The following contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1, now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix just gave Stranger Things fans a chilling sneak peek at what lies ahead in Season 4, Volume 2.
Released to coincide with Netflix Geeked Week 2022, the preview footage was taken from the two episodes that comprise Volume 2, "Chapter Eight: Papa" and "Chapter Nine: The Piggyback." Unsurprisingly, it largely focuses on the show's teenage protagonists Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink). That said, more mature cast members Hopper (David Harbour), Joyce (Winona Ryder), Steve (Joe Keery), Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) feature prominently, as well. The footage also points to a climactic showdown between the kids from Hawkins and Season 4's major antagonist, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
The sneak peek doesn't answer any of fans' burning questions about Stranger Things Season 4 so far, such as why time itself has apparently stopped in the Upside Down dimension. According to the show's co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer, this particular mystery won't be explained until the sci-fi/horror series' fifth season. "[Why time stopped in the Upside Down] actually one of the few questions that we've raised this season that isn't going to get answered in Volume 2," Matt Duffer said, in a recent interview. "But that's setting the stage for some big reveals in our final season."
Comments by the Duffers indicate that Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2 might address the current uncertainty around Will Byers sexuality, though. The pair previously promised "a lot more resolution" for each character's arc by the end of Volume 2, including Will's. "It’s going to be much easier to talk about for everyone -- the actors and us -- once those final two episodes have played. But certainly, [Will's] journey and arc is far from finished," they explained.
The Duffers also touched on the Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1 continuity error regarding Will's birthday. They admitted that the decision to set "Chapter Two: Vecna's Curse" on the date already established as Will's birthday was a mistake on their part, and wasn't intended to make it seem like his friends forgot to mark the occasion. "[T]he debate now is whether we adjust Will's birthday or we just let it be really sad," Matt Duffer said.
Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2 arrives on Netflix on July 1.
Source: Netflix