Is Steve Harrington Doomed? Stranger Things Season 5 Trailer Has Fans Bracing for the Worst
Is Hawkins about to lose its favorite babysitter? Stranger Things fans are bracing for a heartbreaking goodbye as speculation surges that Steve Harrington’s run is nearly over.
Stranger Things finally dropped its first real Season 5 trailer, and fans immediately zeroed in on one thing: Steve Harrington is basically a ghost in it. That sound you hear is the collective Steve Hive refreshing the trailer and sweating.
So... where is Steve?
Joe Keery's beloved bat-wielding babysitter barely pops up in the new footage. He is there — more than a single blink-and-you-miss-it shot — but compared to the rest of the gang, it's thin. Cue the panic.
Fans are already reading the tea leaves
Over on Reddit, a chunk of the fandom is convinced the light Steve presence is a bad omen. The shot people keep pointing to is a hug with Dustin, which some are interpreting as a pre-mission goodbye — as in, Steve gearing up for a one-way trip. Others are simply anxious there's so little of him at all.
Not everyone is spiraling, though. There are plenty of posts arguing Steve looks safe and the hug is about some other tragedy looming over the group. The short version: nobody agrees on what it means, and everyone is stressed anyway.
What Netflix is actually doing with Season 5
The final season is rolling out in three drops across the holidays — basically Thanksgiving through New Year’s. Mark your calendar:
- Volume 1: November 26
- Volume 2: December 25
- Finale: December 31
A tiny, troll-y tease from Ross Duffer
"The marketing team actually hasn't seen the finale, but we did send them a couple shots that we thought could work. They're in there, but I'm not gonna tell you which shots."
Translation: yes, there are finale crumbs in the trailer, and no, we are not being told where to look. Classic.
Bottom line: the trailer keeps Steve on the sidelines just enough to make people nervous, and the Duffers are letting the speculation machine do its thing. We will find out soon enough whether the internet panic was warranted. In the meantime, if you need something to bridge the gap, I have fresh picks for the best Netflix shows and a rundown of what's new in November 2025.