Taking it to Max: 5 takeaways from ‘Stranger Things 4’ trailer

Season to drop a powered up Max and terrifying new foe

Netflix has released trailer for its long-awaited Stranger Things season 4, and it shows the town of Hawkins facing a demonic threat with Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, being told, “Without you, we can’t win this war.” The video hears Journey’s 1983 classic Separate Ways.

Creators Matt and Ross Duffer recently called season four their “Game of Thrones season,” since it tells a sprawling story with a large number of characters in different locations, having expanded into a nine-episode-long run split into two parts, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Volume 1 will debut May 27 – three years after season three aired – and Volume 2 will debut July 1.

The official description of season four reads: “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.” The streamer also recently announced that the show’s fifth season will be its last.

Nevertheless, here are Netflix Life’s key takeaways from the trailer.

Upside Down again

With characters spread out across two countries, another world has been added to the list. Steve and Max are in the Upside Down. There’s a shot of four of Hawkins friends casually strolling around the other dimension on bikes. Upside Down has surfaced in previous seasons too but this season may just dive into its mythology, so the characters may be spending more time there.

New monster, new portal

The outlet speculates that the season’s newest monster, Vecna, may just be the reason why our characters are ending up in the Upside Down. And the clock and Creel House may have helped them get there. Since both are present in the real world, and the parallel. Vecna, on the other hand, is likely to be scarier than Demogorgon and Mind Flayer.

Nine, ten, Eleven

Struggles for this girl just keep on coming. Despite having been through so much heartbreak, El still doesn’t have her powers back, but Dr Owen tells her she’s needed to save her friends back in Hawkins. There are also flash backs of her time at Hawkins Lab. The question remains, though – does El get arrested? She’s shown in a truck labelled “prison transport,” with Mike sadly watching it drive off.

More of Max

The trailer sees a lot of Max so there’s great chance we’ll be seeing a lot of her and the evolution of her character arc. While she’s still grieving over the loss of Billy, even though he wasn’t the nicest brother, they lived together and his death is tough for her to process. Especially since he died sacrificing himself to save Eleven and the rest of the kids. In a surprising twist, we also see Max levitating. How on earth? Or not.

Time for some action

First, there’s mailed package with a bunch of Russian stamps. Then Joyce and Murray are seen in a plane. These may just be hints that Joyce is heading to Russia. Since, somehow, she may have found out that Hopper is alive. They’re all also bundled up for cold weather – now where could that be?

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