Stranger Things: The biggest mysteries still left to solve

Stranger Things (Image via Netflix)
Stranger Things (Image via Netflix)

When Stranger Things dropped in 2016, few could guess the pop cultural storm it was about to bring. Years later, in 2025, the story has ballooned into an expansive mythos of parallel espionage plots, psychological warfare, emotional friendships, and a story of survival.

While the show laid out a lot for our entertainment, the Duffers have left a trail of dangling threads. Now that the show is heading towards its 5th season, fans have many questions (apart from Steve Harrington’s hair, though still iconic!).

Here are the biggest mysteries Stranger Things still hasn’t solved :


Note: Some spoilers ahead.


Stranger Things: The biggest mysteries still left to solve

10. The demodog in the freezer

The first dangling question hits the viewers in Season 2 when Dustin asks Steve to store a dead Demodog, a potential scientific specimen, in Byers’ freezer (maybe to study Demogorgon's development).

But we do not get any more info about what happens to that frozen Demodog. We also did not get a scene of Joyce opening her freezer to find an alien corpse; nothing.

Fans can only wonder what happened to the specimen. Did Owen’s team have something to do with the silence? Well, it's a hanging thread, remember?

9. The upside down consuming hawkins

The central crisis that season 5 has to take up is the consumption of Hawkins by The Upside Down. Keeping in mind the temporal nuances, the passage of time and the opening of the rift would mean that the Upside Down would have had ample opportunity to infiltrate Hawkins.

Will the town turn into a ground of devastation? Ecological disaster? This rift and temporal narrative will allow Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard to play characters that stay true to their real ages. It also raises the stakes for the fifth season.

Stranger Things (Image via Instagram/@strangerthingstv)
Stranger Things (Image via Instagram/@strangerthingstv)

8. Steve Harrington’s parents

One of the show's most beloved characters, Steve, appears to have jumped out of Scoops Ahoy, as the show did not place him in any parental context.

Viewers were given some cues here and there, like when his mother's name appears on a job reference or when his dad puts him under pressure for work. Apart from these few instances, we never get a full, onscreen appearance of the parents. This one is one of the remaining mysteries in the expansive lore of Stranger Things.

7. About Dustin’s dad

Mr. Henderson’s absence remains one of Stranger Things’ unanswered plot points. He appears only briefly in season 1 during the funeral, but is never mentioned or seen on screen afterwards.

So, when the character just stops resurfacing, it naturally induces speculations and a lot of mystery around the loose end.

Dustin from Stranger Things (Image via Instagram/@strangerthingstv)
Dustin from Stranger Things (Image via Instagram/@strangerthingstv)

The puzzle deepens when the stage play The First Shadow comes into the picture. It takes the viewers through Hawkins’ past and reveals Mr. Henderson’s first name: Walter.

Yet the narrative does not sew Walter’s character deeply into it. It can only be speculated that the decision to recast Claudia Henderson after Season 1 was part of a quiet rewrite of Dustin’s family dynamic.

With season 5 set to come with another installment to the character-heavy series, this mystery may be one to be addressed.

6. The soviets and the upside down

Season 3 came up with a reveal: in a secret Russian base under Starcourt Mall, Russians had their own Demogorgons, and they were hatching a plan to create more.

Hopper found out something more shocking: they had particles of Mind Flayers, which viewers can only make vague guesses at.

But how did the USSR even learn of Hawkins’ dark dimension? Viewers can only start guessing. Spies or stolen intel? Sabotage? Well, the Cold War subplot surely draws attention.

5. Eddie's death

Eddie’s tragic end in the Stranger Things season 4 finale is one of the most heartbreaking moments of the show. But the series often surprises the audience when it comes to closures.

Hopper’s supposed sacrifice in season 3 was later revealed to be a fake-out, with many other examples of character deaths not being ultimate finalities in the show. With season 5 episode titles now revealed, fans are curious if Eddie might get a chance to return for one last appearance. Stranger Things season 4 finale is one of the most heartbreaking moments of the show. But the series has a habit of pulling the rug out from under audience when it comes to closures.

4. Kali and her powers

One of the most popular characters appeared in season 2, who carried a really unique power. Unlike El’s telekinesis or telepathy, her abilities felt particularly unique, like duplication phantasmagoria.

It was revealed in Season 4 that other test subjects shared powers similar to El’s. However, the stage play named The First Shadow hints differently, showing young Henry using illusions, suggesting Kali’s gift may simply be a refined version of the same abilities.

While some fans hope she’ll return in Season 5 to aid El, the series may not have much scope to explore why her powers stand apart.

Stranger Things (Image via Instagram/@strangerthingstv)
Stranger Things (Image via Instagram/@strangerthingstv)

3. El's father

Stranger Things has not explicitly confirmed Eleven’s biological father, and we do not see him on-screen. In Stranger Things Season 2, Dr. Owens hands over a birth certificate to El.

Even in Terry’s head, he does not appear when she recalls getting her daughter back. So, for a character as important as El, this question is yet to be answered.

2. Brenner coming back

In the memorable season 1 finale, Dr. Martin Brenner was attacked by the Demogorgon, and it was presumed that he did not survive. Yet Season 2 hinted at hints otherwise via Ray Carroll. Brenner came back in Season 4 and guided El to reclaim her powers.

Naturally, El, as well as the viewers, will be shocked to see him alive but El never questioned how he escaped the creature. This omission definitely carried on the mystery.

1. The Vecna effect

Season 5 jumped some steps to reach the aftermath of Vecna breaking through into Hawkins. This jump can’t simply be brushed aside.

Season 5 must answer this key question: how exactly has Vecna’s presence unsettled the community even before the Upside Down bled into their world? As per season 4, Hawkins had already set in motion a wave of Satanic panic. Only time can tell what else season 5 will add to this plot.

Also read: Every season of Stranger Things, ranked from weakest to strongest

Edited by Debanjana