Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1 Revives a Long-Lost Fan Favorite

Stranger Things Season 5 pulls a card I honestly did not expect the Duffers to play again: it brings back a character the show seemed content to leave in the rearview. If you remember that controversial Season 2 detour, well... the show just made it relevant in a big way.

Yep, Eight is back

Season 5 Volume 1, Episode 4 confirms the return of Kali Prasad, a.k.a. Eight. It has been eight years since her last appearance in Season 2's 'The Lost Sister,' but the final season digs that thread back up. The reveal happens when Eleven and Hopper break into a secret U.S. military facility that is, and I cannot stress this enough, actually set up inside the Upside Down.

How we get there

The military, led by Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton), is laser-focused on tracking down Eleven. They have rolled out a new sonic weapon that knocks El's powers offline, which is how she realizes something else is going on. During an interrogation of Lieutenant Akers, Eleven dives into his mind and uncovers a sealed vault housing a powerful psychic presence. She assumes that has to be Vecna, so she and Hopper mount a high-risk break-in.

Hopper goes in ready to lay his life down, bracing for Vecna behind that door. Instead, he finds Kali: head shaved, strapped to machines, and very much being used. The implication is ugly and clear — the military has her hooked up as the asset behind that 'kryptonite' effect that weakens Eleven.

• Episode: Season 5, Episode 4
• Where: A heavily guarded U.S. military vault inside the Upside Down
• Who is running it: Dr. Kay, played by Linda Hamilton
• How El gets the lead: She scans Lieutenant Akers' mind and sees the vault
• The twist: Hopper expects Vecna, finds Kali restrained and wired into machines
• What the military has: A new sonic weapon that neutralizes Eleven
• Why Kali matters: Her illusion powers can counter mind-based attacks — the exact arena where Vecna operates

Why this matters for the endgame

Bringing back Kali is not just nostalgia; it reconnects to the Hawkins Lab fallout the series left hanging after Season 2. The show had basically left us with the idea that Kali and Eleven were the only known survivors of Brenner's experiments. Pulling Eight into the final season signals the writers are intent on closing the loop on those lab-era storylines — and it gives the team a logical weapon against Vecna's psychological maze-building. Illusions vs. mind prisons is a clean matchup.

The schedule

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 is streaming now. Volume 2 lands December 25, with the series finale dropping December 31.