Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Stranger Things series finale.
The door may be closed on Hawkins — but the Stranger Things universe isn’t done yet.
After nearly a decade on Netflix, Stranger Things officially wrapped its fifth and final season on December 31, bringing the beloved series to an emotional (and intense) conclusion. While fans said goodbye to Eleven and the rest of the Hawkins crew, creators Matt and Ross Duffer are already looking ahead — and teasing a spinoff that will dive deeper into some of the biggest unanswered questions from Season 5.
How the Spinoff Will Answer Lingering Season 5 Questions
Though the brothers are ready to move beyond the original story, they aren’t fully leaving that world behind. In fact, the upcoming spinoff will explore lingering mysteries tied to the finale — including the origin of the strange artifact connected to Henry Creel, a.k.a. Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
As revealed in the final season, Henry gained his powers as a child after coming into contact with a glowing rock hidden inside a scientist’s briefcase — an explanation that raised just as many questions as it answered. According to Matt, fans can expect more clarity, though not in the way they might expect.
“I do want to explain, just because people’s expectations go in certain directions: The spinoff is going to delve into that and explain that, and you’re going to understand it,” Matt told Variety in an interview published January 1. “But it’s a completely different mythology.”
Don’t Expect a Deep Dive Into the Mind Flayer
While the artifact will be addressed, Matt made it clear that the spinoff won’t center on the Mind Flayer itself.
“So it’s not a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer or anything like that,” Matt emphasized to Variety. “It’s very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining.”
No Familiar Faces Will Appear in the Spinoff
While the spinoff will be connected to the Stranger Things universe, fans shouldn’t expect familiar faces to pop up. After watching Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), and the rest of the cast save the world for years, the Duffers are officially turning the page.
“No common characters,” Matt confirmed. “We’re actually really excited, and it’s very exciting to work with a clean slate: completely new characters, new town, new world, new mythology.”
STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5. (L to R) Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, and Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers in Stranger Things: Season 5. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2025
How the Spinoff Still Connects to Stranger Things
Although the new series won’t revisit old characters or locations, it will remain connected to the Stranger Things universe. In an interview with The Wrap, Matt explained how the spinoff fits into the larger story.
“The spinoff will connect and it will answer some of these lingering questions that were not actually answered fully in the finale, but it is very much its own story and its own mythology. So it’s not about the Mind Flayer per se. We’ve explored that about as much as we want to,” he said, declining to reveal when the spinoff takes place.
The Spinoff Won’t Be Set in Montauk
And for fans wondering if the new series could be set in Montauk — where Hopper and Joyce plan to move — Matt shut that theory down.
“Ross wanted to put the Montauk thing in, and this is what I didn’t want to happen, is people thinking that there’s going to be a spinoff in Montauk,” Matt told Collider. “No, but I actually think it’s really cute. I’m glad we have it. But no, there’s no spinoff. This is the end of the story of these characters, right?”
Closing that chapter wasn’t easy, he admitted. “It was actually really hard for all the actors, closing the door on this story and their characters, but we’ve all agreed that that’s what needs to happen. And Netflix, no one’s pressuring us to bring any of these characters back. So, we’re all kind of invested in exploring completely new characters and a new mythology.”