First 5 Minutes Of 'Stranger Things 5' Unveiled: Will's 1983 Nightmare Returns - But What About Max?

The final season of Stranger Things is only weeks away from release, and the anticipation is at its peak. Amid the brewing excitement, Netflix just flipped the internet upside down! On Thursday, November 6, 2025, the streaming giant teased the first five minutes of Stranger Things season 5, and it has already stirred a storm online. 

Netflix teases the first five minutes of Stranger Things 5

On the final Stranger Things Day celebration, held on November 6, 2025, the show’s cast gathered at the official world premiere event in Los Angeles with the Duffer Brothers and the crew. Those in attendance saw the opening sequence of Season 5 Episode 1, titled ‘The Crawl’.

The five-minute opening scene wasted no time, dragging viewers straight back to the horrifying night of 1983 — the night Hawkins changed forever. The season premiere rewinds to November 12, 1983, taking us deep inside the Upside Down, where a de-aged Noah Schnapp appears as a trembling 12-year-old ‘Will Byers’ inside his favourite hideout, Castle Byers. He is seen whispering The Clash’s Should I Stay or Should I Go. 

Then comes the nightmare fuel: guttural noises are heard, and a Demogorgon storms into the fort. A terrified ‘Will’ fires his iconic hunting rifle from Season 1. After a desperate escape up a tree, he is dragged unconscious into the abyss. The scene then cuts to the Upside Down, inside the decaying Hawkins Library, where the Demogorgon can be seen delivering 'Will’s unconscious body, bowing to someone in the dark like an offering.

In a spine-tingling moment, we see none other than 'Vecna' (Jamie Campbell Bower) slowly emerge from the ominous darkness, as the creepy tentacles slither around ‘Will’, holding him in a tight grip against the wall. His first line upon seeing ‘Will’ has already sent fandom into a meltdown: “At long last, we can begin.”

As 'Vecna' looks up to the sky, a monstrous vine slithers into ‘Will’s mouth, pumping an unknown substance inside his body. 'Vecna' ominously strokes the 12-year-old’s face as he whispers:

“You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together, William. Such beautiful things.”

After the shocking flashback, 'Vecna' goes missing, but now, Hawkins is in deeper trouble than ever. Following the devastation at the end of Season 4, the town has been placed under military quarantine, with the final battle rapidly approaching.

Image Credit: Netflix

With the first five minutes now out, viewers are convinced that Season 5 will be darker and more terrifying than the prior seasons. The season’s opening feels terrifying, cinematic, and more importantly, personal. Fans also believe The Clash song ‘Will’ mutters could be the Duffer Brothers’ signature way to immediately connect it to ‘Max’s (Sadie Sink) life-saving theme, Running Up That Hill.

Is Sadie Sink returning as 'Max Mayfield'- and will she actually wake up?

Ever since the first trailer for Season 5 came out, fans have been wondering whether Sadie Sink will appear, especially after the final episode of Season 4, where (Spoiler alert!) ‘Max’ was left in a coma after her brutal showdown with 'Vecna'. With her bones crushed, heart stopped, and mind stolen, even ‘Eleven’ (Millie Bobby Brown) couldn’t fully bring her back.

In the new trailer, we only see a brief glimpse of ‘Max’, still unconscious, as ‘Lucas Sinclair’ (Caleb McLaughlin) wheels her through a lift with danger lurking nearby. While Netflix has confirmed that Sadie Sink will appear in the concluding season, her minimal presence in the posters and trailers has sparked a wave of burning questions: Will she wake up? Is she trapped inside ‘Henry’, aka ‘Vecna’s mental landscape? Could she ultimately fight back from the inside?

What the internet thinks about ‘Max’s presence in Season 5

Fans have already come up with some theories regarding Sadie Sink’s character in the show’s finale. According to discussions circulating on Reddit, ‘Max’ will be conscious by the conclusion. Redditors are convinced her consciousness is active, but is trapped somewhere else. One top comment predicts:

"Either she's going to be awake and active inside Henry's ruined mental space or her mind will be released from Henry's and returned to her body by the end of episode one or the start of episode two."

Fans predict that ‘Eleven’ and her friends will launch a mind invasion into ‘Henry’ to rescue ‘Max’. Some even believe that being trapped inside Henry’s mind will give ‘Max’ a unique insight that could ultimately help ‘Eleven’ and ‘Will’ defeat him in the final episode. For now, Sink’s role in the finale remains largely under wraps.

Stranger Things 5 release schedule

The three-year wait is finally ending as Stranger Things 5 arrives this fall. The final season will release globally on Netflix in three volumes: Volume 1 on November 26, 2025, Volume 2 on Christmas 2025, and Volume 3 on New Year’s 2026. The season features eight episodes, though it may not mark the franchise’s end. The creators have hinted at a possible spin-off universe, including an animated series and a stage play. According to co-creator Ross Duffer, most episodes will run around an hour, with the fourth episode being the longest of the season.

Whether ‘Max’ wakes up, ‘Will’ escapes Vecna’s grip, or the party survives the endgame are questions only the episodes can answer. And thankfully, we’re just weeks away from finding out. So buckle up, grab your Eggos, and get ready for the final crawl to the Upside Down!

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