Netflix's beloved sci-fi series Stranger Things will conclude with its fifth and final season later this year. Fans can expect an epic showdown with the malevolent Vecna as the dark Upside Down dimension spills out into the real world. And, of course, there's bound to be an incredibly emotional farewell with characters we've come to love.
Looking ahead to the final installment, star Finn Wolfhard (Mike) joined many of his cast members in previewing an emotional ending, but also admitted that he found the conclusion a bit confusing. “I was so happy with his ending, and I don’t know, I was satisfied, but I was also very confused and sad, but also very happy,” he told PEOPLE.
Saying he's confused perhaps suggests that the ending of Stranger Things sets up a spinoff series. I mean, we know Netflix is actively working on spinoff projects. Might the ending of the original show leave fans guessing? Another possibility is that the end is genuinely confusing in a bad way, although it's hard to imagine Wolfhard admitting to that this far ahead of time even if it was true.
Stranger Things season 5 began production in January 2024 and wrapped up that December. That's a whole year of shooting; hopefully all that time on set results in something spectacular. Right now, we're on the home straight to seeing it hit screens. Wolfhard began playing Mike at 13 years old and literally grew up on set. Reflecting on filming the finale, the now 22-year-old actor said it “was definitely a lot. I felt like I was in a dream or something. None of it felt real. I don’t know, it felt perfect.”
As for the season finale specifically, he dived into what the mood was like around the set. “It didn't really start to go into focus until the next day. It was like an emotional hangover," Wolfhard said. "But it ended really well, and I just have such positive things to say about everyone. The cast all stayed for the last day; we were all there together. It was really great to be around each other.”
Pretty much all of the cast have shared similar thoughts on the show's endgame. For instance, David Harbour (Hopper) has deemed the finale "spectacular," while Joe Keery has also spoken about the "emotional" final days on set.
Netflix has not set a release date for Stranger Things season 5 yet, but it's almost certainly going to drop sometime in 2025, probably in the back half of the year. Watch this space.
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