With the two-hour Stranger Things series finale arriving on New Year’s Eve, the show’s narrative stakes have never been higher. The final episodes of Season 5 Volume 2 have provided major answers, redefining the nature of the Upside Down and resolving long-standing character arcs. Yet, several pivotal questions remain, setting the stage for a conclusion that must tie together nearly a decade of storylines. As fans prepare for “The Rightside Up,” here are the six most important questions the finale must resolve.
The Ultimate Fate of Eleven and Henry Creel
The central conflict of the entire series boils down to the intertwined destinies of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Henry Creel/Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). The final episodes have introduced a grim possibility: Eleven’s existence may perpetually threaten the world.
A major revelation from Kali/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen) indicates that Dr. Brenner created Eleven and the other powered children by infusing their mothers with Henry Creel’s blood. This means Eleven is a direct psychic replica of Henry. Kali warns that as long as Eleven is alive, governments will hunt her to replicate the process and create more living weapons. She suggests that the only way to end the cycle is for both of them to stay in the Upside Down as it is destroyed.
This presents a heartbreaking dilemma. Does Eleven have to sacrifice herself to save everyone else? The Duffer Brothers have openly asked, “How can there be a happy ending here?”. The finale must decide if Mike (Finn Wolfhard) is right—that the heroes get to write their own story—or if a tragic sacrifice is the only path to peace.
The Contents of the Mysterious Briefcase
A critical piece of Henry Creel’s origin story is still missing. In Season 5 Volume 2, Max (Sadie Sink) and Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) stumble upon one of Henry’s traumatic childhood memories. They witness a young Henry, in a Nevada mineshaft, encounter a panicked scientist guarding a silver briefcase. After the man shoots Henry in the hand, the boy kills him in fear and opens the case. The camera deliberately pans away before viewers can see what’s inside.
This event is the source of Henry’s powers. The stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow reveals that the briefcase contained stolen technology from a government experiment that accidentally sent men to a dimension called the Abyss. Exposure to this technology altered Henry forever, giving him his abilities and attracting Dr. Brenner’s attention. Ross Duffer has confirmed, “We will see that briefcase again,” and that the finale will provide answers. Revealing what exactly Henry saw and touched is crucial to fully understanding the villain and the genesis of the entire supernatural crisis.
The Final Plan to Destroy the Upside Down
The heroes now understand their enemy, but their strategy remains unclear. A major breakthrough in Volume 2 was Dustin’s (Gaten Matarazzo) discovery that the Upside Down is not a parallel dimension but a wormhole—a bridge connecting Hawkins to the chaotic alien realm of the Abyss. The Mind Flayer, Demogorgons, and all other monsters originate from the Abyss, not the Upside Down. This wormhole was formed when Eleven first made psychic contact with the Abyss while searching for Henry under Brenner’s orders.
“When you made remote contact with the Abyss, the bridge formed,” Dustin explains to the group. “And ever since, Henry and his army of monsters have been using it to cross right back into Hawkins.”
The goal is no longer to close a gate but to destroy the entire bridge. The Duffers have compared it to the mission in The Bridge on the River Kwai, where the objective is to demolish a crucial structure. The finale must show how the party plans to accomplish this incredibly dangerous task, especially with the unstable “exotic matter” sphere above Hawkins Lab acting as the bridge’s power source.
The True Purpose of Vecna’s Kidnapped Children
Vecna has kidnapped twelve children, including Holly Wheeler, holding them captive in a grotesque structure in the Abyss called the Pain Tree. While it’s known they are connected to his hive mind, their specific, final purpose is a key unanswered question.
Volume 2 revealed that Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) served as a prototype for Vecna’s plan. While possessed in Season 2, Will was not just a spy; Vecna used him as a psychic conduit to telekinetically dig the network of tunnels beneath Hawkins. This proved a human host could amplify Vecna’s power and manipulate matter across dimensions.
Vecna now needs the twelve children to act as “biological batteries”. The finale must reveal the exact mechanics of his endgame: are these children providing the sheer psychic energy needed to permanently merge the Abyss with Earth? Their rescue or fate will be a central emotional component of the final battle.
The Fate of Max Mayfield and Her Unique Connection
Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) has been trapped in a coma since Season 4, with her mind held captive in Vecna’s mental landscape, which Holly dubs “Camazotz”. In Volume 2, Max and Holly work together to escape, and Max is now physically free in the Abyss. However, her story is far from over.
Max possesses a unique and deep connection to Vecna. She was the first to survive his curse and later became a vessel for his memories. This connection could be the key to defeating him. The finale needs to clarify Max’s role. Will she use her intimate understanding of Vecna’s mind to help Eleven in a final psychic showdown? Furthermore, after her physical and mental trauma, what future awaits Max if the group succeeds?
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Which Beloved Characters Will Survive?
Perhaps the most pressing question for audiences is who will make it out alive. The show has been criticized for its reluctance to kill off main characters, often reserving major deaths for heroes introduced within a single season, like Eddie Munson. Volume 2 heightened the stakes with a near-death experience for Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), who shared a heartfelt breakup scene while seemingly facing certain doom.
Their survival has led to commentary that the show lacks “real bite,” with the danger never feeling permanent for its core cast. The finale’s two-hour runtime suggests a climactic battle where sacrifices are inevitable. Speculation points toward potential sacrifices from Eleven, Hopper (David Harbour), or others. The finale must deliver meaningful consequences, proving that the threat of Vecna and the Upside Down carries a real and lasting cost for the people of Hawkins.
Also Read: Will Byers Is The Key To Vecna’s End In Stranger Things 5 Finale
