Found: The 9 Wildest Stranger Things Fan Theories To Prep You For Volume 2

To say Season 4 of Stranger Things was a ride would be a wild understatement. We saw the reality of El losing her powers, Will grappling with his sexuality, and the reveal that Hopper isn't actually dead — he's just chilling in Russia. Then, the bloodbath came. In some of Stranger Things most scary and downright brutal scenes, we saw kid after kid become the victim of the series' new big bad, Vecna. Max got possessed then escaped thanks to the power of music. Steve and Nancy had some serious eye contact. Oh, and it was revealed that 001 is Vecna and that El actually opened the portal to the Upside Down. Phew. Still following?

Now that the dust has settled, it's time to understand what the hell is really going on before Volume 2.'s release on July 1. So if, like us, you've gone back to Season 1 in an attempt to piece everything together, equip your mission with the knowledge that there are a bunch of fan theories out there that have legitimate legs. After all, the Duffer Brothers have openly said that Vecna was planned since Season 1, so who knows what else is hiding in plain sight?

Grab your tinfoil hats and unravel your ball of string — it's theories time. Ahead, the wildest Stranger Things fan theories to come out of the internet since... forever — ordered from the most likely to occur to the most obscene.

Yes, the Duffer Brothers have already said that Vecna was planned from the start — which means he's in Season 1. Initially, we were led to believe that Will was taken by the Demogorgon. But with what we know now, it's more likely that Vecna took him. A rewatch confirms this — as Will falls off his bike in the first episode, you can hear a clock chiming — the same clock that victims hear as Vecna takes them. We wouldn't even call this one a theory — it's pretty much confirmed by now.

We know Vecna feeds off children with trauma. But how would he know who to target? Cue: the school counsellor, Miss Kelly. Savvy fans have caught on that Miss Kelly wears a clock necklace — the same thing that Vecna uses to torment his victims. It also happens to be in the shape of a key, indicating that she might be the metaphorical 'key' to his success. Still not convinced? She's seen all the victims prior, knows their trauma, and notes that they're all experiencing the same symptoms — yet she doesn't say anything! It's likely that Miss Kelly is a) feeding Vecna information, or b) being possessed by Vecna. Maybe therapy isn't such a good thing after all.

The Stranger Things cast has commented that Season 4 is the "Game of Thrones season" — and what's Game of Thrones known for, if not death? We just know someone is going to die this season, and we think Eddie is the most likely. Think about it: Stranger Things has a history of introducing loveable characters, only to kill them off in the same season — just take Bob and Alexi as an example. Given how much the audience froths Eddie, it's only natural that he's in some serious danger. But a Season 4 trailer could hold some of the answers about Eddie's fate, specifically a shot of him playing his guitar in the Upside Down. We learnt that music is the key to avoiding death via Vecna, so it's likely that Eddie is playing music — maybe even Nancy's favourite song — to stop someone from dying. Eddie also openly lamented himself for being a coward who runs away from danger, making now the perfect time to complete his character arc and sacrifice himself to save the day.

Yes, we know there are going to be some deaths in Volume 2. But it's not enough to kill off Eddie. It needs to be bigger. @jadenrbricker argues that our sweet baby boy, Steve Harrington, could be the perfect victim. When you think about it, Steve is just a babysitter, so his death won't disrupt the plot too much. We've also grown to love Steve and have seen his character arc significantly change since Season 1, especially in his love for Nancy. It's not that outrageous to assume that he'd sacrifice himself to save her, especially as she just jumped into the void for him. Oh, and he just got bit by a bunch of Demobats, so the outlook is... not good. Sorry Steve stans, you'll have to move onto team #Ronance.

Yes, the trifecta of deaths. Eddie and Steve are already in some hot trouble, but our eyes are on Will. He's been through the wringer since Season 1 — stuck in the Upside Down, possessed by a demon, then perhaps the worst of all, everyone forgot his damn birthday! Season 4 followed his journey of being neglected and ignored, with his main goal to give Mike his painting. So, by the laws of fiction, he's going to die.

Reddit user u/snowballdance argues "I’ve seen a lot of discussion on Twitter about how Noah Schnapp shared a photo of himself wearing a harness. Although I’m sure that many stunts involve wearing a harness, most believe that this means he could be a victim of Vecna in Volume 2 — he has the feelings of trauma and guilt that characterise all of Vecna’s other victims, after all."

"Finn Wolfhard has discussed how Mike “gets kicked into gear when someone that he loves is in danger”. Noah has apparently also said that Will’s saddest scene yet is in Season 4, although I couldn’t find a source for this."

You've heard it here — Will is going to get Vecna'd. To add extra salt to the wound, the group won't know what his favourite song is in order to save him as they've all been concerned with their own lives, leaving him in the dust. After he dies, we predict that Mike will open his painting to reveal a lovely, romantic picture of them and him confessing his feelings to Mike from beyond the grave. Cue, tears.

If Will miraculously doesn't die in Volume 2, then he's got a one-way ticket to Villaintown, population: Will. In Season One, Joyce refers to Will as a "sensitive child", the same term used to describe Henry Creel (or big daddy Vecna, as he sometimes likes to be called). There's a reason why Will has been kept alive after being in the Upside Down — Vecna recognised Will as being someone quite similar to him when he was young, making him the perfect host. We already saw the Mind Flayer infect Will in Season Two, but based on the amount of time he's spent in the Upside Down, it's pretty likely that Will has also been corrupted along the way. Plus, he still has that Will Tingle going on, which is a big fat red flag if I've ever seen one.

But there's more. We've already spoken about Will's romantic Monet painting that will profess his love for Mike. But if you look closely, it actually looks more like those rocks we saw in the Upside Down. With all his neglect in this last season, we wouldn't be surprised if he cracks it, goes full Dark Wizard, and paints a picture that predicts the gang's death in the Upside Down. As soon as Will sets foot back in Hawkins, it's game over.

Plus if he wasn't the villain, why would everything from the Upside Down just happen to be characters from his favourite game? "Guys, can we play DnD now?".

A simple throwaway line from Eddie in episode one has now resulted in one of the most out-there Stranger Things theories yet — that he's patient 010. Yes, the fact that Eddie's hair was buzzed as a child now means he's a kid from Hawkin's lab. Plus, he always wears a watch — possibly to hide his tattoo.

The wildest Stranger Things theory of all — Vecna is Eleven's biological father. Whilst we've been fed some half-baked information on how El got her powers (her mother was part of the MKUltra experiments), there's still no full explanation on this.

Reddit user u/ashietree argues, "You’re telling me Brenner just figured out how to create a bunch of telekinetic babies artificially and that quickly after studying One? This may be dark for Stranger Things, but what if he inseminated some women/test subjects (including El’s mother) with One’s…DNA?"

The theory actually has legs — her mother was part of the experiments in 1969 and El was born in 1971, meaning she would have been conceived during her time there. It also explains why 001 was so interested in helping El escape, killing her bullies, and why their powers are similar — because she's his child. It's going to be this generation's "I am your father" moment.

Have any Stranger Things theories that we haven't included above? Drop them in the comments below and let the conspiracy theories begin!