Stranger Things Season 5 Trailer Leaks Early; Reveals Epic Battles To Come

Netflix messed up. Teasing a trailer for release on October 30th, they pulled the trigger slightly earlier than expected and accidentally released it for the much-anticipated fifth season of Stranger Things. 

Everyone has been waiting with high anticipation for the official Stranger Things season 5 trailer. Unfortunately for Netflix, that trailer has been leaked online, and while the streaming service has attempted to put out the fire by taking down the trailers leaked on social media and YouTube, seemingly for every video they remove, two more replace it.

At 13:00 PM (GMT), Netflix dropped the official trailer on social media and YouTube! 

Fans can still expect the Netflix trailer today, which will be a significant improvement over the poor-quality leaked version. Despite the leak’s poor quality, we’ve combed through it to provide a breakdown for fans below.

More to come throughout the day, so keep this post bookmarked for the latest. Once the official material is released, we can update the breakdown with the relevant pictures and new info.

You can see when the volumes are dropping in the countdown clocks below!

Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 Trailer Breakdown

Hawkins Under Lockdown?

In the Upside Down, the Hawkins town hall is now home to Vecna, who has recovered from the injuries he received from Nancy at the end of season 4. In the moonlit corridor of the town hall, Vecna declares, “At long last, we can begin.” A demogorgan could also be seen bowing its head to Vecna, which could either be seen as a show of loyalty or submission.

Every season of Stranger Things is typically accompanied by a killer soundtrack, and the trailer is no exception, with the haunting voice of Freddie Mercury of Queen singing “Who Wants to Live Forever.” Que the bikes as we see Dustin riding his bike to high school. However, this seems to be after school, so perhaps the residents, or at least the students, are gathering at the school for something. It must be noted that as Dustin walks into the school, a member of the military can be seen guarding the doors.

Now, a wide shot over the town of Hawkins, where military tents can be seen next to the town hall, which has been fenced off. Assumedly, only military personnel are now allowed in the town square thanks to the danger it poses and its proximity to the Upside Down.

Cut to Mike and El, talking on top of the WSQK building, revealing to us that the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, are under quarantine, with the military guarding all the exits. Naturally, this is causing unrest within the town. However, we see Joyce and Eleven jumping into the tunnels from season 2, and Jonathan and Nancy showing a hidden corridor behind a bookcase to Robin and Steve, which strongly suggests there are alternate ways to get around the military’s quarantine without being seen.

The Hunt for Vecna?

Next, we see Hopper and Eleven in the Upside Down, which is likely part of the group’s plan to find and kill Vecna. Considering Eleven’s powers, it makes the most sense for her to venture into the Upside Down to confront him, aided by Hopper. We also get to see Eleven use more of her powers as she leaps over a large military wire fence. Presumably, this happens before she ventures into the Upside Down.

Back at the WDSQ building, we see Mike and Joyce, with the latter seemingly unsettled, which might have something to do with whoever is behind her on the sofa. It’s possible this could be Will or Jonathan who has been hurt? Meanwhile, Eleven tries to prepare Mike for the worst, declaring that what’s about to happen isn’t like one of his old Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, and he doesn’t get to write the ending. Given the way Mike was talking about the plan to take out Vecna, it suggests he has taken on more responsibility and leadership amongst our heroes.

Nancy and Jonathan come face to face with a possible breach between our world and the Upside Down, as a torrent of red lightning lashes out from a dark shroud. As we cut back to the radio tower, the same dark shroud used by the Mindflayer in seasons 2 and 3 swirls within it as a worried Robin looks on.

As Nancy explains what Vecna’s motivations are, we begin to see Vecna’s plan in action, as large red cracks form within the ground, and as multiple breaches from the Upside Down begin to surface. We see Murray and Robin witness some of the breaches forming, and we also see Nancy washing blood off her hands in the sink, foreshadowing a death, perhaps? To fuel that even further, we see a devastated-looking Steve, hugging a crying Dustin.

We see more of Eleven using her powers, and she is accompanied by Hopper in what seems to be the Hawkins Laboratory. A ginormous amount of energy can be seen unleashed over the top of the Hawkins lab, seemingly from within the Upside Down. Could this be the moment when the threshold between the Upside Down and our world is broken? This seems to be the case as the wave of energy spreads; we see it pass over Hopper’s head, who can only look on in awe.

Nancy and Jonathan have a tearful embrace; meanwhile, Lucas is in serious danger in the tunnels as he is confronted by a demogorgon. But back to Nancy, who can be seen shooting an M16 Rifle, she has come a long way from firing a small handgun in season 1. We can assume she is firing at a demodog or demogorgan?

