#stranger things 4 theory

[nayalovesbyler2]

time to face it yall

the duffers would make the actors retake a scene a MILLION times if the outcome is not what they wanted. like im tired of ppl calling finn a bad actor

you see mike being cold around el? that’s what they want us to see.

you see mike looking at will’s lips? that’s what they want us to see.

you see will feeling hopeful and happy while grabbing the painting? THATS WHAT THEY-

[snowmenatwork]

Just realized why Mike probably scrunched up El's "I have gone to become a superhero again" letter.

It was signed "From, El".

This wasn't El trying to be better for Mike, this was El SASSING Mike. Omg I love her sm.🥺💕

Also in context of their arguement, her telling him she's gone to be a superhero again is also her criticizing that Mike only likes her for her powers and her basically saying "Fine, I'll give you what you want bitch"

Obligatory "this is just my opinion" statement because internet

[willbyersprotector05]

we all know stranger things 4 has a bunch of parallels to nightmare on elm street and we even have it referenced in the show but do y'all not realize that the answer to defeating Vecna could literally be given to us already?

so for one... running up that hill was said to be a key to this season, so I've always thought the line "swap places with god" meant someone would swap places with Vecna or Vecna is trying to take over someone's body to be out of the upside down (El or Will probably) but another hint to the theory of trading places with Vecna is nightmare on elm street

the way they "defeat" (because Freddy Krueger isn't really defeated) Freddy is by Nancy (the main character) realizing that when she wakes up from these nightmares she takes back whatever she's holding so she decides to grab onto Freddy so he's in the real world and they can kill him that way

maybe the only way to defeat Vecna is to bring him to the normal world, out of the upside down?

[lumaxramblings]

bitches be like 'man i love max mayfield she deserves happiness' and then put her in a coma

[jazz-penguin]

Look guys, since I'm not homosexual, I don't know how coming out feels like. I understand that it must be a very emotional thing, though.

But does it have to be this emotional with Will and Jonathan?

Why Will is crying so hard?

Jonathan has always been accepting and supportive of him, I think Will understands that. He is also sure that Mike is straight and in love with Eleven, so that's not a post-rejection crying either.

So what is going on here?

Since everyone is sharing theories here, here's mine. I'm starting to think that someone has died or is going to die. Like sacrifice himself, or do something risky. What if it's a goodbye scene or something?

Please prove me wrong 😭 I have a bad feeling about Jonathan. The music tape he gave to Will at the end of s1... what if it's meant to be a remembrance of Jonathan, when he's gone?

And that would be a cruel way to resolve the love triangle between him, Nancy and Steve, but what if...

[sevensided]

so with so much confusion what are your predictions for v2?

Oh, excellent question! Thanks for this! I have a few ideas...

I feel like a lot of what I suspected during the hiatus came to fruition, so I'll admit I'm still crowing about a lot of my predictions, especially the Peter/001/Vecna/Creel son twist, which I guessed a while ago. As for new predictions:

I do think 'Vecna's Upside Down' is actually a 'mindscape' e.g. we're in his mind, which is one layer of the broader Upside Down. That there are multiple layers to the UD makes complete sense and explains a lot of the distinctions in how different characters experience the UD. Inception was also listed as inspiration for S04, and that has the whole 'dream layer' thing, so I think that tracks.

I think Joyce, Hopper, and Murray will escape Russia via the UD tunnels back to Hawkins. It's established that the only way they can get out is to 'go under', so that works. I'm also wondering if the Demogorgon Hopper sort of defeated ends up hunting them and following them into the tunnels, where Dimitri sacrifices himself to save the rest of them. Hopper will get an emotional moment and it'll be a good way to galvanise him into action. I haven't seen anyone else suggest that Dimitri is the one to die, so there you go.

As for the teenagers, I think that Robin will get sort of Vecna'd in that she'll get wrapped up in the freaky vines and Nancy and Steve will save her, thus rectifying Nancy's lack of action in S01 when Barb was taken. Rather than Steve and Nancy falling back into each other's arms, I actually think this will act as closure as Barb's death and the events in S01 have not yet been addressed, and it's remained unresolved between them for three years. This acts as the perfect segue for them to become friends, or at least to heal that relationship and move on. Plus, they save Robin, so.

Eddie causing a distraction with the guitar - something a lot of people have discussed and something I'm on board with. Love the idea of there being a storm of demo-bats around him, very Transylvania: The Crimson Crown, I love it.

Will being Vecna'd - not much to say here other than what has already been said. I think it was foreshadowed since S03 that Will would become a focal point again, despite the current discourse that he's been 'forgotten'. I don't think he's been forgotten at all. I believe it's deliberate that he's been continually isolated (visually, from a cinematic point of view; and narratively). Part of that is due to his sexuality, yes, but there's something bigger at play. I've spoken before about how it's become a pattern that the Party focus on Will only when he's in danger/capable of signaling the danger, and there's no reason that theme wouldn't continue in the second half of this season.

As for El... I do wonder if she'll have to decide between killing Brenner or letting him live. This brings us full circle in her Kali/Peter 'am I a monster' morality conundrum, but there's also some validity here, because now she knows - with the value of being older - just how much Brenner has manipulated and controlled her. He's quite literally the gatekeeper of her memories (see: Nina machine). So for her to kill him would be cathartic. Perhaps it's not even her killing him, but making the decision to save him or let him die. Just a thought, but I don't think Brenner is making it out alive.

Edit: Oh, and I should say that in the context of Mike and Will, I definitely think they're setting it up for S05!

Tl;dr Brenner and Dimitri are dying, bet you anything.

