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Stranger Things season 4: release window, episode titles and more

November 08, 2021
Stranger Things season 4: key info

- Coming in summer 2022
- Looks to be set around Spring Break
- All four teaser trailers have been released
- Season 4's episode titles have also been revealed
- Hopper is in prison in Russia
- Eleven and the Byer family have moved to California

Finally, Stranger Things season 4 has a confirmed launch window: summer 2022. We knew that the next entry in Netflix's hugely popular show would arrive next year. Now, though, we have confirmation that it'll launch on the streaming giant sometime between April and June next year.

Stranger Things 4's release window wasn't the only recent announcement, either. As part of Stranger Things Day, which takes place annually on November 6, Netflix also revealed all of season 4's episode titles, so it's time to start speculating what each one could mean. If you missed this reveal on November 6, you can scroll down to see each season 4 episode title.

But what else do we know about Stranger Things 4? Based on the four teaser trailers that have been released now, we can piece together aspects of season 4's story. It's almost certain that Stranger Things 4 will take place in multiple locations for much of its run, but we wouldn't be surprised if our favorite characters converge towards its end for another hugely significant finale.

Below, you'll find out more information about Stranger Things 4, including its new and returning cast members, potential plot points and more. It goes without saying, but there are huge spoilers for Stranger Things seasons 1 to 3 from this point on. Read on at your own risk.

Stranger Things season 4 release date

Stranger Things season 4 release date: summer 2022

At long last, we have an official launch window for Stranger Things season 4: summer 2022.

Previously, Netflix has stated that season 4 would arrive sometime in 2022, but now we can start looking forward to next summer and the series' next instalment. It's been a long wait, after all.

The announcement came via a trailer, which you can see above, on Stranger Things Day. The video also reveals the titles for each of season 4's episodes, which you can read further down this page.

Season 4 won't be the final entry in the series either, even though its ending has been planned. Speaking in August 2020, co-creator Ross Duffer said: "We know what the end is, and we know when it is." 

Speaking to Collider, executive producer Shawn Levy reiterated that stance and seemed to suggest that season 5 could be the final instalment in Netflix's biggest show. "I have the end in sight," he said. The [Duffer] brothers have the end in sight. There is a plan and that too will be shared, not quite as soon as a sense of when Season 4 is coming out, but soon enough. I can say this. No one's making it up as we go along and there is an endgame, if you will."

We can expect at least one more season after this, then, though there has been speculation that there will be six seasons in total.

Stranger Things season 4 trailer

Stranger Things season 4 trailer: is there one?

Yes, but they're only teaser trailers for now. Netflix has released four teaser trailers for season 4, with the latest – which you can view above – showing that Eleven and the Byers family have relocated to California. Moving to another part of the US, though, doesn't mean that they're safe from the Upside Down. Expect their past endeavours to catch up with them, then.

Once you've viewed the above trailer, check out the other three below, starting with the reveal that Sheriff Jim Hopper (David Harbour) is alive after season 3's explosive ending:

Hopper's fate was unknown after he convinced Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) to cause the Russians' machine – which opened a gate to the Upside Down – to self-destruct, despite Hopper being trapped inside.

However, fans had speculated that Hopper didn't die in the blast. When two Russian soldiers said "the American" shouldn't be fed to a captive Demogorgon in a mid-credits teaser, fans thought they knew who the soldiers were referring to. It could only be one man: Hopper, and the teaser above confirmed as much.

Following that Hopper-centric trailer, which arrived in February 2020, four other videos have been released. One is the season 4 launch window one, another is the Eleven and Byers family-focused trailer and one more is the 'Hopper in Russia' one.

So what about the final two? One, which landed in May, teased that Eleven's backstory may be a major part of season 4's plot:

The other, meanwhile, was released during Netflix's Tudum global fan event in September. It gave us a look at Creel House, which was described by one of the Duffer brothers as a "super important location" in season 3. We also got to see Dustin impersonating Sherlock Holmes, which is pretty funny. Check it out below:

Stranger Things season 4 episode titles

Stranger Things season 4 episode titles: what do they mean?

