Stranger Things Season 4 Is Arriving Sooner Than You Think

As part of the Stranger Things Day celebration, Netflix revealed when fans can expect the critically acclaimed show's return. Plus, see the new teaser.

By Alyssa Ray Nov 08, 2021 11:26 PMTags
Watch: "Stranger Things": Everything We Know About Season 4

We're in for a strange summer.

On Saturday, Nov. 6, Netflix announced that season four of Stranger Things will arrive in the summer of 2022. The streamer broke the premiere-date news with a teaser announcing all of the episode titles for the upcoming season.

"In the spring of 1986, the adventure continues," says telling footage. "Summer 2022."

As for what to expect? The nine new episodes are titled "The Hellfire Club," "Vecna's Curse," "The Monster and the Superhero," "Dear Billy," "The Nina Project," "The Dive," "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab," "Papa" and "The Piggyback".

This reveal was a part of Netflix's Nov. 6 Stranger Things Day celebration, which commemorated the mystery that kicked off the critically acclaimed series: the disappearance of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) on Nov. 6, 1983. Stranger Things' first episode on July 15, 2016 sparked a series of fascinating supernatural adventures, a generation of Hollywood's next child stars and the resurgence of Winona Ryder.

photos
2022 TV Premiere Dates

So it's not surprising that Netflix went all out for their Stranger Things Day. The streamer also dropped a closer look at season four's new location: the golden state of California.

In the teaser, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Byers family have relocated to the sunny state. Some have taken to California life—shout-out to a shaggy-haired Jonathan (Charlie Heaton)—while others have not. Case in point: Eleven, who is getting bullied at school.

But that's the least of the gifted teen's problems, who has a spring break from hell in store. We're talking creepy dolls, gunfire, high-speed chases and explosions.

We last had a season of Stanger Things in 2019, so now we're counting down the days until its long awaited return.

While we wait for summer to start, let's take a closer look at everything we know about Stranger Things' fourth season.

Heading Out of Hawkins

Stranger Things was renewed for season four in September 2019. And, thanks to a captivating teaser on Twitter, it was clear that the new season would venture outside the Indiana town. The caption read: "we're not in hawkins anymore."

You've Got...Stranger Things

All the way back in October 2019, the Stranger Things writers' Twitter account introduced Video Store Fridays, a list of movies which, according to the post, "relate in some way or another to season four."

The first films listed? The Peanut Butter Solution, The Fisher King, Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, You've Got Mail and Ordinary People.

The writers kept this up for about six months, listing everything from Hellraiser 2 to Billy Madison and more.

Episode One

In November 2019, it was teased that the first episode of season four is titled, "Chapter One: the Hellfire Club." What exactly is the Hellfire club? We have some theories, but we guess we'll have to wait and see.

Hopper's Fate Revealed

For those who may need a refresher, it was unclear at the end of Stranger Things season three whether David Harbour's character Jim Hopper was still alive. By February 2020, Netflix released a teaser that showed a bald Hopper imprisoned in Russia.

An "Epic" Season Awaits

On what fans can expect from season four, David Harbour told Deadline that "it's very epic and very big in a Stranger Things way." The leading man teased monsters, horror, scares and "great Indiana Jones-type action."

Additionally, fans can expect more of Hopper's backstory.

An Expanding Ensemble Cast

Just when we thought the Stranger Things cast couldn't get more impressive, Netflix announced eight additional cast members in November 2020, including Eduardo Franco, Jamie Campbell Bower, Sherman Augustus, Mason Dye, Joseph Quinn, Tom Wlaschiha, Nikola Djuricko and Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund.

Eleven's Origin Story

In May 2021, a new teaser indicated that the origin story of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) will be explored more. At the start of the clip, a number of youngsters with closely cropped hair are seen playing with educational toys. Later, Dr. Martin Brenner, a.k.a. "Papa" (Matthew Modine), appears to be seen from the back as he walks in and says in a voiceover, "Good morning, children."

As Brenner continues to interact with the children, heavy breathing is heard as a camera pans to a door with an 11 on it. The clip comes to an end with the ominous doctor asking, "Eleven, are you listening?"

The New Faces of Hawkins High

Four new faces joined the Stranger Things cast in June 2021, including Amybeth McNulty as Vickie, a cool, fast-talking band nerd; Myles Truitt as Patrick, a basketball star at Hawkins; Grace Van Dien as another popular student, named Chrissy; and Regina Ting Chen as Ms. Kelly, a popular guidance counselor who cares deeply for her students.

A 2022 Return

In August 2021, Netflix teased what's to come for the new season, including its return year. "See y'all in the upside down," Netflix noted in an Instagram caption. "Stranger Things returns in 2022."

It was later announced that the season would be broken up into two volumes, with the first premiering on May 27.

Welcome to Creel House

In a teaser from Sept. 2021, a new spooky locale was introduced: Creel House. The footage indicated that the seemingly haunted home has a dark connection to the Upside Down, and that Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Steve (Joe Keery), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and more are on the case.

Spring Break from Hell

On Stranger Things Day in 2021, Netflix revealed that Stranger Things season four will follow Eleven and the Byers family in their new town in California. Before fans of Eleven and Mike panic, it seems the couple will reunite over spring break. In typical Stranger Things fashion, the trip promises plenty of chaos.

Into the Unknown

Fans got a closer look at the haunted Creel House in one of the new posters.

New Beginnings

Judging by this poster, maybe the west coast isn't the best coast after all.

The Lab

Take a closer look at the lab where Eleven was created.

Comrades

Season four takes viewers to Russia, meaning viewers may get answers about the origins of the Upside Down and other burning questions. This also might be where Hopper has been held after he sacrificed himself.

The End

The Duffer Brothers confirmed season five will be Stranger Things' last in the above letter. "Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things," they wrote in part. "At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but—as you'll soon see for yourselves—we are now hurtling toward our finale."

That being said, a billboard promoting season four also teased that "every ending has a beginning," so maybe there's a spinoff in the works.

Vecna

Vecna, named after a Dungeons & Dragons character, is the ominous villain in season four. In the season's trailer, Vecna says "you've broken everything, your suffering is almost at an end."

The monster is made even more frightening due to the fact that Eleven is powerless to help.

"Part of the drive and tension of this season is that we have this big new evil emerge in Hawkins, and for the first time ever, Eleven is not there," co-creator Ross Duffer told Entertainment Weekly. "Not only is she separated by distance, but at the end of season three, she's lost her powers. So even when she learns about what has happened in Hawkins, she is unable to help them in the same way she has before."

Vecna also comes with his own army of deadly bats. Yes, deadly bats. 

You've been warned.

Seasons one through three of Stranger Things are available to stream on Netflix.

Latest News