Linda Hamilton is officially joining the cast of Stranger Things for season 5. The actress who is best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise will play a new character in the final season.

Hamilton’s casting was announced by the makers in 2023 and that continued the tradition of featuring iconic actors from the 80s like Winona Ryder, Matthew Modine, Paul Reiser, Sean Astin, Robert Englund, and Cary Elwes.

Recently, Linda Hamilton revealed that her character will play a major role as she will be featured in every episode. While official details are scarce, fans are already speculating about who she might be playing.

Linda Hamilton’s Role is Bigger Than Terminator

While talking to Coming Soon, she said,

“We took a year to shoot eight episodes, so I’ve never been on a project for a year. Six months is the biggest. Terminator, Dante’s Peak, things like that used to be six-month shoots, and hardly anybody does that anymore.

“So that was really interesting. Like ready to pounce, to just nail the character in the way that she deserved. They started with all my big scenes, my first week in. I mean, I was there getting ready before that, but my first week of shooting was huge. I looked at what they were on the schedule, and I was like, ‘No way are we doing that. I haven’t even spoken words from the character yet.’

“I realized that every single day they shoot, it’s that huge. Do you know what I mean? I was like, ‘This has to be a partial because there’s no way they’re going for these entire stunts, special effects, big acting, lots of character stuff.’ And that’s my first day, because every day that they shoot, they have big scenes like that.”

Will Linda Hamilton Play Future Eleven or Patty Newby?

There is not much known about Dr. Kay, as her name was only revealed last month. This is the only detail about her character that is known as of now. Fans are speculating that she will be a scientist who will run experiments on Eleven or other elements from the Upside Down. Some believe she could be working against Eleven and the Hawkins crew.

One wild theory is that Dr. Kay is actually the future version of Eleven. Since the Duffer Brothers announced that no new major characters will be introduced in the final season, she would not be a new character, technically.

It further suggests that Eleven might become a scientist or doctor to study the mysteries of the Upside Down. It is also possible that she would have to time travel to find a way to defeat Vecna.

Another possibility is that Linda Hamilton might be playing Patty Newby in season 5, a character introduced in Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Since Patty has already been introduced in the play, she would not be a new character either.

While the Duffer Brothers have kept plot details under wraps, one thing is clear that Linda Hamilton will play a crucial role in Stranger Things season 5.