Stranger Things Season 5 included a solid reference to an iconic 80s movie, and how it was incorporated into the plot was brilliant. The final season of Netflix's highly anticipated original series has arrived, and it continues to feature numerous references to other popular films and TV series from the 1980s. This has been the staple of Stranger Things ever since it debuted in 2016, and the show has included Easter eggs to other iconic franchises, such as Alien, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Ghostbusters, and Dungeons & Dragons.
Season 5 is no different, as it paid homage to more franchises, most notably A Wrinkle in Time, primarily due to Vecna's twisted method of trying to abduct kids, as he poses as a creepy-looking man named Mr. Henry Whatsit. Stranger Things has ramped up the show's love letter to pop culture by featuring another reference to a fan-favorite time travel movie.
Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 2 paid homage to Back to the Future by including a clever mention of a flux capacitor. For the uninitiated, the flux capacitor is what makes time travel possible in the Back to the Future trilogy.
While trying to communicate with Jim Hopper while he was in the Upside Down, Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) tricked Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) into thinking that the "flux capacitor" of their communication device was faulty:
Robin: "Sh*t! The flux capacitor is down again."
Joyce: "Is that bad?"
Robin: "I mean, it could be. It’s fixable, but it’s a two-man job. Come on. We’ll be right back."
Apparently, this was only Robin's way of messing with Joyce and starting a distraction just so she could talk to Will Byers (who later manifested incredible powers in Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1's ending) alone.
Robin's use of the "flux capacitor" term to ensure she has alone time with Will is a brilliant move, as the vague nature of the term confuses Joyce, allowing her to give her approval so that Robin and Will can fix whatever needs fixing. This was also a crucial start in the blossoming of the unexpected friendship between Will and Robin in Stranger Things Season 5.
In the lore of Back to the Future, the flux capacitor requires 1.21 gigawatts of energy to make time travel possible, and this can be accessed through a jolt of plutonium or a bolt of lightning.
The flux capacitor is housed in a protective casing inside the time-traveling DeLorean. Tampering with it could lead to significant repercussions. In Back to the Future Part II, a bolt of lightning accidentally damaged the flux capacitor, leaving Doc Brown stranded in 1885 (the Wild West).
The flux capacitor Easter egg isn't the only Back to the Future reference in Stranger Things Season 5. At the end of Season 5, Episode 2, the song "Mr. Sandman" by The Chordettes was played in the background. This was the same song that played when Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) first went to Hill Valley in 1955 in Back to the Future.
Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 premiered on Netflix on November 26, 2025. The next three episodes will premiere on Christmas Day 2025, and the much-talked-about finale will arrive on the streamer and in theaters on New Year's Eve (December 31, 2025).
Why Stranger Things Season 5's Back to the Future Reference Is Deeper Than You Think
Stranger Things Season 5's reference to Back to the Future is not a coincidence. Aside from the fact that Back to the Future is an iconic franchise, these Easter eggs could be a subtle hint that time travel might be involved in the plot of Season 5.
In fact, Stranger Things' final season's synopsis strongly hinted that time travel could play a part, especially after the mere mention of "time itself unraveling" in the Upside Down. It's possible that a do-over could be in the cards in the final clash against Vecna, and one of the Hawkins crew (possibly Eleven or Will) could go back in time to make things right.
Interestingly, the scene in Episode 4 where Max Mayfield went through Henry Creel's memories provided a brief glimpse into the past, revealing that a young Joyce and Steve Harrington's father were actually schoolmates with Henry Creel (also known as Vecna).
This could mean that this is the time when the Hawkins crew needs to return, potentially saving a young Henry Creel from corruption, especially after viewers learned that a cave in Nevada was the site of his first encounter with the Upside Down (here's why Henry is scared of Max's cave in Season 5).
