16 burning questions before Stranger Things returns

Say what you want about Stranger Things, but at least it finally gave El a real problem: no powers. At no fault of Millie Bobby Brown’s, Hawkins’ former Eggo-eating savior has been a one-note nightmare for much of the series—playing out a wild-child-enters-society storyline that saw her sci-fi powers routinely double in strength. But after battling the Mind Flayer and closing the gate between Hawkins and the Upside Down yet again in the Stranger Things 3 finale, El inexplicably loses her telekinesis. The new batch of episodes will have to answer two questions on that front: What defused El’s supernatural abilities in the first place? And in what (presumably) totally badass way will she get them back? [Alison Foreman]

It’s well-established at this point that the U.S. Department of Energy-run Hawkins Lab has been a hotspot for Dr. Martin Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) dangerous experimentation on kidnapped youngsters like Jane Ives, a.k.a. our very own Eleven. Obviously, she wasn’t alone. El briefly meets her step-sibling of sorts in season two, Kali Prasad (Linnea Berthelsen), who went by 008 when she was in captivity. Will Kali ever return? More importantly, will we get details on some of the other children and what their experiences were like? Maybe season four will finally give us more insight into them and ultimately provide answers to how any of this began in the first place. [Saloni Gajjar]

Although admittedly on-message for the show’s ’80s paranoia vibe, Stranger Things has never done the best job of integrating the “Ruskies want the Upside Down” plot thread into its basic storytelling. (Even at its most prominent points in season three, the arc mostly served to give the adults something to do while the kids were busy saving the world.) Now we’ve got one of the show’s biggest stars hanging out on a whole different continent from Hawkins. Will the series be able to incorporate Hopper’s Russian shenanigans better than it did when the Reds were hanging out under Starcourt Mall? [William Hughes]

We’re looking forward to the inevitable “Jopper” reunion in Stranger Things as much as the next fan. That said, Joyce and Hopper must—seriously, must—speak about his behavior from last season. Recall that, following the untimely death of Sean Astin’s Bob in Stranger Things season two, Hopper let his crush on Joyce turn him into a belligerent jerk, perpetually yelling at a lady who literally just saw her boyfriend get eaten by demodogs. As Alex McLevy aptly put it: Let’s hope the show sets it right whenever he returns from those aforementioned Russian adventures. [Alison Foreman]

Stranger Things’ extradimensional threats have gotten steadily more human as the show has progressed—from the animalistic Demogorgon to the more intelligent Mind Flayer, to its eventual host, Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery). The show’s latest trailers show a new antagonist who appears to be a true hybrid of the Upside Down and the, uh, Right-Side Up. But who the hell is he? There’s no way to tell who’s under all that fungus-y makeup. A returning Dacre Montgomery would be the safest bet, but the never-explained fate of Eleven’s “Papa,” a.k.a. Dr. Martin Brenner, raises some interesting possibilities for who the show’s final “Big Bad” is. The fact that Matthew Modine has reportedly been spotted on the set again could bode well for this theory. [William Hughes]

Speaking of Billy’s possible return, there’s simply no way Montgomery won’t appear in some form, right? The very handsome Billy, a horrible lifeguard at the Hawkins Community Pool and older brother to Max (Sadie Sink), sacrificed himself after escaping the Mind Flayer’s influence. He was stabbed to death in a heroic effort to save Eleven’s life. But based on Max’s extended graveside speech from the trailer, we’re confidently theorizing he makes some sort of comeback. (“Dear Billy, I don’t know if you can even hear this…”? C’mon!) We’re curious about how that’s happening narratively, but a more serious question lurks: Are we getting normal Billy back, or are we getting Upside Down Billy? And also: Are they both equally hot? [Alison Foreman]

One of the most exciting scenes from the Stranger Things season-four trailer is a quick shot of Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) in a cemetery visiting Billy’s grave. It looks like Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Steve (Joe Keery) are with her. Notably, Max looks like she’s floating off the ground as her friends (fearfully?) look on. What is up with that? We already know Eleven will strive to get her powers back, but does Max somehow get a dose of it too? Or is there something far more sinister going on, and Max has become an Upside Down host much like her brother did last season? Either way, we’re here for Sink’s clearly expanded role this time around. [Saloni Gajjar]

Listen, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) seemed like a great match back in season one, when her then-boyfriend Steve was just a good old douche. But things are very different now. Steve is one of the show’s most beloved and evolving characters—and he deserves true love, dammit, whether it’s with Nancy or someone else. With Jonathan now living in California, what are the chances Stranger Things will try to bring Nancy and Steve back together? Or at least use their romantic history to stretch out the love triangle, biding time until the Byers all inevitably return to Hawkins? Let the Team Steve versus Team Jonathan debate commence. If it helps, they’re totally hanging out a lot in the trailer. [Saloni Gajjar]

