One of the ways Stranger Things firmly places itself in the 1980s is through pop culture references, the biggest of which comes via 1980s nerd culture. From Dungeons & Dragons to Ghostbusters and, of course, Han Solo's best line in Star Wars, the Stranger Things kids love the geeky stuff. So, it makes sense that many of the characters would be wearing T-Shirts for “The Hellfire Club.” But what exactly is this group?
We’ve gotten a lot more details about the forthcoming release of Stranger Things 4. We know that the Big Bad for the season is a character they are calling “Vecna,” who, like the mind-flayer and the gorgon, is a monster from the D&D manual. So, the simplest answer to what The Hellfire Club is that it’s the Dungeons & Dragons club for Hawkins High School. In the final trailer we see the members playing an intense game of D&D, and it further explains why “Vecna” is at the front of their minds when looking for a name for the malevolent force coming from the Upside Down.
Still, there are some questions. In the latest clip we see Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin, Finn Wolfhard’s Mike, and Priah Ferguson’s Erica Sinclair (who was gifted the Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook in the finale of Season 3). We also see new characters in the club, whose stories we are not yet familiar with. Notably absent, of course, is Noah Schnapp’s Will Byers and Caleb McLaughlin’s Lucas Sinclair. We also get a glimpse of the hair metal coiffed head of the Hellfire Club Eddie Munson, played by Joseph Quinn. He’s the game master for the club, seemingly channeling Matt Mercer from Critical Role in the final trailer.
There is another geek culture connection with the name, though one that might be less relevant. The Hellfire Club was a group of supervillains introduced during Chris Claremont’s groundbreaking run on X-Men and other mutant books at Marvel Comics. It is a group of elites whose Inner Circle gives themselves Chess-derived codenames like “White Queen” and “Black Bishop,” among others. They exert control over the political and economic areas in the Marvel Universe. If there is a connection to the Stranger Things Hellfire Club and the one from X-Men, it's probably just something as simple as that being where they got the name.
Yet, the club is probably a big deal for Stranger Things 4, because the Hellfire Club is likely the version of The Party we’re going to spend most of our time with in the first few episodes. Remember, Will and Mille Bobbie Brown’s Eleven moved away last year. We know they eventually reunite in Hawkins, but this club is probably the main social group for Dustin and Mike. In fact, The Hellfire Club is so important, it’s the title of the first episode of Stranger Things 4.
Lastly, The Hellfire Club might exist to show how Will and Eleven have grown apart from the rest of the gang. Lucas’ absence might be explained that way, too. He’s perhaps moved on past Dungeons & Dragons, focused instead on sports or other high school extracurriculars. It may be a big emotional moment in Stranger Things 4 when those characters are “officially” made part of the club as they face whatever horrors the Upside Down unleashes on Hawkins this year.
You can find out what The Hellfire Club is when Stranger Things 4, Vol. 1 premieres on Netflix on May 27, 2022.