Stranger Things 4 has almost come to an end. The hit Netflix sci-fi series which started back in 2016 has reached its fourth and final season with Stranger Things 4. However, the streaming service currently only has the first seven episodes in the fourth and final season, with the final two set for release on July 1. But how will Stranger Things 4 end?
Stranger Things 4 sees the return of all the main characters from previous seasons, however, this time, the gang isn't all together, with many characters spread out, meaning that there are a number of threads to follow.
After Elevent (Mille Bobby Brown) is kidnapped by government agents from her new California home, Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), and Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) must find out where she is.
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Meanwhile, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) head on a trip to Russia to rescue Jim Harbour (Jim Hopper) from captivity. Back in Hawkins, the gang uncovers a dark truth about the Upside Down.
Steve Harringon (Joe Keery), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) and Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) come face to face with Vecna.
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Vecna is described by the gang as a "dark wizard" (once again the board game Dungeons & Dragons is used as a neat reference point for monsters that emerge from the Upside Down), but the truth is that he's so much more.
The sentient demon-like being is all powerful, and posesses powers similar to Eleven. This means he is able to telepathically connect with any Hawkins resident of his choosing, and consequently kill them in horrible ways.
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Speaking of telekinetic powers, Eleven appears to have lost hers. But she soon finds herself back in the Hawkins lab with "Papa" (Matthew Modine). In order to get her powers back, she must first uncover a dark truth about someone.
Stranger Things 4 Volume 1 is a thrill-ride, and it's great to be back in the rich and nostalgic world created by the talented Duffer brothers. But as Stranger Things 4 has already been confirmed to be the final season, how will it all end?
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Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for Stranger Things 4.
Naturally, the seventh and final episode in Volume 1 ends on a major cliffhanger, but there's a lot to take note of before we try to figure out how Stranger Things 4 will actually end.
In the Hawkins lab, Eleven discovers a terrifying truth about one of the doctors - Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower). Like her, he is telekinetic, but it is revealed that he is Vecna, long before he became twisted by the Upside Down.
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Joyce and Murray become trapped in the remote Russian prison with Hopper, as he desperately battles a Demogorgon which the Russians have had in captiivity the whole time.
And back in Hawkins, Steve and Nancy wind up trapped in the Upside Down, after failing to escape via a portal created by Dustin, Lucas, and Max. Like Max, Nancy becomes a target of Vecna, and her fate is left unknown.
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Exactly how things will unfold in the final two episodes on July 1 remains to be seen, however, the final episode will clock in at over 2 hours, while the penultimate episode will follow suit with the first seven at the 1 hour 20 mark.
Paul Reiser's Dr. Owens teases that a "war is coming" during his conversation with Eleven, prior to her return to the Hawkins lab. And if the Upside Down fight scene in the seventh episode is anything to go by, all bets are off.
It would also be wise to expect some major character deaths, which have already been teased in Volume 1. Max has become a target of Vecna, and as the most recent episode suggests, Nancy has too.
Something else we can probably expect is seeing Eleven's powers return and dialled up to, well, eleven. This is likely the only way Vecna can be defeated, especially seeing as he's cut from the same cloth as our Hawkins hero.
As per the Netflix website, here's the official synopsis for the fourth season of Stranger Things:
It's been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn't made things any easier.
In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.
Stranger Things 4 Volume 1 stars Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven/Jane Hopper), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), and Noah Schnapp (Will Byers).
Stranger Things 4 Volume 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.