Stranger Things Season 5 Continuity Error Spotted In New Trailer

Nearly three years after its Season 4 cliffhanger, Stranger Things finally offered audiences a glimpse of its final season. However, eagle-eyed fans noticed a continuity mistake in this Season 5 trailer involving a key series storyline.

While the long-awaited teaser previewed some of what awaits in the show's final episodes, the Netflix promo mainly focused on events that have already happened. But again, there's been a change, and it has to do with Max, played by Sadie Sink (who has commented on those MCU rumors), and her late stepbrother Billy, played by Dacre Montgomery.

The new footage unveiled during Netflix's Tudum event included a shot of Max's stepbrother's tombstone, which reads Billy Hargrove. However, the original shot, which came from Season 4, reads William Hargrove, not Billy. 

For reference, William "Billy" Hargrove died in Season 3 of Stranger Things in a final act of sacrifice at the Starcourt Mall. The impact of his death haunted her throughout Season 4, making her one of Vecna's targets. Heading into Season 5, early Stranger Things merchandise suggests that Max may be mostly absent throughout the final episodes and still recovering from Season 4's events.

Some fans have speculated that Netflix and Stranger Things changed the name from William to Billy for the sake of familiarity, as some audiences may not remember that William and Billy were the same person. The fact that Billy's final season premiered in 2019 may have also motivated the continuity tweak. 

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will premiere on Netflix in three parts: the first four episodes will drop on Thanksgiving, November 26, the next three will debut on Christmas Day, December 25, and the finale will air on New Year's Eve, December 31. 

Find out why Stranger Things Season 5 opted for a three-part release here! 

Stranger Things "Lies" About Billy Again?

Even though Stranger Things taught audiences that friends don't lie, this isn't the first time Netflix and or the show changed Billy's full name for a promo. A teaser for Season 4 also used this same shot and changed the name on the tombstone from William to Billy. 

In fact, it was arguably more important for audiences to remember Billy's death heading into Season 4 since it played such a huge part in Max's storyline. It's also worth noting that the Netflix South Africa account released an AI-generated photo of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) as part of a viral trend, which was deleted amidst fan backlash. 

But as for the Billy Hargrove continuity error, the question now is whether Stranger Things and Netflix just recycled Season 4's teaser footage for Season 5, or intentionally used the altered shot for the same goal. It will also be interesting to see if the hit series keeps this continuity error in further marketing for the new season, especially since this trailer is only just the start. 

Volume 1 of Season 5 of Stranger Things arrives on Netflix on November 26.