Warning: Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1!Stranger Things season 5 is finally here, and Volume 1 kicks off the show’s final installment with several shocking reveals that will surely have fans talking. The ending of Stranger Things season 4 notably reunited the core characters in Hawkins shortly after Vecna opened four gates, creating rifts that tore apart Hawkins. Stranger Things season 5 features a time jump of 18 months, and while that can seem like a long time, the priorities of the main figures have remained the same: find and kill Vecna.
When Volume 1 begins, Eleven has been training with her powers to prepare for another showdown with Vecna. Meanwhile, the rest of Stranger Things season 5’s characters are also staying ready. During the latest “crawl” to find Vecna, Holly gets taken by a Demogorgon, adding another layer to the fight. While El enters the Upside Down to find Holly, she reunites with Hopper, and the two discover what Dr. Kay and the military have been hiding.
Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Dustin also end up in the Upside Down when searching for Holly, but their efforts are halted by a large wall that seemingly surrounds Hawkins Lab. In Hawkins, Mike, Lucas, Will, Joyce, Robin, and Murray attempt to gather the young kids that Vecna plans to take to carry out his plan of world domination. Though the group isn’t successful once a horde of Demogorgons attacks, Will’s encounter with Vecna unveils a major Stranger Things twist.
Will’s Vecna Powers Explained
One of the biggest surprises at the end of Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1, is the reveal that Will can essentially replicate Vecna’s powers. As his eyes turn white, Will does his best Vecna impression, telekinetically stopping and killing three Demogorgons in three separate locations, saving Mike, Robin, and Lucas in the process.
While some might think that Will unleashes some dormant powers hidden within him this entire time, that’s not the case. After displaying his new ability, Will wipes blood from his nose. Nosebleeds are common side effects of power exertion, as seen with Eleven when she uses her powers. Granted, Will isn’t a test subject, but it would make sense for him to get a nosebleed if tapping into the powers of a former test subject.
Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1, plays around with the idea that Will can tap into the hive mind, hijacking what Vecna can see through the eyes of Demogorgons. Mike even suggests that Will is a “sorcerer,” and he should try to control the hive mind. Will seems to go a step further by relying on his connection to Vecna to copy the villain’s own powers, which will be a gamechanger for the rest of season 5.
Why Vecna Needs Holly & The Hawkins Kids For His Plan
Before Will unveils his new abilities, Vecna shares more insight into why he took Will in the first place and how it led to the grand plan. Vecna claims that Will was taken because he was weak and easily controlled. Years have passed since the events of season 1, based on Stranger Things timeline, but even Will admits that the connection between him and Vecna was never fully severed.
Therefore, Vecna decides to go after more kids in Hawkins with a plan to “reshape the world,” preying on those he thinks are weak and broken, like Will was in 1983. In order to find potential victims, Vecna uses his Henry persona, going under the name of Mr. Whatsit. As seen with Holly, he gains the kids’ trust, promising to save them from the monsters, but in reality, he’s holding the kids hostage until he has enough victims.
Vecna will seemingly manipulate the kids and reshape their minds to carry out his plan to take over the world, starting with Hawkins. Not only do El and Will now have powers that could thwart Vecna’s mission, but Holly also has Max on her side in the mindscape, meaning that Vecna’s manipulation tactics aren’t fully working.
Kali’s Stranger Things Return & Why The Military Has Her
Following her divisive role in Stranger Things season 2, Kali (aka Eight) makes her official return in season 5’s “Sorcerer.” The final episode of Volume 1 reveals that the military is holding Kali in their lab location in the Upside Down. Kali was last seen when El left her behind to return home to Hawkins in season 2’s 1984 timeline. The character’s fate has been mostly unknown since then, at least in the show.
Stranger Things season 2 made it clear that Kali was seeking revenge against those involved with Hawkins Lab for what she endured as a child. Seeing as Dr. Kay and the military have been after Eleven, it makes sense that they would also attempt to track down any other surviving test subjects. Vecna, aka One, and El are already in Hawkins, so when they found Kali, they had no choice but to bring her back to where it all began.
Now that Kali has returned to Stranger Things, there’s the question of what the military has been doing with her. Her head is notably shaved, so she’s probably been experimented on or used as a weapon. The military is able to stop El from using her powers with pulsing soundwaves, which Kali could have something to do with, especially since El referred to the military having “kryptonite” to use against her.
Where Max Has Been Since Her “Death” In Season 4
Max doesn’t come out of her coma in Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1, but the episodes provide insight into what happened to the character after becoming a victim of Vecna’s curse. Max acknowledges that she died at the end of season 4, but woke up in the Rainbow Room after she “felt something calling” to her. She then finds herself trapped in a maze of Henry’s memories, some of which involve her during the events of season 4.
Lucas is seen visiting Max on a few occasions in season 5, and Max’s journey trapped in Vecna’s mind proves that she nearly came back to the real world. While in the mindscape, Max follows the sound of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” discovering an entryway back to Lucas, but the song ends, closing the portal. She’s then forced to run from Vecna and stays in the cave because it’s the only place he won’t follow her.
The rest of Stranger Things season 5 will need to explain why Max remained in Vecna’s mind instead of dying, and whether El’s attempt at saving her factored into Max’s fate. With Holly also in the mindscape, Max now has an ally, giving them a chance at outsmarting Vecna and finding a way out to get back to their friends and family.
Steve, Dustin, Nancy & Jonathan’s Upside Down Plan Explained
While most of the characters in Stranger Things season 5 all have the same goal in taking down Vecna, some are doing so from the Upside Down. Aside from El and Hopper working together, there’s another group consisting of Steve, Dustin, Nancy, and Jonathan, who enter the Upside Down when tracking a Demogorgon in the hopes of the creature leading them to Holly.
Despite everything going on, Nancy is understandably focused on her own family. As her parents hopefully recover at the hospital, it’s up to her, Mike, and the others to find and rescue Holly. While Mike works on gathering Vecna’s potential young victims, Nancy is looking for more direct answers within the Upside Down itself. Considering the Upside Down is the reflection of Hawkins, that’s easier said than done.
The group notably encounters the “fleshy wall” that Dustin realizes is a large circle with Hawkins Lab in the middle. Thinking that Holly could be in the location where everything originated, they decide that it should be their target while in the Upside Down. Even if they don’t end up finding Holly, the group will likely be the ones to uncover the purpose and origin of the mysterious wall.
How Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1’s Ending Sets Up Volume 2
The conclusion of “Sorcerer” brings the first half of Stranger Things season 5 to an end. In terms of Stranger Things season 5’s release guide, Volume 2 (episodes 5-7) releases on Christmas, and Volume 3 (episode 8) will serve as the series finale, debuting on New Year’s Eve. Will may have newfound abilities that can help against Vecna, the villain has taken more kids, getting him closer to carrying out his plan. Therefore, the stakes will even be higher in Volume 2, with Holly still missing and more kids under Vecna’s control.
The military has also been decimated in the Upside Down and outside the Gate at the center of Hawkins. Though the town won’t have the same level of “protection,” the characters could have an easier time carrying out the next steps of their own plan without immediate interference. The same goes for Hopper and El, who will now need to deal with Kali, who will be a massive aspect of Volume 2.
As for Max, more details regarding her escape plan will seemingly come into focus in the next batch of episodes. She mentions wanting Holly to go back to the Creel House since they can’t tip off Vecna to the fact that Holly knows the truth. While the group in Hawkins and the Upside Down are still determined to get Holly back, it could very well be Max who ends up saving her in Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2.
Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 5 is now available on Netflix. Volume 2 will be released on December 25, followed by the series finale on December 31.