Vecna Unleashed?

From the radio tower, we see a worried-looking Dustin and Nancy (flanked by Steve) watching as the red lightning storm signals Vecna’s plan to unleash the horrors of the Upside Down into the real world.

We see a tearful Jonathan embracing what looks to be Will. As he is flanked by Dustin, Erica, and Lucas. We see different frames, including Erica at the school, Nancy and Jonathan hiding, and Steve driving through a neighborhood with a radio antenna mounted on the roof of his car.

Eleven can be seen deflecting concrete debris, but in the next frame, she may be in trouble, as the body of a girl can be seen lying on the ground, while an explosion from outside the room destroys the windows inside, throwing everyone within it to the floor.

Lucas can be seen rescuing Max from a demodog in the hospital, as one of the monsters races towards him while he attempts to flee with Max in his arms in an elevator. It’s bad news for the Wheelers as we see a disheveled Barbara on the floor, as Holly embraces her mother. We also get our first look at the iconic Linda Hamilton as Dr Kay, who can be seen firing a handgun, presumably either at a demogorgon or Vecna.

As seen in the first-look images of season 5, Mike is attempting to protect the new kids, while Joyce holds up an injured Will. A demogorgan leaps over their heads as the military attempts to shoot it. We next see a devastating explosion that kills several members of the military stationed in Hakwins.

We see Vecna’s plan coming to fruition as several demogorgans begin attacking members of the military. Finally, Vecna enters the real world. Behind him looks like an open breach, possibly one manufactured by the military. Vecna lifts Will from the ground and ominously declares, “William, you are going to help me, one last time.” Poor Will may come under the subjugation of Vecna’s will again, as he is forced to hurt his friends and family.

Quotes from the cast and crew for Season 5!

Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven)

“Eleven is in training mode. She’s in a warrior state, which is the first time you see Eleven like that at the beginning of a season. As for her mindset, all she is thinking about is protecting her friends. Her friends are her chosen family, so she will do whatever it takes to protect them and we’re going to see that.”

Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin)

“Dustin is kind of in a bit of a funk. I think everybody probably is considering the state that Hawkins is in, and it’s getting a little bit harder for the gang to keep all the pieces together. We’re all dealing with the day-to-day issues of what it is to try to keep everybody safe and figure out where Vecna is, while having a lot of unpacked baggage from the events in the previous season.”

Finn Wolfhard (Mike)

“Mike is back in leadership mode, and he’s kind of taken it more upon himself to help plan out these missions, and he and the whole gang are devoted to finding Vecna and ending this.”

Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas)

“It’s always been in the beginning of a season that everything is all good, but this is the first season we come into it and the stakes are the same as where we left off. We haven’t defeated Vecna and the problem is still there. We’re still trying to figure it out and we may not be able to figure it out, so you feel that burden on Lucas as well as everyone else on the show. Everyone is on edge and we’re all just trying to keep hope alive.”

Noah Schnapp (Will)

“Will is back in Hawkins this season. He was out of Hawkins for the last season, so now we’re seeing the effects of him being back in that realm. We kind of hit the ground running right away this season, which is really exciting and not how we’ve started any other season. Everyone is all in one place and we all have the same objective.”

Sadie Sink (Max)

“We ended Season 4 in a tough place for Max. Her final moments were her in a hospital bed. Eleven was searching for her in the void and couldn’t find her, so Max is definitely not the way she once was. There’s still a small glimmer of hope, though, and her friends are hanging on to that.”

Lastly, the Duffer brothers (co-creators, exec-producers & directors) and Shawn Levy (executive producer & director) had the following to say:

Ross Duffer:

“I think what’s unique about this season is that it starts a little bit in chaos because our heroes ultimately lost at the end of Season 4. We usually set up their normal life and how they’re going about school, and then we introduce the supernatural element. But in this case, this season is sprinting from the start.”

Matt Duffer:

“They’re not experiencing normal life. Nothing in Hawkins is normal anymore…their movement is restricted, and there are Big Brother cameras everywhere. So not only are they active — their everyday, normal lives are anything but.”

Shawn Levy:

“The action is next level, the visual effects are next level, but I’m also happy to say that the emotional center remains the same. And part of the magic of this show is that even as we evolve, even as the storytelling becomes more epic, it’s always anchored in these characters that we love.”

More to come.

Are you excited for Stranger Things season 5 on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!