‘Stranger Things 5’: Opening Scene Revisits Will Byers’ 1983 Disappearance
Netflix unveiled the first five minutes of the highly anticipated final season of Stranger Things, taking viewers back to the night of Will Byers’ original disappearance in 1983. The scene was revealed following the red carpet premiere on Thursday night.
Unlike what fans might have expected from the trailer, which opened with the Hawkins Library in the Upside Down, the new season begins by exploring that location in greater depth. The moment revisits key elements from Season 1 and introduces a new layer to Will’s abduction — this time, Vecna is present.
Return to 1983
The Duffer brothers set the opening sequence on November 12, 1983 — six days after Will went missing. This marks a deliberate return to the origins of the story before the narrative jumps forward to events occurring 18 months after Season 4.
Recreating the Iconic Moment
The episode features a digitally de-aged Noah Schnapp as 12-year-old Will, disoriented and trembling inside the Upside Down’s version of Castle Byers. The detail evokes both nostalgia and dread, signaling a direct link between the first and final chapters of the series.
Within the haunting silence of Castle Byers, Will mutters the lyrics of The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go” to himself, echoing one of the show’s most memorable motifs.
This reimagined opening ties the story’s emotional beginnings to its long-awaited finale, laying the foundation for the final confrontation between the heroes of Hawkins and the growing darkness of the Upside Down.
Author’s Summary
The preview of Stranger Things 5 reopens the mystery of 1983, blending nostalgia with new tension as Will Byers faces the Upside Down once more under Vecna’s looming presence.