David Harbour as Jim Hopper in a teaser trailer for Stranger Things season 4

(Image credit: Netflix)

As promised, here are the titles for each of season 4's nine episodes:

  • Episode 1: The Hellfire Club
  • Episode 2: Vecna's Curse
  • Episode 3: The Monster and the Superhero
  • Episode 4: Dear Billy
  • Episode 5: The Nina Project
  • Episode 6: The Dive
  • Episode 7: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab
  • Episode 8: Papa
  • Episode 9: The Piggyback

Straight away, it's obvious to deduce that Eleven's backstory will feature heavily in season 4. Episode 3 sounds like it'll be a flashback to her first encounter with the Demogorgon, episode 6 could be her first 'dive' (when she sits in a body of water and enters another realm), and episode 7 may reveal what happened to Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) and Hawkins Lab's staff after the season 1 finale.

Episode 8, too, may look at Eleven's father and daughter style relationship with Dr. Brenner. It could also include elements of what happened to Hopper's daughter, which we'll detail more in our plot speculation section below.

What else do the titles tell us? Well, episode 1 is the name of a Hawkins High School Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) club, so we'll be seeing some of Stranger Things' cast attending high school in the season 4 premiere. Episode 4, meanwhile, sounds like it'll be Max-centric, given that her brother Billy sacrificed himself to save everyone in season 3.

D&D fans will also understand the significance of episode 2's title. Vecna is the name of a powerful wizard who becomes a lich during the World of Greyhawk campaign, and has been named as one of the greatest D&D villains of all-time. Will Vecna be tied to a D&D game that occurs in season 4, or could he be related to Creel House in some way? This isn't the first time that Stranger Things has used D&D as an inspiration for its villains and the Upside Down, so we wouldn't be surprised if Vecna's Curse relates to someone or something in season 4.

Episode 5 may be referencing Nina Kulagina, a Russian woman who claimed to have psychic powers. Hmm, a person with superhuman abilities... where have we heard that before? We won't be surprised if this relates to Eleven (and number Eight, aka Kali from Stranger Things 2) and the experiments that were performed on them by Dr. Brenner in the 1980s.

As for episode 9: we don't know. It's the season finale so, even if we had some idea of what it meant, we wouldn't want to spoil it here. We'll find out more when season 4 arrives next summer.

Stranger Things season 4 plot

Stranger Things season 4 story: what will it entail?

Stranger Things

(Image credit: Netflix)

While there isn't an official synopsis yet, we've been receiving a steady trickle of information from the cast and crew – and all signs point towards season 4 being darker than its predecessors.

Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harington, told Total Film that season 4 will be the "scariest yet", and David Harbour revealed (per Deadline) that Hopper's journey this season will be "painted in a bit of a darker palette."

Speaking to The New York Times during the Black Widow press tour, Harbour also stated that movies including Alien 3 and The Great Escape had inspired season 4. We imagine that both are tied to Hopper's arc specifically, though, given that he's in a Russian prison and there's a Demogorgon nearby.

In another interview, this time with Entertainment Weekly, Harbour expanded on some of season 4's other plots: "You'll see a lot more layers about Eleven and Brenner and the institution and what she went through and is going through that relates to this narrative coming back. And then there's this new Creel House thing, which is this new element of a situation in Hawkins, which of course all relates."

Chatting to Entertainment Tonight, too, Harbour also hinted that fans would see a major moment, in Hopper's backstory, revealed during season 4. According to Harbour, it's something that goes right back to the "first frame of the first season". It might be worth preparing ourselves for something to do with his deceased daughter Sara, in that case, so make sure you have a tissue or two handy when that episode rolls around.

Meanwhile, Gaten Matarazzo was also a guest on the April 7, 2021 edition of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. During the chat, Matarazzo claimed that season 4 would be the "scariest" one yet, and that the Duffer brothers were "really going for it this year".

It sounds like Mike Wheeler will be keeping himself busy without Eleven around, too. Speaking to NME, when asked what Mike would get up to in season 4, actor Finn Wolfhard simply replied: “I’ll just say he’s visiting someone…”

In a separate ET Online interview, Maya Hawke was asked about Robin's season 4 story arc. Hawke didn't give anything away, but she did hint that the Duffer brothers "really dig into her this season".

