Looks like there won’t be many Fourth of July celebrators this year, as most will probably be holed up inside and binge-watching the newly released Stranger Things season. Netflix started the year right for so many fans when they announced the July 4, 2019 Stranger Things season 3 release date on the first day of the year. Since then, excitement has only continued to mount. And so have the Stranger Things fan theories.
When Netflix released the first trailer in mid-March, there was no stopping the internet’s most creative minds from getting to work. Fans attempted to piece together details and investigate, which means that fan theories have run abound all over the internet.
So, in preparation for the premiere of season 3, let’s take a look at some of the wildest theories that might actually be true – thanks to amazing Stranger Things sleuths!
Billy is the new monster – figuratively and literally
With Steve’s complete 180 character development into the nice-guy-fan-favorite-hunky-babysitter in season 2, there needed to be a new resident bad boy. We saw that with the introduction of Billy, Max’s rebellious older brother who is less than kind to his sister and her new friends. In the trailer, we see Billy in the shower looking over a type of infection spreading through his arm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEG3bmU_WaI
This led to speculation about a bigger role for the bully this season and whether he turns into the monster we see attacking at the end of the trailer.
The Upside Down is the future
No one really knows what the Upside Down is, but there are speculations that it could be Hawkins – in some sort of future alternative. Fans have noted many similarities between the two worlds with the Upside Down just being more, well, depressing.
Origins of this Stranger Things theory stem from assumptions that Eleven may have accidentally caused a time warp with her uber-strong psychic powers, and we’re seeing a Hawkins that went through a nuclear holocaust. Those creatures in there? They used to be people and animals who are now mutated. Yikes.
Stranger Things and It are in the same universe
Okay, this one might be a bit of a stretch but horror fans are here for it. This theory stems from subtle allusions to Stephen King novels throughout the show, like the main characters being reflective of each other! Both season 1 and 2 had references to clowns: in the pilot, where Joyce Byers asks her son if he’s not afraid of clowns and when Bob tells Will of a recurring clown dream he used to have as a kid.
But, do It and Stranger Things really take place in the same universe? Or is it just another one of the many Stranger Things fan theories that viewers have dreamed up? Granted, Derry and Hawkins are quite a distance from each other, but it could be fun to see a crossover – or at least a few more references to It in the show!
Dr. Brenner isn’t dead and could return disguised as another character
This Stranger Things theory has some serious evidence to be entirely plausible. Ray Carroll, a former Department of Energy agent on the show, has already claimed that the doctor is still alive. Not to mention that an executive producer, Shawn Levy, has also confirmed the same!
Of course, we don’t know exactly when he’ll be reappearing but an extension of this theory states that he could be the mayor we see in the trailer. It’s not impossible that he got plastic surgery and is using the Starcourt Mall as a diversion as he attempts to open up another rift.
Nancy and Jonathan have something big to expose
If you were paying close attention to the very first trailer, there’s a quick montage of The Hawkins Post’s building façade followed by Nancy and Jonathan waiting at the newspaper’s reception, dressed in their most formal attire. What could this mean? There are two theories here.
Either they both found a passion in journalism after working with PI Murray Bauman in the previous season, or they’ve discovered something on their own that they need the press’ help to expose. Can’t wait to find out which of these Stranger Things theories is true – or if there’s another story behind those scenes entirely.
Bob is alive, too but he’s not himself anymore
Theories on this topic vary as well, but they agree on one thing: there are inhuman humans coming to Hawkins. A speculative Redditor named ChaoticNeutralUK believes the Demodogs didn’t kill him but instead, turned him into an evil vampire.
Not buying it? This thread on Reddit puts pieces together to the tune of a zombie apocalypse, instead. Could it be from Demodog bites, or does that horde of rats in the trailer have something to do with it? With episode titles like “The Mall Rats” and “The Bite” in season 3, it’s entirely probable. Whatever it is, there’s definitely a connection with the next theory.
The Starcourt Mall is something much bigger than it seems
The final Stranger Things season 3 trailer has snippets of scenes at the town fair, but the Starcourt Mall seems to be the real star here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=147&v=XcnHOQ-cHa0
And, since the last episode of the season is titled “The Battle of Starcourt” – what other proof do we really need? Max and Eleven are obviously taken by the lights and sounds, Steve works at the ice cream shop, and Netflix even released a separate teaser commercial just for Starcourt Mall. This is undeniably one of the theories that’s bound to be true. The only question remaining is: what happens at the Starcourt Mall?
A potential falling out between the friends
Finally, this is one of the Stranger Things fan theories that we’re hoping isn’t true – even though the first trailer has strong hints to its plausibility.
Season 1 saw these kids already on the edge of puberty, and it’s not like they’re getting any younger. In the trailer, we can hear Mike saying, “We’re not kids anymore. I mean, what did you think? We were just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?” That question, coupled with a montage of a lonely Dustin and Will tearing up at the sight of a group photo, is enough to break our hearts and hope the fans are wrong about this one.
So, which of these Stranger Things fan theories do you like or believe to be true? And what are the theories that you have dreamed up based on the trailers that Netflix has released? Let us know in the comments. And see you all in the Upside Down!