Chief Hopper is stuck in the wintery cold of Russia. All that in mind, it’s impressive that fans could figure out what’s happening. 

When announcing the premiere date for Stranger Things 4, Netflix confirmed a first for the series, revealing that the fourth season will be split into two volumes of episodes. The first batch of these will be released on May 27th with Part II of the season arriving on July 1. The streamer also used their time in making this announcement to confirm that the series will officially wrap up with its fifth season, a timetable for that season however wasn’t confirmed.

Here’s how Netflix is describing Stranger Things 4: “It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.”