This has been a long time coming, but after a three-year wait, we finally have the first trailer for Stranger Things' fifth and final season. The preview is suitably epic, with heaps of visual effects and the promise of an epic conclusion to the series that first hit Netflix in 2016.
The story is still being kept largely under wraps, but we do get a first look at Terminator icon Linda Hamilton as the mysterious Dr. Kay.
The comatose Max is shown being dragged to safety by Lucas as invading Demogorgons close in, while Vecna's terrifying new design can also be seen in the trailer's closing moments.
"Wherever this blood leads...I need you to fight one last time," Hopper tells Eleven before throwing a few grenades. "Let's end this, kid."
In Stranger Things season 5, it's the fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding.
As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.
"We spent a full year filming this season," Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer said back in January. "By the end, we’d captured over 650 hours of footage. So, needless to say, this is our biggest and most ambitious season yet. It’s like eight blockbuster movies. It’s pretty insane."
Co-creator Matt Duffer added, "At the same time, we think it’s our most personal story. It was super intense and emotional to film, for us and for our actors. We’ve been making this show together for almost 10 years. There was a lot of crying. There was so much crying. The show means so much to all of us, and everyone put their hearts and souls into it. And we hope — and believe — that passion will translate to the screen."
The cast includes Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), Nell Fisher (Holly Wheeler), Jake Connelly (Derek Turnbow), Alex Breaux (Lt. Akers), and Linda Hamilton (Dr. Kay).
Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1 arrives on November 27. Volume 2 follows on December 26, with the finale set for January 1, 2026.