Forget the Mind Flayer or the Upside Down: Erica Sinclair is this show’s stone-cold villain. Watching Priah Ferguson’s diva-in-the-making roasting—nay, flaying—Dustin and his friends with her sick burns in season three, we realized why we were rooting for this potty-mouthed pre-teen more than any other. Stranger Things doesn’t take itself too seriously, but its main players must; they’re facing countless mysteries and computer-generated perils. Erica taking everyone down a peg provides welcome comedic relief, and the shade she’ll definitely throw next season will balance things out nicely. Plus, we don’t mean to be bullies, but she’s technically correct in taking every opportunity to call these people nerds. [Jack Smart]

The trailer makes it clear that our favorite Stranger Things gang is spending way more time in the Upside Down than ever before. . It’s not just quick rescue missions, but full-fledged scenes, like the one with all the kids riding around on their bicycles in the alternate dimension. There’s also a shot of Steve—in a sleeveless T-shirt, might we add—fighting the monster. Not to mention, new addition Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) is, at one point, rocking a guitar while in the Upside Down as well. Does that mean we may get an entire episode(s) where everyone travels down below to defeat the enemy? Maybe this season’s last big battle takes place in a shadowy, dust-filled arena. [Saloni Gajjar]

Shoutouts to Barb (Shannon Purser) and Bob (Sean Astin) aside, Stranger Things has a shockingly low body count for the kind of show it purportedly is. Promos for the fourth season suggest that the series’ final outing will ditch some of its kid-protecting Spielberg vibes for something a little closer to outright horror, though, raising the possibility that we might see some actual (and potentially lethal) stakes for the show’s characters this time around. We’re not saying any of the core kids are on the chopping block, but if the show was going to go for a shock death (say, of a Steve or a Jonathan), now’s the time. [William Hughes]

The answer to this question, in today’s age of recycling and reviving precious intellectual property, is obvious. If you have a hit product, keep that motor running until the wheels fall off. Looking at the clues presented ahead of the season-four drop, there’s already one tantalizing possibility for spin-off material: Who is ? Promotion materials and loglines for the former Hawkins resident, calling him “a disturbed and intimidating man who is imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for a gruesome murder in the 1950s.” Not only does Creel sound like a pivotal character in the upcoming installment, but the fact that horror legend Robert Englund is playing him suggests further storytelling potential. [Jack Smart]

A pressing question going into a conspicuously delayed fourth season of Stranger Things is about Netflix’s overall awards strategy. The show dominated TV awards when it burst onto the scene in 2016, including a memorable Screen Actors Guild ensemble win. (Who can forget Winona Ryder’s facial expressions during David Harbour’s impassioned acceptance speech?) Do the show’s dwindling nominations season after season mean this is still considered a prestige drama, or just a crowd-pleasing blockbuster? Both are valid metrics of success, but Netflix’s inability to translate their originals into major Emmy category wins reflects their overall identity crisis. [Jack Smart]

Look: We get that a) all involved on Stranger Things are doing their best to make a bunch of 17-, 18-, and 19-year-olds look like plucky and winsome youths, and b) that Will Byers, after his unintended trips to the Upside Down, is meant to seem especially young in comparison to his friends. Even so: There is absolutely no reason, even in 1986, for this kid to be rocking that My Buddy haircut from the trailers. Playing host to an interdimensional mind flayer is one thing, but bangs? C’mon, Joyce, give the kid a break/haircut. [William Hughes]

There’s no getting around it. Stranger Things is officially the ultimate example of a Hollywood trope that has come into sharper focus in TV’s golden age: kid actors growing up between seasons. If Netflix could figure out a way to preserve Millie Bobby Brown at the age of, oh I don’t know, eleven, we’re sure they would. Instead, puberty is a reality, and one often at odds with the cadence of the streaming-TV model. Might we get some clever meta—even perhaps supernatural—way of explaining how these obviously full-grown adults are in high school? [Jack Smart]

When it comes to a mainstream audience, the long gap between seasons has potentially diminished the interest in Stranger Things. A lot of people don’t remember what happened on the show last season () and, with peak TV never really slowing down, Stranger Things isn’t in top contention anymore. It’s also possible that the anticipation has only made things better for some people, and they can’t wait to spend May 27 watching Eleven and the gang fight the Upside Down monsters yet again. Perhaps you just want to see why on each episode—and (as Will points out) still couldn’t get a better wig for Schnapp. Let’s hope the wait is worth it. [Saloni Gajjar]