Stranger Things Season 5: Netflix’s new ‘protectors of our party’ reel is a nostalgic nod to Joyce, Hopper, and two more familiar faces

As Stranger Things Season 5 comes closer, Netflix has released a reel about the characters of the show who are 'protectors'. While each and every main character of the show is brave, most of them are still teenagers. That often puts the parents on the show embodying the role of 'protectors' since they are the adults.

Since Season 1 of the show, Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper have been the adults who have done their best to keep the children safe. Along the ride, Karen Wheeler and Murray Bauman have also become important adults who have done the best to keep Hawkins and its children safe. Netflix's reel about these four adults is a nostalgic nod to the characters who have been protectors all along, and will be playing important roles in Stranger Things Season 5.

Netflix's reel teases Joyce, Hopper, Karen, and Murray's role in Stranger Things Season 5

While these adults have been the protectors throughout the seasons, Stranger Things Season 5 will show them battling their biggest challenges as the Upside Down and Vecna would be right at their doorstep. The reel Netflix has posted shows Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler, and Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman, each presented with their reflection being what they looked like in Season 1.

The reel is captioned as:

"The protectors of our party."

In Season 1, Joyce went through a mother's worst nightmare when her son Will Byers was taken into the Upside Down by a Demogorgon. Joyce, her older son Jonathan, Will's friends, Eleven, and Jim Hopper did everything in their power to rescue Will. However, the dangers of the Upside Down persisted in Seasons 2, 3, and 4. Ever since Joyce and Jim understood what the Upside Down is, and took the help of Murray Bauman, a former investigative journalist turned private investigator, they have been doing their best to protect the children from the horrors of the Upside Down.

Jim Hopper is the chief of police of Hawkins, Indiana, and in Season 1, we saw him investigate Will's disappearance, and eventually found him with the help of Joyce and the children. He then also adopted Eleven, and named her Jane Hopper, after his deceased daughter. Since then, he has protected Eleven like his own daughter, and also been a protective figure for the rest of the children. As of Season 4, Jim is also in a romantic relationship with Joyce.

Karen Wheeler is Mike and Nancy Wheeler's mother, who initially had no idea about the Upside Down. But after Will's disappearance, she strictly told her children not to leave the house at certain times, and became an overprotective parent. While she initially had no idea about the horrors that was plaguing her children and their friends, she eventually realizes how dangerous the situation has become. We haven't seen Karen too much in action, but from Netflix's reel it seems that she will play a more active role in Stranger Things Season 5, as was also hinted by the teaser.

The Stranger Things Season 5 teaser shows how Hawkins is under millitary quarantine, and the crew consisting of Eleven, Will, Mike, Max, Dustin, Lucas, Jonathan, Steve, Nancy, and Robin will be battling the horrific creatures of the Upside Down and Vecna. The Stranger Things Season 5 teaser also shows us that this time, there's a plan, and the 'protectors' will be fighting right beside the crew.

We see Jim right beside Eleven as she goes into the Upside Down. He also tells her to fight one last time, so that they can, as Jim says:

"Let's end this kid."

We also see Joyce standing as the first layer of defence against a Demogorgan and Karen holding a little girl protectively in a water chamber, both holding their breath, hoping a creature from the Upside Down doesn't see or hear them. Murray is going to be back in Stranger Things Season 5 to help out the crew with his investigative skills and Jim will be inflicting some damage on their enemies as well.

Stranger Things Season 5 will be released on Netflix in three volumes. The volumes will be released on November 26, 2025, Christmas 2025, and New Year's Eve. The first four seasons of the show are streaming on Netflix.

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