First minutes of ‘Stranger Things’ 5 spark shock as young Will faces Vecna in the Upside Down

‘Stranger Things’ Five opens with a tense Will Byers scene that sends fans spiralling before final season releases

The long-awaited final season of ‘Stranger Things’ has taken its first step into the spotlight after Netflix released the opening sequence during the Los Angeles premiere. The surprise reveal arrived moments after the screening ended, giving fans a direct look at how the story begins as it returns to the early days of Will Byers and his first chaotic encounter with the otherworldly forces that shaped the entire series.

The clip revisits the aftermath of Will’s 1983 disappearance and places him directly in the eerie landscape of the Upside Down. Alone and frightened, the young character tries to steady himself by singing The Clash’s Should I Stay or Should I Go, a song that has echoed through the narrative since the show’s first season. His attempt at calm is shattered when a Demogorgon appears and launches into a violent pursuit. The chase forces Will into a frantic climb that ends with a heavy fall, leaving him unconscious and vulnerable.

What follows sets the emotional tone for the final season. The Demogorgon drags Will through the murky terrain to the domain of Vecna. With a chilling sense of inevitability, Vecna binds the boy with vines and places one across his mouth to silence him. In a slow and deliberate moment, the villain leans in and declares, At long last, we can begin. You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together. It is a line that sends a clear message that the final season intends to circle back to the earliest trauma that began the saga.

Netflix has confirmed that Volume One will arrive on the twenty sixth of November, followed by Volume Two on Christmas Day and the series finale on the final day of the year. The official synopsis speaks of Hawkins still bearing the scars of the Rifts, the town placed under military control and Eleven forced into hiding once more. The threat of Vecna, now missing from sight, hangs over the story as the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches. A familiar sense of dread returns as the group prepares for a last stand that demands unity from every surviving member of the party.

The release of the initial clip has reignited excitement among fans who have waited years for closure. The final chapter promises a return to the emotional core that made the series a worldwide phenomenon.