Duffer Brothers broke a promise to their fans in Stranger Things Season 5

Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 has finally landed after what felt like an endless wait, and the energy around it is basically off the charts. Fans spent more than three years riding on the goodwill of the critically praised previous season, building this feeling that the final chapter had to be massive. And to be fair, the first four episodes mostly deliver on that anticipation. The story picks up in a way that helps you reconnect with the characters you already love while slipping in a few new faces who instantly shake up the familiar dynamics. While the show has met the expectations fans had for the season, there is one very important promise the show's creators broke.

Previously, Matt and Ross Duffer told IndieWire that the new season will not have any new characters an will solely focus on the original characters. Speaking to the outlet, Matt Duffer added,

“We’re doing our best to resist for Season 5. We’re trying not to do that so we can focus on the OG characters, I guess.”

Ross Duffer then added,

”Whenever we introduce a new character, we want to make sure that they’re going to be an integral part of the narrative… So we’re just very, very careful about who we’re introducing.”

Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 does not really follow that plan. The cast list, already huge, grows again. Now volume 1 of the new season introduces Derek Turnbow, his family and Linda Hamilton’s menacing Dr Kay. There are also a few military grunts who chase Hopper and Eleven around, plus Holly Wheeler, who appears with a new actor and a much larger role.

More details about Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1

Stranger Things has reached its last ride, and fans are getting this final chapter in three drops instead of one. The first batch showed up on November 26, 2025. The next arrives on December 25, and the story closes out on December 31. The Duffer Brothers run the show once again with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen backing them on the production side. When everything is out, the whole season will add up to eight episodes.

The season takes place during the fall of 1987. After the chaos unleashed at the end of season 4, the group is fully committed to hunting down Vecna and ending his threat once and for all. Their plan hits a wall when the military shows up in Hawkins with its own agenda and begins targeting Eleven. As Will Byers’ disappearance anniversary gets closer, the team finds itself pulled into a final, brutal confrontation.

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The first volume of Stranger Things Season Five is now streaming on Netflix.

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