"It was an idea early on": Duffer Brothers reveal the reason behind Kali's return in Stranger Things Season 5

Duffer Brothers on why they decided to bring back Kali in Stranger Things Season 5. (Image via Getty)
Duffer Brothers on why they decided to bring back Kali in Stranger Things Season 5. (Image via Getty)

Stranger Things Season 5 has brought back Kali after three seasons in their finale season.

Kali, a character played by Linnea Berthelsen, has the power of illusion casting, which she uses to trick Dr. Kay after escaping from her lab with Eleven and Hopper. In Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2, Kali also uses her power to show Eleven her future if they go with her friends' plan to destroy Vecna.

While many were surprised by her return on the show, it turns out the creators of the show, the Duffer Brothers, always wanted to bring the character back, and it wasn't a sudden move.

In a Tudum video, Matt Duffer, speaking of the series' character Kali, said:

"It was an idea early on that we wanted to bring Kali back. It was a chapter we had been wanting to explore further. We've had a lot of ideas for Kali that, in Season 2, we weren't able to explore. So finally we found a perfect place."

Kali, sister of Eleven and One, has been part of all volumes of Stranger Things Season 5.


Linnea Berthelsen opens up about her Stranger Things Season 5 character

Linnea Berthelsen, in a behind-the-scenes video for Tudum, spoke of her character Kali from Stranger Things, calling it a character that's completely different. She adds:

"She's not in control, which I think is what we saw in season 2. She was very much a person who wants to be in control. You take control over your own look and your own narrative, and she loses everything in Season 5."

In Stranger Things Season 5, Kali tells Eleven that Dr. Kay's men found her and killed her friends. It is revealed that the lab was taking Kali's blood and injecting it into pregnant women to create more numbers like Eleven and Eight. However, the experiments were unsuccessful, which is why they are now targeting Eleven.

Linnea Berthelsen, for her role, asked the Duffer Brothers if she could have her head shaved on camera, and they agreed. The scene was carried out by Brynn Berg, the head of the hair department.

With the ongoing storyline, she is likely to play a very important role beside Eleven, who will execute others' plan to bring down Vecna. However, Hopper's reaction makes it clear that he doesn't trust Kali and wouldn't hesitate to kill her if she endangered Eleven.

Millie Bobby Brown shared that Eleven was stunned to discover Kali, someone she looks up to and can rely on in the fight against Vecna. She told Tudum:

"It really unveils who Kay has been doing and working on."

Now that Eleven and Kali are together in Stranger Things Season 5, it will be interesting for the viewers to see how the plan goes. Kali has told Eleven to stay back with her to put an end to the Upside Down after successfully saving the children and the others. And with Eleven's reactions, it looks like she has agreed on it. However, Hopper is speculating that Kali is onto something and can't be trusted.

All the questions will be answered in the final episode, scheduled to air on New Year's Eve on Netflix.


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Edited by Vatsala Chauhan