Stranger Things’ iconic supernatural saga is gearing up for its showdown, with the latest season already raising the stakes on Hawkins’s fate.

Ross Duffer, who cocreated the hit Netflix series with his brother Matt, revealed via Instagram last week that the three episodes of Season 5, Volume 2 are ready to go.

No, it's not (just) Hopper's beard that needs to change.

The first episode of Volume 2, “Shock Jock” (Episode 5 overall), picks up right after “Sorcerer.” Frank Darabont returns to direct. Duffer said Darabont takes a very different approach compared to his work on “Turnbow Trap,” calling this chapter “far darker, and far scarier.”

Stranger Things 5 Volume 2 will drop its next 3 episodes on Netflix on December 25, before the final episode 8 on December 31. The showrunners Duffer Brothers, revealed new information about its episodes 5-7.

In a recent update, the Duffer Brothers revealed a major plot point for Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2. So, let's take a look.

On the subject of how parental connections between the various characters – Hopper and Eleven, Joyce and Will, even Karen and Holly – resonate with audiences, Ross Duffer named Hopper and Eleven's relationship as a little family unit as important for Season 5. He began:

The fifth and final season of 'Stranger Things' starring Winona Ryder, David Harbour, and Millie Bobby Brown arrives on Netflix in 2025.