WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4, vol. 2.
Nancy’s visions from Vecna may have secretly teased a major character’s death in Stranger Things season 5. In Stranger Things season 4, episode 8, “Papa,” Vecna lets Nancy Wheeler live after showing her the destruction of Hawkins and corresponding catastrophic events in the future, with the villain commanding her to tell Eleven what she’s seen. Since Vecna’s plan for the Upside Down’s takeover of Hawkins came true in Stranger Things season 4’s ending, Nancy’s vision of the horrifying fates of her loved ones could also come to fruition in the show’s final installment.
In Stranger Things season 4’s ending, the Hawkins gang devised a plan to bait Vecna with Max in order to kill him in the Upside Down. The plan was met with several obstacles, as Robin, Steve, and Nancy were wrapped up in the Upside Down’s vines while Vecna and Eleven fought inside of Max’s mind. In his final effort to keep the Demobats away from Creel House, Eddie Munson sacrificed himself, dying a hero so the teens’ plan could move forward. However, Vecna managed to break Max’s limbs and blind her before Eleven was able to overpower him, with his form in the Upside Down being left vulnerable for Robin, Steve, and Nancy to destroy with fire. While Eleven exhibited a new power to resurrect Max, Nancy managed to shoot Vecna and launch him out of Creel House, but would quickly realize he hadn’t actually been killed.
Vecna briefly killing Max ultimately allowed him to open all four gates and officially take over Hawkins with the Upside Down, confirming the bleak future he had shown Nancy. With Vecna still alive heading into Stranger Things season 5, it’s clear that his plan for world domination isn’t complete, meaning the rest of Nancy’s visions are apt to come true as well. When Nancy was freed from Vecna’s curse, she told Steve and the gang that Vecna had shown her horrible fates for Mike and Stranger Things‘ Wheeler family. If the future that Vecna showed Nancy is accurate, then she may have already revealed that major character Mike Wheeler will die in Stranger Things season 5.
Every Future Event Vecna Shows Nancy In Stranger Things Season 4
When Vecna shows Nancy the future in Stranger Things season 4, the visions aren’t depicted on screen, with Natalia Dyer’s character verbally explaining the events once she’s freed from his curse. Nancy tells the Hawkins teens that Vecna showed her a dark cloud forming over Hawkins, which certainly came true in Stranger Things season 4’s final moments. Vecna also showed Nancy downtown Hawkins on fire, a fate that the California gang attests to as they finally make their way into town. One future Stranger Things event that hasn’t happened yet is dead soldiers in Hawkins, as season 4 never depicted a fight between the U.S. military and the Upside Down’s creatures.
Vecna also showed Nancy Stranger Things season 5’s Upside Down monster, which she explains as a “giant creature with a gaping mouth.” However, Nancy confirms that this new Upside Down creature isn’t alone, as an army of monsters will come into Hawkins’ neighborhoods and homes. The most personally agonizing vision that Vecna shows Nancy is the fate of her own family, which leaves Nancy in tears as she attempts to recount the event to Stranger Things’ characters. Following this reveal, Nancy says Vecna showed her four gates that would spread across Hawkins and wouldn’t stop growing throughout their own town.
What Nancy’s Visions Reveal About The Wheelers’ Fates In Season 5
Nancy tells Stranger Things‘ Steve Harrington and the Hawkins teens that Vecna showed her Karen, Holly, and Mike (but humorously not Ted), saying “they were all…” as she choked back tears. Nancy was unable to say aloud what Vecna had shown her of her mom, sister, and brother in the future, but her emotional reaction and silence suggested that Vecna or the Upside Down’s monsters will kill the Wheeler family. The reveal of the Wheelers’ fates in Stranger Things’ future came immediately after her vision of the monsters invading Hawkins’ homes, contributing to the notion that the Wheelers will be fighting a deadly battle in their own house. Since Nancy gave no details of exactly what Vecna showed her of the Wheelers’ horrifying future, it can’t be confirmed that they die, but they’ll at least be in grave danger of death. It’s possible that Vecna is collecting a new army as he did with the Mind Flayer in Stranger Things season 3, which could mean possessing the Wheelers or using them as soldiers in his world domination.
Will Mike Actually Die In Stranger Things Season 5?
The future that Vecna showed Nancy suggests that Mike Wheeler will die in Stranger Things season 5, which would mean killing off one of the show’s most significant characters. While Mike’s character has waned in significance since season 2, he’s still involved in several emotional storylines and is a major link between the age groups of the characters. Mike’s death would be a massive twist for Stranger Things season 5, so revealing his fate in a quick comment by Nancy during Stranger Things season 4 hints it may not actually happen. Hawkins’ characters still have the opportunity to combat Vecna’s wrath and avoid some of the future events that haven’t occurred yet, especially if they use time travel, as many Stranger Things season 5 ending theories predict. In accordance with these theories, if Mike dies in one Stranger Things timeline, his death could be reversed once Eleven and the characters undo their mistakes in the past.
Vecna also may have never shown Nancy that Mike dies in Stranger Things season 5, as her terrified response could also indicate that the Wheeler family becomes possessed or attacked. Stranger Things’ creators, the Duffer brothers, explained that they’re in “Hawkins, not Westeros,” so season 5 isn’t expected to kill off a significant portion of its main characters like in Game of Thrones. As such, Stranger Things season 5 may see Mike and the Wheelers in imminent danger or placed in a terrifying situation, since a permanent death for Finn Wolfhard’s character would be an incredibly shocking path for the series to take. The future that Vecna showed Nancy takes place in One/Henry Creel‘s ideal timeline if his plan works, meaning Eleven’s interference could erase Nancy’s other unrealized visions, including the predicted fates of Mike and her family.
How Stranger Things 5 Could Repeat Season 3’s Mind Flayer Army
In Stranger Things season 3, Vecna used the Mind Flayer to create an army of Hawkins residents who would attack the main characters. The “flayed” would all perish after becoming part of the Mind Flayer’s army, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case for Stranger Things season 5. Vecna has previously possessed characters without killing them, suggesting he could do the same in Stranger Things season 5 as he adds more unwilling Hawkins residents to his army. This could also mean adding the Wheelers to the army in Vecna’s plan for mass destruction, as the Mind Flayer clearly had no reservations about taking children as victims back in Stranger Things season 3. However, if Eleven is able to intervene during Stranger Things season 5, the Wheelers may be able to avoid becoming members of Vecna’s army or victims to the monsters, as she certainly won’t let Mike die at the villain’s hands.
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