In Hawkins, it’s no longer time for puzzles or bicycles. In the latest trailer for Stranger Things 5 unveiled by Netflix during the “One Last Ride” event, carelessness has given way to rage. At the heart of the burning images, Dustin blurts out: “I want Vecna to suffer martyrdom”. The tone is set.
The one and a half minute video, posted online a few days before the release of the first episodes, reveals a city under military quarantine, a group of heroes ready for anything, and an Upside Down World that has become a battlefield. The atmosphere is one of inevitable chaos, reinforced by the heavy silence around Max, still in a coma, and the total absence of respite in the rhythm.
A Hawkins under siege, a team ready to die
Ross Duffer confirms this bluntly: “Our heroes lost at the end of season 4. This season sprints from the start.” No more slow introductions, the story gets off to a flying start. From the first seconds, Eleven, isolated and weakened, hides in the ruins of the Laboratory, while Hopper accompanies her to this place full of memory.
The most striking shot in the trailer? Steve, Mike, Jonathan and Dustin driving a van straight into a red gate. They no longer flee: they attack. A strategic shift which marks the entry into an open war against Vecna and its army.
A creature war and a chilling promise
Beyond the blood-red sky and the omnipresent spores, the trailer presents a worrying development: the Demogorgons now fly in swarms, emerging from the ground in a monstrous choreography. “They’ll need the whole group,” the voice-over announces. The series comes full circle around the founding friendship between Will, Eleven, Lucas, Max, Dustin and Mike.
But the darkest is yet to come. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer did not mince their words: this final season will contain “the most violent death” in the entire history of Stranger Things. The danger is no longer just supernatural. The army surrounds the city. Every step in Hawkins seems like a goodbye. Dustin, more determined than ever, won’t budge: he wants “Vecna’s heart on a platter”.
An ending in three acts to close a cult decade
Netflix has chosen to divide the broadcast into three parts: Volume 1 from November 26, Volume 2 at Christmas and the grand finale at New Year. A way of punctuating the end of this cult series which will have marked an entire generation. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, the heroes face their demons one last time, in a world where childhood is forever behind them.