Season 3 of Stranger Things is an explosion of light and color—the grandeur of the 4th of July combines with the utter terror wreaked by the Mind Flayer to produce an incredible, and memorable, set of episodes. The conclusion is rife with sorrow and heartbreak, with Jim Hopper's presumed death and the Byers family leaving Hawkins with Eleven.
With Season 4 set to debut sometime in 2022, fans have been agog with anticipation. The latest teaser reveals that Jim Hopper is still alive, but currently trapped in the icy wastes of Siberia. As such, the heroes are sure to be thrust into a completely new set of adventures, the specific nature of which remains to be determined. Hopefully, Season 4 will clarify any lingering queries.
10 Are The Byers & Eleven Going To Return? Yes, The Only Question Is When
Following the heartbreaking climax in the season finale, the gang returns to their respective homes to deal with the painful loss that they had all just endured. Joyce, who had earlier been considering leaving Hawkins with her kids, has nothing holding her back with Hopper gone.
She decides to go ahead with the move, taking Eleven along with her for obvious reasons. The problem is that this event breaks the gang up, separating Nancy from Jonathan, Will from Mike, and Mike from Eleven. They're all going to come back at some point in Season 4; the only question is when.
9 How Are The Demogorgons Made? Unclear, But The Mind Flayer Is Somehow Involved
The Demogorgon has been a Stranger Things mainstay since Season 1, and nobody has yet been able to characterize the creature in any way. It behaves like a predator, but its biological nuances remain unclear to everyone, including the scientists at Hawkins National Laboratory.
Demogorgons are definitely related to the Mind Flayer since Season 2 shows that there is a hivemind-esque connection between them. Fans are desperately awaiting some kind of explanation for their existence.
8 Is Martin Brenner Still Alive? Possibly, Considering His Offscreen Death
Martin Brenner's "death" is practically offscreened—it's all over in a single flash, concluding Eleven's decade-long nightmare. Or so it seems, because Stranger Things is not the kind of show that kills off major antagonists without detailing every graphic inch of the event.
More importantly, Kali, another child experimented on by Brenner, leads Eleven to a source who claims that her so-called papa is still alive. Perhaps the good doctor will stage a comeback as the final villain, but it's all conjecture currently.
7 Will Eleven Regain Her Telekinesis? She Must If She Wants To Protect Her Friends
Eleven boasts of telekinetic skills on an incredible scale, being able to rip apart the massive flesh-body created by the Mind Flayer. Although she is later infected by her nemesis, she manages to extract it from her leg via psionic surgery, seemingly curing herself.
But then Eleven discovers that her powers have weakened to a negligible level, and she doesn't regain them even after everything has settled down. The gang has no chance against the supernatural forces that lie in wait if they don't have access to Eleven's telekinesis.
6 Is Will The First Male LGBTQ+ Character? Unknown, But It Would Be Great To Have More Representation
Many fans have been speculating about Will Byers' sexuality since the show hinted at it during a conversation with Mike, in which the latter angrily tells Will that "it's not my fault you don't like girls."
Fan theories aside, there is the real possibility that Will could be gay and doesn't realize it yet—not entirely unbelievable given that it's the 1980s. Robin's coming out was received with acclaim from both fans and critics, so why not Will? Stranger Things could honestly benefit from more LGBTQ+ representation.
5 How Much Soviet Involvement Is There, Exactly? A Lot In Season 4, That's For Sure
The perfect antagonists for Season 3's American Independence Day-themed storyline are a group of Soviets infiltrating Hawkins for unknown reasons. It makes sense, considering that the Cold War was in full force back then.
While there aren't a lot of actual Russians involved (except for Alexei), the ending reveals that Hopper has somehow been transported to Siberia and is held captive in a macabre prison. This means that the Gate in Hawkins is a direct line to somewhere in the USSR, suggesting considerably more Russian action in Season 4.
4 Will Dustin & Steve Go On More Adventures? They Better
One of the charming features of the last two seasons is the adorable relationship between Steven and Dustin—shifting between mentor-mentee and big bro-little bro with ease.
The pair have gotten so close that Season 3's group break-up separates Dustin from his original pals and places him in the Scoops Troop, along with Steve, Robin, and Erica. The upcoming season is likely to have more of this pairing, at least if the show wants to avoid a full-fledged audience revolt.
3 Does Jim Hopper Get To See His Daughter Again? Yes, & Their Reunion Needs To Be A Proper Tearjerker
The fact that Hopper hasn't been vaporized was welcomed by the series' fandom, but he's still stranded in the middle of snowy nowhere with presumably no means of getting home.
He's obviously not going to spend Season 4 making extremely expensive long-distance calls to his daughter, so there needs to be a plotline in place to ensure that he returns to Hawkins. That said, it could be several episodes before audiences get to watch him hug Eleven again.
2 What Does The Mind Flayer Want? Probably Something Worse Than What It's Been Doing Until Now
The Mind Flayer is likely the strongest being in the show's universe, but what's more important is the mystery it is shrouded in. It has probably been working under the radar from the very first season, only coming to the forefront through Will Byers' connection with the Upside Down.
The Mind Flayer enjoys hurting people, whether physically, emotionally, or psychologically, but that can't be all it wants. Villains driven by pure cruelty are one-dimensional, watered-down characters that serve no purpose in a solid narrative like Stranger Things.
1 Where Are The Other Children From Project MKUltra? They Will Emerge At Some Point
The Season 4 teaser "Eleven, are you listening" shows a flashback incorporating multiple children wearing hospital gowns. This means that, in addition to Kali and Eleven—008 and 011—there may be other kids with superpowers, perhaps even those who could take on antagonist roles in the future.
In any case, the entire history of Project MKUltra will be exposed by the end of the series if the audience is to get sufficient closure. If not in Season 4, then maybe in the next one.