‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 ends with the group recuperating after the first bout with Vecna, where the telepath who was formerly One, loses. However, the victory is bittersweet since Will suggests that the evil is alive, and Vecna’s body disappears after withstanding the assault from Steve, Nancy, and Robin. 

The antagonist also succeeds in his plan to open the gates between the Upside Down and the normal world, putting the two realms in conflict, which will surely play out in Season 5. 

The series finale will tie up all loose ends but before that, fans can ready themselves for some mega showdowns.  

Vecna’s back in the ring for another swing 

Vecna takes two Molotov cocktails and three blasts of a shotgun and still manages to survive. The parallels to Michael Myers of ‘Halloween’ grow stronger in the antagonist’s ability to seemingly avoid death.

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However, Eleven only battled Vecna mentally in Season 4. The upcoming season will surely see a physical showdown, where the two will be able to tap into their powers fully, instead of battling in Max’s mind. 

Both sides have an axe to grind, especially with One and Eleven’s shared history in the science lab under Dr Martin Brenner, aka ‘Papa’. 

The Mind Flayer comes to Hawkins 

The Mind Flayer has long lurked in the shadows, especially with the connection to Will’s mind. The first abductee feels a tingle towards the end of the episode and turns to see the sky grow dark as strange particles begin to fall. 

The group goes to the site where Vecna opened the gates, to see a portal bringing the Upside Down to Hawkins. This is the same vision Will had in Season 2 Episode 1 when he was kidnapped, but now it has come to life. 

Inevitably, the Mind Flayer will follow and it will take a coordinated attack to bring down the mighty creature. However, the Hawkins gang has proved itself capable of the same time and again – be it in Starcourt Mall or currently, even with the group split up. Thus, it’s not hard to imagine they’ll band together, now that they’re in the same place. 

Hawkins assemble? 

The Upside Down is coming to the normal world. There’s no stopping this fact, and Vecna plans to take over everything and rebuild the world from what’s left. 

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Eleven, despite her formidable powers, cannot defeat all of Upside Down alone. As the saying goes, it takes a village. Over the seasons, ‘Stranger Things’ has shown that the creatures from the other realm are vulnerable to some attacks – be it fire, or decapitation. 

With war coming, the brave heroes of Hawkins will have to step up to take on the might of the Upside Down. More of Nancy with a shotgun and Hopper with a sword, please!