'Stranger Things 4' Volume 2 Theories That’ll Turn Your World Upside Down

Remember when Eddie mentioned that his hair was buzzed as a kid? Well, he could be teasing a former stay at Hawkins Lab. A few fans are even convinced that Eddie is 010, since it hasn't been confirmed that 010 died.

One Twitter user explained, “We don’t see a clip [of when] 010 died, when 001 brutally attacked the lab. The fact that he is in the other room with ‘papa’ and Eddie also said ‘my hair was buzzed’ makes this theory more reasonable.”

Another fan said, “What if Eddie was one of the kids in the lab? Because why else would the Duffer brothers make him such a main character?” Fair point.

Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed a pattern in previous Stranger Things 4 trailers: that Eddie is playing his guitar in the Upside Down. But the real clue is hidden in the song selection for the first trailer, which is Journey's "Separate Ways." Commerce Editor Olivia Dubyak theorized that the track’s message could foreshadow the plot—which involves Eddie sacrificing himself.

She wrote “[It’s] not only a rock anthem, but it's also a possible sentiment that one (or multiple) of our buddies from Hawkins will be exiting the show (AKA succumbing to Vecna's spell). I believe Eddie reenters the Upside Down with his guitar (which is in the next room) to lure Nancy back to reality and away from Vecna. In doing so, I think he will unknowingly sacrifice himself to save her. This predicted act of saving Nancy will close out his storyline as a hero.”

What if, in a surprise twist, the Mind Flayer is still controlling Will? A few fans are convinced that this is the only reason why his character is still alive, and it makes total sense, given his experiences after the kidnapping in season one.

Elite_VRTX said, “The only main reason that Will is still on the show is that the Mind Flayer still has control over him but is not actively using him in order to surprise the gang at the time of the invasion.”

In response, Snitchelback wrote, “I think the biggest fact supporting this theory is that he was obviously painting the mind flayer during Eleven's monologue. He also wouldn't show her, and she stated he is acting weird. I think everyone glossed over that too easily.”

Speaking of Will, one Reddit fan went as far as to predict Will’s death, thanks to his inextricable link to the Upside Down.

Reddit user @Sirabey_Grey said, “There's something special about Will. In the Upside Down, time is frozen on the day Will disappeared. There’s something significant about him that caused that to be the case. If any of the main four die, I’m betting it’s Will because of his connection to the Upside Down.”

She continued, “Will has been such a, frankly, meaningless character. He had the neck tingle and reactions to the creatures, but with El around, this is hardly useful. I’d bet that it’s not so much that the writers have forgotten about Will or don’t know what to do with him, but more that he’s integral to the larger plot/resolution. I bet we find out that Will is the most important character, and this makes his (actual) death necessary to save everyone and ‘stop’ the Upside once and for all.”

By far one of the wildest predictions we’ve seen, one fan suggests that Stranger Things will go full Star Wars and reveal that Vecna is actually Eleven’s father. Assuming that Brenner used One’s DNA to pass on his powers through El’s biological mom and others.

Redditer Ashietree wrote, “What if Vecna/One is also Eleven’s biological father? LISTEN. You’re telling me Brenner just figured out how to create a bunch of telekinetic babies artificially and that quickly after studying One? This may be dark for Stranger Things, but what if he inseminated some women/test subjects (including El’s mother) with One’s…DNA? I just don’t see how floating around in a salt bath and taking psychedelics can give fetuses powers, like how they said El’s powers were possibly harnessed. It’s not plausible.”

They continued, “If this prediction’s true, it would also pay a crazy ‘I am your father’ Star Wars homage, which really matches the ’80s theme of the show. Plus, One reminds me of Anakin anyway.”

Though it would make for a rather depressing ending to season four, some fans believe that the Hawkins gang will not come out of this battle victorious.

Reddit user Elite_VRTX explained, “I predict that this season will be the first season that the gang will fail to end it on a ‘good’ note in terms of ending the bad guy plans. What I’m saying is that they fail on closing the gates between the Upside Down and the real world.”

They continued, “It has been referenced multiple times that the Mind Flayer is the big boss and that the gates opened by the Vecna (his 5-star general) is for him. I predict that season four will end on a bad note with the Mind Flayer finally arriving in the real dimension, which also means that season 5 will be the first season that immediately starts with a crisis. Confirming season 5 is the last season also reinforces this theory.”

In seasons one through three, the climax typically happens in a prominent location that’s heavily featured throughout the season. And since Hawkins High is frequented in season four, it’s safe to assume that some serious business is about to go down in those halls.

Redditer Imthedishwasher pointed out, “In every previous season the gang spends a good amount of time at whatever spot the final battles/climax takes place in. Example: the star court mall in season three or the Hawkins lab in season two. I think there’s a big chance part of the final battle could be at the high school, since there’s been a bunch of set pics of army trucks outside of Hawkins High.”

They also mentioned that there’s likely more to the school’s guidance counselor than meets the eye, which could also be a clue. They continued, “A good amount of scenes have been in this location. If they did do the final battle in Hawkins High, maybe this would allow the guidance counselor to show up and reveal she’s evil. She’s definitely suspicious.”

Not too many theories have mentioned Victor, AKA Vecna’s dad, but something tells us that this character’s story isn’t over just yet. Bearhug3301 said, “They're definitely going to bring back Victor Creel in my opinion, and if they do, I think he'll be the one to give Peter (AKA his son) the big speech on life and finding his humanity/passion/joy/whatever. I think, at the end, Victor is going to die, and I don't think this will be sad. I think it'll be like a bitter-sweet moment where he's finally reunited with his wife and daughter.”

This offbeat character has been instrumental in helping his peers defeat the bad guys, thanks to his unparalleled investigative journalism skills. However, it’s very likely that Murray won’t make it to the end of this season alive.

One fan, Highdefre, wrote on Reddit, “Anyone else low key worried for Murray as Vol. 2 nears? It seems like we’ve all collectively agreed that Joyce and Hopper are safe, but I’m starting to get worried Murray won’t make it back with them, maybe even getting a ‘This is for Alexei!’-esque moment where he sacrifices himself to take out some Russians for Joyce and Hopper to escape. Would also kind of bring his arc to a natural close, starting off as the loner who wanted nothing to do with any of these people to dying to ensure their safety.”

If you’ve been paying close attention to the first part of volume one, you might have noticed that the name Ruth is mentioned on a few occasions. For instance, as Redditer Junewick points out, there’s Ruth, Nevada, which is where Project Lina takes place. Then there’s Ruth, the fake name that Nancy chooses when she goes to see Creel. And there’s also the song “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush (AKA “RUTH”). But what does it all mean?

One fan responded, “Maybe that could have a big significance in the final 2 episodes and season 5. Maybe it’s a hint at another new character getting involved.”

Looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer to see what the real deal is.