Stranger Things 5 just dropped two more character posters for spoilery characters from Volume 1. Netflix previously released 17 character posters ahead of Volume 1's premiere, featuring everyone from The Party to Dr. Kay. That said, two major players in the final round of Upside Down adventures were omitted from the line-up: Sadie Sink's Max Mayfield and Jamie Campbell Bower's Vecna.
Of course, with Stranger Things 5's first four episodes now streaming on Netflix, fans finally know precisely why, as their roles were more spoilery surprises. Henry Creel has retaken his original human form under the alias of Mr Whatsit to befriend young children and take them to a "safe" location inside his 1950s Hawkins-inspired mental prison, nicknamed Camazotz. That is precisely where he has taken Holly Wheeler, who has been aided in Camazotz by a familiar face, Max Mayfield, despite her physical form lying comatose in Hawkins General Hospital.
Netflix took to X to reveal two new character posters for Stranger Things 5, ahead of Volume 2's premiere on December 25, which includes the three penultimate chapters. This marks the streamer publicly pulling back the curtain on Volume 1's biggest twists, just four days after the episodes debuted on Netflix.
The first put the spotlight on Jamie Campbell Bower's Henry Creel, more specifically, under his new guise as Mr. Whatsit. Netflix is yet to debut a Season 5 poster for Vecna, despite his return in Chapter 4, "Sorcerer."
At the same time, Netflix revealed a new look at Sadie Sink's Max Mayfield as she appears in Camazotz. While Max has already rejoined the storyline through Vecna's mental prison, her real-world body is still comatose, where she was previously reported to be until "midway" through Season 5.
Almost every other central character in Stranger Things 5 got the poster treatment several weeks before the long-awaited premiere.
Even Cara Buono's Karen Wheeler got her own poster this time around, perhaps due to her heroic stand-off with a Demogorgon that left her gravely injured trying to protect her daughter, Holly, but she still looks set for a full recovery.
Fans will see more of these icons played by Finn Wolfhard, Milly Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Joe Keery, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, and more when Volume 2 premieres on December 25.
After that, fans won't be waiting long before Volume 3 comes to Netflix on December 31, with the bumper-length finale also showing in select theaters.
How Will Max & Vecna Play Into Stranger Things 5's Volume 2?
Interestingly, Episode 6 will be titled "Escape from Camazotz," which could see Max Mayfield leading Holly and the other captured children to freedom. That endeavour should be a team effort, with those on the outside equally involved by tracking down the kids' physical bodies to free them from Vecna.
After that point, Max will, hopefully, awaken in the real world to reunite with Lucas and join the Party for the final episodes. That said, due to her previous injuries, some have theorized she could be blind when she reawakens from Camazotz.
Fans already know Camazotz is all part of Vecna's plans to "reshape" the world, using the children as "perfect vessels" for his vision. If that falls apart after Episode 6, the focus will be all-in on killing Vecna once and for all, with the super-powered likes of Eleven and Will being the top contenders to land the final blow.
