The fifth and final season of the beloved 80s pop culture callback Stranger Things has been in production for an excruciating two years, forcing fans to rely on their own home-brewed theories for any hints about what will happen to the ill-fated town of Hawkins. Far from alleviating the suspense, however, a recent Netflix teaser revealing all the episode titles for the upcoming season only increased fans’ excitement, especially given the cryptic title of the second episode, “The Vanishing of [Redacted].”
Although very few details of the Stranger Things Season 5 storyline have been confirmed, fans are already bracing themselves for a tear-jerking finale. Not only have several cast members discussed their own emotional reactions to the script of the final episode, but the cliffhanger ending of the previous season — which left Sadie Sink’s Max Mayfield severely injured with no guarantee of her recovery — has also sparked rumors of a major character death to come. Netflix’s confirmation yesterday morning of the Season 5 episode titles only seemed to validate these rumors, implying yet another disappearance in episode two that will likely have catastrophic consequences as the rest of Hawkins’ story plays out.
The title of the episode, “The Vanishing of [Redacted],” with a character’s name mysteriously blurred out, is obviously a direct reference to the original premiere of Stranger Things back in 2016. The series debuted with an episode entitled “The Vanishing of Will Byers,” which was the inciting incident that intertwined all of Hawkins with the Upside-Down. Given the nearly identical wording of the episode in Season 5, it’s very likely that whoever disappears will do so in a way almost exactly like Will — seemingly without a trace.
Who Will Vanish in the Final Season of Stranger Things?
As for which character is going to vanish, or where they will vanish to, Netflix obviously doesn’t intend to reveal this information prematurely — but fans can certainly make some educated guesses. Although it would offer a compelling symmetry to have Will vanish again, the emotional impact of his disappearance probably wouldn’t hit as hard now as it did in the first season, since fans have already seen that particular storyline play out. Other members of the Byers family could be potential candidates as well, but they lack the same vulnerability as the younger characters, meaning that, once again, the stakes might not seem as high. At the moment, the most likely victim would be Max, since her condition at the end of Season 4 makes her a perfect target for Vecna’s shenanigans.
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However, there’s also the elephant in the room. Will’s disappearance in Season 1 was a big deal only because none of the characters had any knowledge of the Upside-Down. But in Season 5, if someone else does disappear, the Upside-Down would be the logical place to look. This suggests that there might either be more secrets to unlock about the Upside-Down, or a brand-new dimension altogether. And if the latter scenario is true, it could also be a new character who travels there — which might be related to the show’s expected time jump a year and a half into the future. Another family may have moved into Hawkins during those months, doomed to relive the fate of the Byers family.
Inspired by 80s pop-culture and elements of Stephen King’s works, Stranger Things is a supernatural action-drama TV series set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. When a young boy goes missing, his group of friends stumbles upon a young girl with telekinetic powers who recently escaped from a mysterious facility. They soon realize that she may be their only chance at stopping an impending doom that threatens to engulf Hawkins whole.