Warning: Major Stranger Things Season 4 spoilers ahead! Season 4 saw the addition of some great characters—I’m looking at you, Eddie Munson (RIP) and Vecna/Henry/One—and tied up the overall arc of the season. However, in usual Stranger Things fashion, we’re still left with some questions we need answered in season 5. Here are all of the questions we still have leading up to Stranger Things Season 5.

Is Max going to be OK after Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2?

When last we saw Max at the end of Season 4, she was in the hospital in a coma and had four broken limbs. When Eleven tried to contact her by using her powers to step into her mind, all she saw was a vast, empty, black void. That’s left a lot of us wondering if our resident Zoomer will be back next season. If she is, will she be her old self or still facing the ramifications of her injuries and Vecna’s attack?

What’s going to happen to Hawkins after Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2?

Season 4 ends with a rarity in Stranger Things—a loss for our heroes. When Eleven is unable to stop Vecna before he mortally wounds Max, the villain is able to claim the fourth life he needs to bring forth the next step in his evil plan—even if Max’s death is only for a minute. As a result, a giant craterous crack shoots through the town, destroying buildings and causing deaths and injuries to the residents. Vecna had planned to unleash the Upside Down into Hawkins, thereby claiming everyone and everything there. While it appears he hasn’t been able to fully follow through on that part of his plan just yet, the town is still in ruins. Plus, Hawkins has already started showing the influence of the Upside Down, as demonstrated by the ashen vegetation, ashy snow and red glowing and smoking craters we see at the end of the season’s final episode. Is Hawkins already too far gone to save? Can it ever go back to being the small town it once was?

What happened to Vecna after Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2?

While we got to see successful attacks on the season’s villain, Vecna, by Eleven and the team of Nancy, Steve and Robin, when the trio went to find what they hoped would be his lifeless body, they instead found him suspiciously missing, Michael Myers style. (Was Eddie Munson’s mask foreshadowing that in the first episode of Volume 2?!) Will confirmed at the end of the episode that Vecna was badly hurt but still alive, as the youngest Byers could feel his presence in Hawkins. That leaves us wondering: what happened to Vecna—and worse yet—what is he planning?

Why is the Upside Down in the past in Stranger Things?

When Nancy, Steve, Robin and Eddie venture into the Upside Down via the gate in the lake earlier in the season, Nancy is surprised to discover that the Upside Down version of her room is from the not-too-distant past. Why is that exactly and what are the implications?

Will Eddie Munson come back in Stranger Things Season 5?

Because the Upside Down is in the not-so-distant past, does it mean we’ll be able to go back to when Eddie Munson was alive? Because, honestly, we’d love that. We love him. Come back to us!

Are the Byers moving back to Hawkins after Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2?

Season 4 opens with the Byers (with Eleven in tow) having moved to California for a new start. But now that Hopper is alive and back in Hawkins and it’s clear the town needs all the help it can get, it seems pretty obvious that the Byers will be moving back home … right?

Is Will in love with Mike in Stranger Things?

Starting in Season 3, it’s been hinted at pretty strongly that Will Byers seems to be figuring out his sexuality and realizing he may have an attraction to the same sex. In Season 4 in particular, Will seems to be jealous of Mike’s relationship with Eleven, and he also goes out of his way to paint a special picture for his best friend, complete with a heart on Mike’s shield. Will talks to Mike about how hard it can be to realize that you’re different, though he presents it as his impression of how Eleven must feel. Will’s brother Jonathan seems to be the only one to pick up on his younger brother’s complicated journey (while Mike is oblivious) and, as a result, Jonathan goes out his way to offer his love and support. So the question remains: Does Will have a crush on Mike? If so, will Mike ever find out?

Will Nancy choose Jonathan or Steve in Stranger Things Season 5?

Let’s be honest, we all love a good love triangle. This season, we saw cracks in the relationship between Jonathan and Nancy and what appeared to be lingering feelings between former couple Nancy and Steve. Steve even came right out and told Nancy that in his future dream scenario, she would be there by his side. As Season 5 is set to be the last season, we are all dying to know who Nancy will wind up with in the end. Are Nancy and Jonathan’s differences too much for their relationship to overcome? Has Steve grown into the right man for her? We can’t wait to find out!

When does Stranger Things Season 5 come out?

Ah, now this is perhaps the biggest question. However, we do not yet know the release date for the fifth—and final—season of Stranger Things. Though things should hopefully be less chaotic than they were for the fourth season because of, oh, you know, a little worldwide pandemic, we still cannot anticipate when the fifth season will be ready to air. Given the two-year hiatus between Seasons 2 and 3 without a global event to stall things, it can be hard to guess just when season five will be gracing our screens. However, last month, the Duffer brothers did tell Variety that a plot outline for season 5 had already been mapped out. “During the six-month pandemic hiatus, we outlined season 5 and pitched it to Netflix … Don’t hold us to it, but the gap should be quite a bit shorter this time, due to the fact that we already have an initial outline, and we can’t imagine there will be another six-month forced hiatus.” In early June 2022, the creators also told TVLine that the writers were still putting the finishing touches on Season 4. In addition, they mentioned that they had no idea when a start date for the filming of Season 5 would be. So, it seems we may have at least a year to wait for new episodes.

What is the plot of Stranger Things Season 5?

At this point, very little concrete information has been released about the plot of the next season. However, due to the rapid aging of the young cast, the creators have indicated it may involve a time jump of some kind. Next, find out everything we know so far about Stranger Things Season 5!