‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 finale sees the group from Hawkins take the fight to Vecna on both mental and physical fronts. While the psychic, formerly known as One, is defeated, Vecna’s body disappears, suggesting that he’s alive. 

The antagonist suffers an initial setback but is successful, overall, in opening the gates between the Upside Down and the normal world. After the battle, the finale jumps forth a couple of days as we see loose ends being tied up as the Duffer Brothers set the story up for Season 5. 

Return to Hawkins 

Season 4 saw the heroes scattered, with Hopper and company in Russia, Eleven, Mike, and their group trying to return to Hawkins, and Dustin and the rest at the centre of the action. 

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By the time the season ends, Hopper has managed to hitch a ride back to the US, while Eleven and the group fall back on Argyle’s trusty pizza delivery van to drive them to Hawkins. Hopper is reunited with Eleven, and Joyce meets her children Will and Jonathan as well. 

Nancy, too, reunites with her boyfriend, though the season has shown that Steve regrets how things ended with Nancy, leaving the door open for the former lovers to get back together. With everyone back in Hawkins, they have to prepare for battle as the Upside Down will now come into the normal world. 

Max remains in the hospital for now, after Vecna nearly killed her, but Sadie Sink’s character should join in for the final fray in the upcoming season. 

Vecna lives? 

Despite suffering defeat, Vecna’s body vanishes, leaving doubts about whether the antagonist is dead. However, in the finale, Will gets the tingling sensation, which is a sign of his continued connection with the Upside Down, since he was possessed in Season 2. 

He tells Mike that the evil needs to be killed and it is still out there. The upcoming season will likely see the final battle against Vecna and the Mind Flayer. 

A nightmare comes to life 

The gates between the two worlds opening is put down as an earthquake of “7.4-magnitude” in Hawkins, but the group knows better. 

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Eventually, strange particles begin to fall and start killing off the plants in Hawkins. The group rushes to where the incident occurred and sees the portal open – mimicking the vision Will saw in Season 2 Episode 1 when the Mind Flayer possessed him. However, this time, it is actually happening and everyone else can see it as well.