Duffer Brothers Talk Stranger Things Season 5

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The Duffers Just Shared Something About the ‘Big Ending’ of Stranger Things
You’ll never guess where the ideas came from.
By Ariana Romero
Nov. 26, 2025

Stranger Things fans, we know you’re as hungry for Season 5 secrets as Argyle is for a slice of Surfer Boys Hawaiian pizza.

Luckily, during WGFestival 2022, series co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer served up some tasty tidbits to keep viewers satisfied. For one thing, the Duffer brothers revealed that upcoming episodes — including the hotly anticipated series finale — will connect to past seasons in an unexpected way.

When Stranger Things became a hit during its first season back in 2016, the writer-directors quickly realized expansion was necessary. “The success of Season 1 freaked us out and then we knew we needed to build up this bigger world, that this was going to be ongoing,” said Ross. That meant prep for Season 2 included filling up a whiteboard with every idea the writers’ room could imagine.

“But it was way too much — [five times] more ideas than we needed, or [ten times],” said Ross. But all those extra possibilities haven’t gone to waste. “For Season 5, we're pulling from a lot of those big Season 2 ideas… A lot of our big ending stuff has pulled from stuff that we thought was going to be in Season 2.”

Of course, the Duffers remain mum on exactly which leftover ideas they may be “cherry-picking” from Season 2 — which explores Will’s (Noah Schnapp) connection to the Upside Down and Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) past at Hawkins Lab — for Stranger Things’ upcoming farewell season. But the brothers did talk in-depth about their writing process for Season 5, which differs from their prior approaches. Due to COVID breaks, the Duffers had time to outline Season 5 before Season 4 was shot, edited and released. Then, once they got feedback on Season 4 from collaborators and fans alike, they returned to their pre-written plan for the future of Stranger Things.

“We reread the document,” said Matt. “We’re like, ‘That’s cool, that’s cool. That could be a lot better. That could be a lot better.’” The brothers then rewrote the outline and pitched their new vision to Netflix. “Even the ending is a little bit different [now],” added Matt, noting that not everything has changed: “A lot of the big ideas are the same, but the stuff that happens within, it's very different.”

1 / 21

Every year on Nov. 6, we commemorate the day Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) first went missing in 1983 (and all things Stranger Things). This year, we’re celebrating with 20 never-before-seen photos from the set of Stranger Things Season 4. Pretty bitchin’, right?

Millie Bobby Brown is all smiles when she’s, you know, not witnessing Henry Creel kill Eleven’s friends in the lab.

Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) is still just as menacing in November as he was when he debuted in May.

Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery partake in a pleasant frolic around Hawkins in a rare, spare moment from monster hunting.

Look at these guns (that are holding the key to Maya Hawke’s hydration).

Winona Ryder and Brett Gelman taking a load off before their characters sip on Yuri’s (Nikola Đuričko) spiked coffee. Lesson learned: Don’t take candy (or coffee) from strangers, no matter how cold Alaska is!

It’s Hawkins’ “genius child,” Gaten Matarazzo, in the flesh.

Natalia Dyer makes a few adjustments to her outfit before she’s sucked into Vecna’s mind lair.

“Papa and Eleven have such an intimate relationship, so we needed to be able to bond to portray that,” said Millie Bobby Brown of working with Matthew Modine. “We meshed, and it was just a true, real friendship. Nothing was ever forced. It just worked.”

Joe Quinn and Eddie Munson’s world-saving “sweetheart”

Amybeth McNulty and Maya Hawke got spirit! Yes, they do. They’ve got spirit, how about you?

Breaking out of a Russian prison feels pretty good, right, David Harbour?

Noah Schnapp and Millie Bobby Brown catching some zzz’s in between takes because saving the world is hard work.

This is the look of someone who’s just defeated Eddie’s “sadistic” campaign, thanks to a certain chaotic half-elf rogue named Lady Applejack (aka Priah Ferguson’s Erica Sinclair).

Remember when Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) were planning on going to the movies on Friday? Simpler times.

Eduardo Franco’s Argyle enlightening the Lenora gang on the beauty of pineapple on pizza.

Wonder what Priah Ferguson and Gaten Matarazzo were spelling out on that Lite-Brite in between takes…

Will’s party drawing for Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) in all its glory.

Friends don’t lie… about Dustin and Lucas looking all grown up.

Take that, Vecna!

Jamie Campbell Bower pictured, post-Vecna Starbucks run.

While we continue our wait for Stranger Things Season 5 — including its new and improved ending — just know that fidget toys and sound machines were an integral part of the writing process.

Keep coming back to Tudum for Stranger Things news hot enough to scare a Demogorgon.

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