It looks like we’re finally getting real updates from the final season of Stranger Things!

With Stranger Things 5 premiering in less than 40 days, Netflix has officially kicked off its marketing campaign. Major publications like The Times Magazine, Empire Magazine, and Variety have all released exclusive features that reveal new details and never-before-seen photos from the highly anticipated final season.

Here’s a complete breakdown of everything we’ve learned so far.

• Episode Runtimes: Most episodes run about an hour. The finale, “The Rightside Up”, has a runtime of around two hours.

• Time Jump: The story picks up 18 months after Season 4, with everyone back in Hawkins under military quarantine.

• New Reveals: Season 5 will finally explain what the Upside Down is. The Duffer Brothers said, “We have to now. This is a complete story. It’s done.”

• Final Scene: The Duffers have known the final scene of Stranger Things for years. It’s emotional, inevitable, and right.

• Eleven: She is being hunted by a mysterious group known as “The Wolf Pack,” led by a new scientist named Dr. Kay. This time, the government’s involvement in the storyline is far greater than in previous seasons, suggesting a large-scale cover-up operation.

• Vecna: When the season begins, Vecna is missing, and the main mission for our heroes revolves around finding him — all while evading a military quarantine designed to hide the catastrophic events that unfolded at the end of Season 4.

• Max: She remains in a coma for the first half of the season, but her importance to the story is undeniable. Reports hint that she might eventually play a crucial role in the plan to defeat Vecna once and for all.

• Massive Action: The action this time is said to be on a completely new level as stunt performers are literally being thrown into the air, and the show’s cinematography reportedly feels more like a blockbuster movie than a TV series. Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler) even revealed that the physical demands of this season are far greater than before, noting that he worked with a personal trainer to prepare for it.

• Barb is Back: There’s also a shocking reveal that Barb’s body has been spotted on set — possibly in a vision, memory, or flashback sequence from the Upside Down.

Holly Wheeler’s Mysterious Scene in Season 5

The new features also include some new spoilers for Season 5.

Among the newly revealed scenes, one in particular stands out. It involves Holly Wheeler, the youngest member of the Wheeler family. According to reports,

Holly is seen wandering through glowing orange rocks, wearing a 1950s-style blue dress with blood on her forehead. She turns a corner — only to look on in horror as a wounded Henry Creel staggers toward her.

It’s unclear whether this sequence is a hallucination or a real event. Interestingly, it is the same time period when Henry Creel’s story began, before he became Vecna. This suggests that the scene might explore Henry’s origins.

New Photos from Stranger Things 5

Netflix has also released a fresh batch of photos from the final season, offering fans a closer look at the intense visuals and emotional tone of Stranger Things 5.

With less than six weeks left until the premiere, excitement for Stranger Things 5 is at an all-time high. From Holly Wheeler’s haunting scene to the government’s deep involvement, every detail points toward a dark and emotional finale that will close the series in true Stranger Things fashion.

As the countdown continues, one thing is certain — the final battle for Hawkins has begun.