STRANGER THINGS Season 5 Will Finally Reveal the Truth About the Upside Down

After years of Demogorgons, psychic powers, and heartbreaking goodbyes, Stranger Things is gearing up for its grand finale, and it’s finally going to answer the question that’s haunted fans since day one: What exactly is the Upside Down?

In a new interview with Variety, Ross Duffer confirmed that the show’s final season will reveal the origins and nature of the mysterious parallel world that’s been tormenting Hawkins. According to Duffer, this was always the plan.

“Every season would be like, ‘Should we talk about it?’ And we'd go, ‘No, let's wait.’ And then finally, we're like, ‘Well, we have to now!’”

Season 5 will not only tie up the storylines of Eleven, Mike, and the gang, but it will also dig deep into the mythology of the Upside Down, the terrifying, time-frozen world that’s been lurking just beyond reality.

But while the main series is coming to an end, the Stranger Things universe isn’t done expanding. Matt Duffer teased that a spin-off is already in development, but fans shouldn’t expect a direct continuation of the same story.

Matt explained that neither he nor Ross wants to "increasingly expand what could become an insanely convoluted mythology" after Season 5, so, according to Ross, the spin-off would "live in a bit of a different world," though "there's going to be connective tissue."

So yes, Stranger Things may be ending, but the world of Hawkins, and the strange forces tied to it, will continue to live on in some form.

And the show isn’t going out quietly. The final season is shaping up to be an epic sendoff. The first batch of episodes arrives on November 26, with Volumes 2 and 3 following on December 25 and December 31.

So get ready to head back to Hawkins one last time. The secrets of the Upside Down are about to be expose, and I hope the wait will be worth it.