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This 63-Year-Old Sci-Fi Masterpiece Is Now Crucial to Stranger Things’ Ending (& Reveals a Major Theory)
Stranger Things‘ series finale is fast approaching, and after Season 5’s first four episodes, it’s safe to assume that a sci-fi masterpiece from 63 years ago holds the key to the show’s ending. Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 debuted on Netflix on November 26, bringing the Hawkins gang’s journey closer to its conclusion. While the latest episode continues the fight against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), it also raises new questions ahead of the next two volumes. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1.
How Holly (Nell Fisher) and Max (Sadie Sink) will escape Camazotz, whether the group can sever Will (Noah Schnapp) from the hive mind, and what Vecna is planning are chief among the mysteries presented in Volume 1. Of course, there’s also the larger question of how the gang will defeat Stranger Things‘ Big Bad; thus far, it seems they’ve continuously played into his hand. Matt and Ross Duffer will need to tie up all these threads to deliver a satisfying conclusion. While we await their ending, many are speculating about what small details scattered throughout the series could mean. And one sci-fi classic crops up repeatedly during Season 5, which tells us it’s probably important.
A Wrinkle in Time Is Clearly Crucial to Stranger Things’ Ending
Stranger Things is known for making pop culture references, covering everything from Star Wars and Back to the Future to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. In some cases, the show is merely playing into its ’80s setting. However, it also uses nods to other stories to foreshadow looming twists. And it seems to be doing the latter with 1962’s A Wrinkle in Time, which shows up in multiple ways throughout Season 5, Volume 1. To start, Holly is seen reading the book at the kitchen table during the premiere — a visual that could be overlooked, if it wasn’t for the larger details pulled from the story.
When Henry introduces himself to Holly and the other kids he’s after, he calls himself Mr. Whatsit, an obvious play on the character Mrs. Whatsit from A Wrinkle in Time. Holly also likens the part of Vecna’s mind that she and Max are trapped in to Camazotz, the dark and corrupted planet from Madeleine L’Engle’s sci-fi story. To make things more interesting, the characters in the book are pushed to join a hive mind while on that planet. And they’re up against a massive shadow dubbed IT, which could be compared to the Mind Flayer. All of these details suggest that the Duffers are drawing inspiration from A Wrinkle in Time. That signals that the children’s classic could hold clues about what’s coming.
How A Wrinkle in Time Could Be Connected to the Netflix Series
Stranger Things‘ use of A Wrinkle in Time is interesting, as not everything fits with the sci-fi story. For example, naming Henry after Mrs. Whatsit — a canonically good character — raises questions about where his arc is going. It’s possible that the version of Henry interacting with Holly and her friends represents whatever good is still left in him. This would explain why his appearance differs from that of the villain that Will and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) encounter in Volume 1, Episode 4. It could also be the reason he’s built a wall between himself and the Upside Down, which is responsible for his corruption.
And that brings us to another theory supported by A Wrinkle in Time‘s inclusion: that the Mind Flayer is the true final boss of Stranger Things, and that he’s controlling Vecna. The book centers on a massive shadow that uses mind control against its victims, and this can’t be mere coincidence. It’s more likely the Duffers are signaling this twist through their pop culture reference. They may also be setting up another shocking development through the book, and it’s one that will prove many Stranger Things theorists correct.
Stranger Things’ References to the Sci-Fi Classic Support a Popular Season 5 Theory
Stranger Things‘ allusions to A Wrinkle in Time may also lay the groundwork for another Season 5 theory to come true: that the group will need to use time travel in order to stop Vecna. After all, Volume 1 has Mr. Clarke (Randy Havens) explain the concept of wormholes to Erica’s (Priah Ferguson) class — and we know his lessons usually wind up connecting to each season’s plot. There’s also Stranger Things Season 4’s reveal that the Upside Down is stuck in the past. And set photos from Stranger Things Season 5 show Mike and Hopper (David Harbour) in 1989, two years after the events of the final outing, with the latter inexplicably dressed as police chief again.
All that considered, it certainly seems like there will be a time-related twist in the coming episodes. And the outing’s pop culture references point to that outcome. A Wrinkle in Time follows its characters as they use a “tesseract” to travel through time and space to save their father. The book’s scientific explanation of time travel feels a lot like Mr. Clarke’s lesson about the crossing the barrier to the Upside Down from Season 1, adding yet another parallel. And if the show highlighting A Wrinkle in Time isn’t convincing enough, Robin’s (Maya Hawke) “Flux Capacitor” comment is a direct Back to the Future nod. At this rate, it’ll be surprising if there’s not time travel.
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