It has been a long wait forStranger Thingsfans, and their excitement for the next season is almost palpable. After three years, they finally get the chance to return to Hawkins and find out how their favorite characters are dealing with the Upside Down. Creators the Duffer Brothers have revealed some fascinating details about season 4, setting fan expectations to an even higher level than before.

Season 4 ofStranger Thingswill be broken into two parts, with the first batch of episodes releasing on Netflix on May 27, and the second part premiering on July 1. TheStranger Thingsseason 4 episodesare much longer than previous seasons, with the total runtime of the nine-episode season clocking at five hours more than season 3. According to the creators, some of the episodes are long enough that they could be considered standalone films.

Millie Bobby Brown Stranger Things Season 4 Answers

RELATED:Stranger Things: Netflix Reportedly Spending $30 Million Per Episode

“We really wanted to give as many of our characters as we could their time to shine and to really work on their character development and their arcs,” Ross Duffer toldIGNduring an interview about the upcomingStranger Thingsseason. There is a lot that this season has to cover. After the cliffhanger in the previous season, fans want to know what is happening withMillie Bobby Brown’s Elevenin California, how David Harbour’s Jim Hopper ends up in a Russian prison, and what new mystery the Hawkins crew uncovers.

An important piece of information revealed by the Duffer Brothers is that season 4 ofStranger Thingswill see a new villain, Vecna. “Season 4 required a villain unlike any before… It needed to be a humanoid villain with more depth, more dimension, and far more evil.” director Shawn Levy said. The creators promise that the season will be “long, dark, and ambitious.”

Another crucial aspect of this season is the emotional journey that the characters will go on. Hopper, who will be seen trying to escape from the Russian prison, will go into survival mode. Eleven will be seen dealing with Hopper’s loss and struggling to move on without her powers.Sadie Sink’s Maxgrapples with the reality of losing her brother. With this being the penultimate season ofStranger Things, it has a lot of responsibility to take fans on the journey towards the end.

Stranger Thingsseason 4 premieres on Netflix on Aug 06, 2025.

MORE:Love, Death + Robots: 5 Of The Best Episodes From Seasons 1 And 2