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There are also plenty of unresolved plot threads from season 3. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) has seemingly lost her powers, while Max will be dealing with the fallout from brother Billy's death. Speaking to Glamour, Sink hinted that Max will be in a "very different place", and that this could be "geographically or mentally or perhaps both".

Leaked set photos also appear to show Eleven will be involved in some sort of accident in season 4.

The images (published by Metro UK) appear to show the fan-favorite character being wheeled out on a stretcher, towards an ambulance, by two paramedics. In another photograph, police and the US army inspect the site where a building has collapsed.

Naturally, it's unclear what this means for Eleven's arc in season 4. Given that she lost her abilities in season 3's finale, though, the two incidents may be linked. It's that, or Brenner has found and kidnapped her, so he can continue his sinister experiments.

Stranger Things season 4 cast

Stranger Things season 4 cast: who is playing who?

Brett Gelman portraying Murray Bauman in Stranger Things

(Image credit: Netflix)

The TV show's core cast will reprise their roles for season 4:

  • Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers
  • David Harbour as Jim Hopper
  • Millie Bobby Brown as 'Eleven'/Jane Hopper
  • Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
  • Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
  • Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
  • Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
  • Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
  • Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
  • Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield
  • Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley
  • Joe Keery as Steve Harington

Brett Gelman, who played conspiracy theorist Murray Bauman in seasons 2 and 3, has also been bumped up to a series regular. Meanwhile, Priah Ferguson, Matthew Modine, Joe Chrest and Cara Buono will also reprise their roles as Erica Sinclair, Matthew Brenner, Ted Wheeler and Karen Wheeler respectively.

Meanwhile, in November 2020, Variety also revealed some of the new faces we'll be seeing in Stranger Things season 4:

  • Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeney Todd) as Peter Ballard, a caring orderly at a psychiatric hospital.
  • Eduardo Franco (Booksmart) as Argyle, Jonathan's new best friend. A fun-loving stoner and pizza-delivery boy.
  • Joseph Quinn (Catherine the Great) as Eddie Munson, an audacious metalhead that runs Hawkins High's D&D society, The Hellfire Club. At the centre of this season's key mystery.
  • Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) as Victor Creel, a disturbed, intimidating man imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for a gruesome murder in the 1950s.
  • Tom Wlashicha (Game of Thrones) as Dmitri, a Russian prison guard who befriends Hopper.
  • Sherman Augustus (Virus) as Lt. Colonel Sullivan, an intelligent, no-nonsense man who believes he can stop the evil consuming Hawkins for good.
  • Mason Dye (Teen Wolf) as Jason Carver, a handsome, rich sport star, whose perfect world unravels as evil spreads.
  • Nikola Djuricko (World War Z) as Yuri, a Russian smuggler.
  • Tyner Rushing (Lovecraft Country) as Virginia Creel, a relative of Victor's.
  • Joel Stoffer (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D) as Warden Hatch.

Bower, Franco and Quinn's characters have been added as main cast members, while the others will be recurring throughout season 4.

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Finally, four new cast members were revealed as part of the Netflix Geeked Week event in early June:

  • Amybeth McNulty (Anne With an E) as Vickie, a cool, fast-talking band nerd who catches the eye of one of our beloved heroes.
  • Miles Truitt (Queen Sugar) as Patrick, a Hawkins basketball star who has friends, talent and a good life... until shocking events send his life spiraling out of control.
  • Regina Ting Chen (Queen of the South) as Ms. Kelly, a popular guidance counselor who cares deeply for her students – especially those struggling the most.
  • Grace Van Dien (Charlie Says) as Chrissy, Hawkins High's lead cheerleader and the most popular girl in school. But, beneath the seemingly perfect surface, lies a deep secret.

Will Stranger Things still have the same magic when it returns after all this time? We're hoping so. If anything, the longer it takes, the more likely the creators are to get it right once again.



source https://www.techradar.com/news/stranger-things-season-4/

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