[paladinsbrainrot]

The Recrution of Subjects and El's Shaved Head

//Spoilers for Stranger Things: Six, and Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds

Okay. I kind of just read the graphic novel Six, featuring 006 and her ability to see the future. It follows her life at the lab, her powers, and the developmention of how extreme the lab can actually get. But I also found this interesting parallel between Brenner & Six and Owens & El.

"We aren't the only program like this in the world, Six. Far from it. But with the help of you, of Eleven, of all the children here... it's a war that we're certain to win"

So, something is coming. Something big. In this graphic novel, Brenner is unaware of the monsters of the Upside Down, but he aware of at least something. I'm starting to think this whole program was to essentially test subjects and train them for this war. (Very unlikely, though. Pretty sure Brenner is using this to a personal benefit)

Though, Brenner's lost a lot of subjects. Eleven escaped, 006 and 009 are dead, and 003, 009.5, and Kali have managed to escape as well. Thats six subjects- gone. Half of them.

That leaves 001, 002, 004, 005, 007, 010, and 012. Not very many subjects. And there is even a possibility that they're all dead- hence the massacre at Hawkins Lab. We don't know what happened to them. We don't even know if they're very strong- 003 can't do much but get people to like and open up to him.

This is why I think Brenner started working on a new batch (I feel so monstrous calling them 'batches') of children, in order to make up from the ones he's lost. I'd assume he'd try and replicate them to Eleven, hence their bald heads and how young they are in the 002 teaser. And obviously, he'd get El too.

I've always suspected something is.. off with El. She is the only known test subject with her head shaved. As shown in the graphic novels, none of them have their head shaved. Not even the older subjects. AND, I'm not sure if this is canon to the show, but this is an illustration (from the graphic novel) which shows El with her head shaved and a few other girls who don't have their head shaved.

I'm wondering if they decide to shave her head once they realise how capable she is with her powers and somehow her hair gets in the way? Or they put her on some drugs or something (which they did to Terry in the Suspicious Minds novel) which accounted for hair loss. Still, I'm incredibly curious to know what they did to her and why they didn't do so with the other subjects.

Also, I find it super odd how little communication El has in the first season. El is taken to the lab as soon as she is born, but she is exposed to all kinds of people. And she knows how to read. 009, 009.5, Kali, and Six all speak flawlessly in Six and Suspicous Minds. The twins and Kali even came to the lab at very young ages as well. She plays with them all the time in the Rainbow Room. I am actually so confused, because somehow they must have shut off her communication with the other subjects OR just physically and mentally abused her to the point where she forgot anything she learned previously.

I hope all of this gets addressed within the next seasons.

Thoughts?

[justahawkinsgirl]

[l-aalo-o]

In Stranger Things Vol. 2 (hopefully) Will realises he deserves better than Mike (he totally does) and moves on El and Mike break up (Theirs is a dying relationship) Mucas gets back together (they’re so cute) Dustey-bun and Suzie Poo reunite (not likely but I hope so)

[nayalovesbyler2]

MAJOR S4 EP 7 SPOILERS!!

yall…….the fact that the Upside Down is stuck on November 6th 1983, the day Will went missing, is literally driving me crazy. It definitely proves that he has a very deep connection with the UD (and maybe vecna too?)

any thoughts? i actually can’t make up a theory for this one, the Duffers have really stepped up their game…does anyone have any theories about this?

[nancyrobinn]

ST4 Spoilers!!!

Don't read any further if you haven't watched the first 8 minutes of episode one (on Tudum)

so that first 8 min of episode one was craaaaaazy.

i'm having trouble believing el would do any of that on her own accord. i got past the initial shock and rewatched it and noticed she's bleeding from her eyes (something i don't ever remember seeing happen to her when she uses her powers.)

i don't really have a like a full thought out theory but does anyone else think that moment has anything to do with vecna? he's very heavily associated with eyes and sight (victor creel).

also, she's standing right underneath the clock in the room during that scene which is definitely not a coincidence.

that scene is also eerily reminiscent of this one:

From Victor and El's almost exact same stance, to them not facing the camera or the children they just killed, and to the way the kids are all sprawled out with broken limbs. (Will we get a scene with Victor's wife asking "What have you done?")

that brings me to the posters, specifically these two:

The first is in the Creel house and the second is where El murdered the children in the rainbow room, both with the same fiery vines coming from the floor. Also both facing clocks, if the clock in the rainbow room is still there. These two locations are obviously connected.

So I'm thinking El was under the influence of Vecna in that scene and not herself (Like Victor). If anyone has anything to add please feel free!!

[willbyersprotector05]

in volume 1 episode 1 Eddie says "so it was thought but Vecna lives" what if they think they end up killing Vecna but then there's an end credits scene and he's still alive somehow?

also this season is heavily inspired by nightmare on elm street so the ending of that (Freddy not actually being dead) could also forshadow this

[will80sbyers]

watch the hug be Will's vision where Jonathan changes into Mike (right after Will comes out to Jonathan irl) and Vecna as Mike says some homophobic shit

I hope I'm wrong and my child is just crying of relief of finally telling his brother that he's gay

[will-the-wiseeeeeee]

I was looking at the picture of Max and Lucas sitting in the Creel house, and I noticed something weird. It looks like max is crying, and if you look really closely it looks like she has a scar under her eye!

[imagineacoolusername]

what if will constantly refuses to show el his painting but once mike arrives to cali will takes the drawing to give it to mike and el is like, "hmm. maybe he isn't crushing on a girl after all"

[fruitydemogorgon]

Yes, he has leather pants

Yes, he has black nail polish

Yes, he is Mike Wheeler the Murder Suspect

He’s a bad bitch.