Netflix’s Next Stranger Things Release Is About to Repeat 1985’s Biggest Mistake

Stranger Things may have wrapped on New Year's Eve, but Netflix clearly isn't done with Hawkins. We just got an animated spinoff, and now a stage prequel is headed to the streamer. Cool in theory. In practice, there's a big story problem Netflix keeps running into, and it 's the same one twice in a row.

Quick rewind: Tales From '85

On April 23, Netflix dropped the animated Stranger Things: Tales From '85. It brings back the core kids (voiced by a different cast) and slides neatly between seasons 2 and 3. A lot of folks were happy just to hang with these characters again. A lot of others… not so much. The frustration boiled down to this: because of the extremely divisive series finale, especially what it implies for Eleven, Tales From '85 could pour on character growth and heart and still feel like it's heading straight into a brick wall. Eleven spends the season learning to stick up for herself and carve out some independence, but viewers already know she's looking at a brutal endgame — either dead or cut off from the people she loves. That undercuts the whole thing.

Next up: the play is finally coming home

The stage prequel Stranger Things: The First Shadow has been running on Broadway since March 2025. It's a Henry Creel/Vecna origin story, which made it feel extra relevant going into season 5. Fans have been asking for a filmed version for ages so they could watch it before the final season. That didn't happen, which caused its own mini-backlash, but Netflix is now set to release a full recorded cut on the platform, possibly later this year. There's also heavy chatter that Jamie Campbell Bower will cameo as older Henry again.

The snag these projects can't dodge

The finale's message in plain English: Henry wasn't controlled by the Mind Flayer — he chose it — and then he dies.

That creates the exact same problem The First Shadow is about to face. The play digs into Henry's childhood and his exposure to the Mind Flayer with a lot of empathy. On stage, he reads as a victim who was, essentially, controlled. Then the finale swoops in and says the opposite. When you watch the play after the fact, the careful setup doesn't just feel moot; it's confusing.

• Tales From '85 gives Eleven meaningful growth that can't pay off because we already know her end is devastating.
• The First Shadow paints Henry as a kid ensnared by something bigger than him, while the finale insists he chose the darkness and then kills him off.
• Both projects end up boxed in by the finale, making their character work feel like a cul-de-sac.

What The First Shadow will remind people of

This is the part that's going to sting for a lot of fans who've seen both the play and the show. The First Shadow makes a strong case that Henry's story could have been richer — not redeemed, just treated with more nuance and care. Releasing the filmed version now will put that contrast on blast. It'll be exciting to finally see the production at home (and yes, the rumored Jamie Campbell Bower cameo would be a fun grace note), but it also highlights how the franchise boxed itself in at the finish line.