It has all led to this. Stranger Things season 5 Volume 1 is finally here, and it culminates in a shocking way that answers a handful of questions while opening a whole new can of worms along the way. Unfortunately, we aren't able to see how the whole story unfolds just yet, as we'll have to wait until Christmas for the release of Volume 2. But while that day arrives, it's time to explain everything that has happened in Hawkins so far.
Be warned: There will be SPOILERS ahead for Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 as we dive into the events of episode 4, "Sorcerer". In case you haven't caught up on all the adventures yet, we recommend reading our breakdowns of previous episodes and return when you discover what dark events have unfolded in the Upside Down.
Still here? Great, then it's time to go over the ending of Episode 4 and break down what it really means.
How Will got his new powers explained
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: Will Byers has psychic powers now. When using them, his eyes turned fully white just like Vecna's, and his nose bled afterwards, mimicking Eleven's symptoms. The groundwork for this shocking reveal was laid earlier in the episode, when the Demogorgon tried to kidnap Derek in the McCorkle farm, who was being held captive by Joyce, Erica, Robin, and, of course, Will.
See, the Stranger Things gang was simply trying to keep Derek away from danger, but their plan turned sideways once Vecna figured out the kid's location and sent his minions after him. As a last resort, Joyce grabbed an axe and threatened to hit the Demogorgon, but, surprisingly enough, she wasn't attacked back.
We then learn that Will had another one of his "episodes" and started to see through the Demogorgon's eyes at the time of the attack on the farm. While Will didn't know it at first, he was unconsciously making the monster hold back and keeping it from attacking Joyce. After the dust settled, Mike talked to Will and compared him to a Dungeons and Dragons sorcerer, given that his new powers didn't come through learning, but rather from an external source.
So what exactly is this "external source"? While Will's newfound powers will certainly help in the fight against Vecna, they seem to come out of nowhere... until we look at the bigger picture, that is. See, the Stranger Things TV series has always hinted that Henry Creel (A.K.A. Vecna) was born with psychic powers, without unveiling their true source. The MKUltra experiments were then founded in an attempt to replicate Henry's abilities by transfusing his blood to pregnant women, and that's why subjects such as Eleven also have telekinesis and telepathy. However, the Stranger Things: The First Shadow stage play finally gave us some much-needed answers as to the beginning of it all.
Turns out that Henry Creel wasn't born with special psychic abilities just because. Instead, he went missing for 12 hours as a kid after venturing into some caves in Nevada. During that time, Henry accidentally traveled to the Upside Down, where the Mind Flayer corrupted him and made him a part of itself by connecting him to the hive mind. It wasn't until after such a tragic episode that Henry was changed. With that in mind, it could be theorized that the real source of the psychic powers is the Mind Flayer/Hive Mind.
Will has always been connected to the Hive Mind, but he never attempted to do something with this connection. Perhaps he could've exploited his telekinetic powers ever since he was a child, but he wasn't even aware that such a scenario was a possibility. It's worth noting that Vecna mentioned that Will showed him the true extent of what he's capable of doing. With that in mind, chances are that Vecna could look to connect the 12 kids he just kidnapped to the hive mind, too, much like he did. Of course, this is just speculation on our part, but it won't be long until we find some concrete answers.
Max explains to Holly where they truly are
While we're on the note of some caves in Nevada and the Hive mind's effects on people, we need to talk about Holly and Max. The last we saw them, they were somewhere... strange. See, Holly was captured by a Demogorgon and seemingly taken to the Upside Down, except that she suddenly appeared in what seems like the real world, next to the Creel house. To make things more confusing, the house was in perfect condition despite having been abandoned for decades in the show's timeline.
At long last, Max finally revealed what's truly going on: They are trapped in Vecna's memories. It's important to remember that Will was connected to the hive mind after first being captured and corrupted by Vecna, so there's a chance that both Max and Holly are now connected to the hive mind too, which is why they are able to communicate in an "oneiric" space.
Now, here's the interesting part: Max revealed that she almost managed to go back to the real world and escape this maze of memories and nightmares, but Henry found her first and started chasing her. It wasn't until Max arrived at some seemingly random caves that Henry stopped the hunt. For the first time in the series, we see Vecna being truly scared. The monster doesn't want to recall what happened in that specific memory—an event that hasn't been unveiled just yet, but that won't stop us from speculating.
Remember how we said Henry Creel was a normal, powerless kid, until he disappeared for 12 hours after venturing into some caves in Nevada? Well, chances are those caves and the ones Max has been living in are one and the same. But what is so special about this place? Well, in the 1950s, it housed stolen lab equipment that Henry accidentally used to travel to the Upside Down for the very first time. It was there that he was corrupted by the Mind Flayer, and the nightmare first began. Vecna is scared of reliving his origin story, which is why he won't dare go into the caves that Max and Holly use as a refuge.
Eight makes a surprising comeback
Since the very start of Stranger Things Season 5, we've all wondered the same question: Where is Vecna? Hopper has been going on multiple undercover missions to the Upside Down, exploring different zones in search of the terrifying villain. For a time, Eleven even theorized that he was at the military base located in the Upside Down, behind a metal door that very few people had the clearance to open. Well, turns out that theory was incorrect as Vecna simply walked out of a portal and started attacking the MAC-Z military base in Hawkins.
So who was behind that metal door in the Gable Ridge Road Base? Eleven said it was someone "powerful just like her", and turns out that part was right. After two seasons, Kali Prasad, better known as Eight, finally makes a return. Turns out the military captured her at some point after Stranger Things Season 2, and had her locked up for an unknown reason.
Now that Eight is back into the picture and Will has developed his psychic powers, the pieces are in place for the final fight against Vecna, the Mind Flayer, and all the horrors that lie in the Upside Down. Fortunately, we won't have to wait too long until we witness the end of this horrifying tale, as Stranger Things 5 Volume 2 will be released on December 25, while the big series finale will be released on December 31. We still have a month to go, but hey, at least it's better than the three-year wait between Seasons 3 and 4.
The first four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 are now streaming on Netflix.