Netflix rewrites Stranger Things storyline after controversial Season 5 finale

Just when we thought Hawkins had closed its doors, Stranger Things will be returning soon, but this time, in animated form. Netflix isn’t done milking the Upside Down yet. We're referring to Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, a prequel series that’s digging into the world between seasons 2 and 3… and apparently rewriting a little bit of what we thought we knew.

Yes, the show that made us fall for Eleven, Mike, and the gang is now tapping its younger selves for new adventures, minus the original cast’s voices. And while the tone is 'family-friendly,' the stakes are… well, classic Stranger Things: monsters, mysteries, and new characters who might not stick around.

We will meet a new character: Nikki Baxter, taller, bigger, and ready to shake up Hawkins. She’s new to the franchise, never mentioned before, and the odds of her surviving? Probably slim. Fans are already betting Nikki might bite the dust, sparking theories that maybe Netflix is softening the blow of Eleven’s controversial fate by sprinkling in fresh drama. Or maybe Nikki will just vanish quietly, never to be acknowledged in canon—because hey, consistency is optional in the Upside Down.

The tricky part? Tales From ‘85 is tiptoeing through seasons 2 and 3, two middling chapters in Stranger Things lore. Introducing Nikki is a high-wire act: she can’t contradict canon, but her presence also can’t feel irrelevant. Basically, Netflix is walking a fine line between giving fans nostalgia, avoiding fan fury, and keeping the Hawkins universe intact.

So, could this prequel be Netflix’s way of softening the blow after Eleven’s dramatic exit? Maybe. Or maybe it’s just another excuse to bring us back to Hawkins and make us fall for monsters and characters we didn’t even know we needed.

For the unversed: In the final episode of Season 5 that fans haven't recovered from, Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven sacrifices herself as the Upside Down disappears into the avoid, with a broken-hearted Mike screaming her name. Later in the time leap, Mike suggests a theory that Eleven might have survived and is living peacefully in another country, at peace. Fans were furious at this ending, as Eleven had been consistently suffering in the past five seasons and deserved a happy ending.