Stranger Things Trailer Sneaks In Final Episode Footage — One Blink-and-You'll-Miss-It Shot Could Change Everything
The new Stranger Things trailer plays coy—but look closer and it’s spilling more than it hides.
The first proper trailer for Stranger Things season 5 is here, and it comes in hot: lots of chaos, a big Vecna showdown tease, and a weird blast of red energy that looks way too important to be a random effect. If you like reading tea leaves, this one gives you a whole kettle.
How much of the end are we actually seeing?
Co-creator Matt Duffer told Entertainment Weekly that most of the promo you have seen so far pulls from Volume 1. Emphasis on most. He also says there are shots sprinkled in from every single episode, finale included. Ross Duffer adds that this new trailer specifically pulls from episodes 7 and 8 too, so it sounds like all episodes are represented somewhere in the marketing.
"There are shots from every single episode, including the finale."
"You're not gonna see that in Volume 1, either. It's in Volume 2."
Here is the fun wrinkle: the marketing team reportedly has not seen the finale at all. The Duffers sent over a couple of finale shots they thought could play in trailers, and those made the cut, but they are not saying which ones. So yes, there are finale crumbs in here, but they are carefully chosen crumbs.
About that red energy flare
If that crimson surge caught your eye, you are not alone. Matt Duffer says it plays a very important role in the story. You will not see it in Volume 1, though. It does not show up until Volume 2, which tells you exactly how late-game that piece is. Cue the theories.
What the trailer sets up
Beyond the mystery glow, the footage is cut like a sprint toward the endgame: the kids gearing up, Hawkins on the brink (again), and Vecna looming over the whole thing. It is very much positioning this as the last stand.
Release plan
- Volume 1 hits Netflix on November 26, just in time for Thanksgiving.
- Volume 2 arrives December 25.
- The finale gets a theatrical release on December 31, closing out the year on the big screen.
Short version: your holiday viewing schedule just got booked.