Season 4 of Stranger Things is off to a great start, with record-breaking numbers for Netflix, and fans can't wait for more. It can't be denied that this season has felt like the beginning of the end which makes sense since it was recently announced that season 5 would be the last.
While many fans are sad to see the end, the Duffer brothers have a small consolation in the form of a spin-off idea. They have a secret idea for a spin-off that they haven't even told Netflix the premise of yet (via Variety). The world-building and well-developed characters give the creators a wide range of options for a potential spin-off. Fans took to Reddit to theorize about what the premise of the spin-off could be, and what they hope to see.
Suzie's Family
A popular theory is that there could be some kind of spin-off with Suzie's unconventional family. When Jonathan, Argyle, Will, and Mike visit their house, it felt like a different show entirely. This would line up with what the Duffer brothers have said about their spin-off idea.
Reddit user u/Apart_Ad_5111 guesses that "it’s gonna be about Suzie and her strange family. When they visited her home, it felt like a different show. A story that feels untold. While it doesn’t sound particularly interesting, throw in a paranormal conflict and I think we’d be in business."
Nancy Wheeler: Paranormal Investigator
Another popular concept is "Nancy Wheeler investigating all new paranormal phenomena." User CMelody elaborates "Nancy is arguably the most inquisitive person on the show, with a career trajectory (journalism) that can get her out of Hawkins to investigate what other strange things are out there."
This spin-off premise would allow for a new ensemble, while also leaving room for the OG cast to make appearances. It is speculated that the recent rekindling of Steve/Nancy could lead to them having an on-again/off-again love affair throughout an X-Files-like show set a number of years later. This all depends on if she makes it out of the cliffhanger alive.
Brenner Prequel
Some fans like stratticus14 would "like to see a story about a younger Martin Brenner and Sam Owens doing some kind of paranormal/alien/project blue book investigations maybe set in the 50s or 60s." This could lead up to the events of Stranger Things.
Acting as a prequel series, it could be an interesting way to see how the Hawkins Lab developed into what it became. A further backstory of how Brenner and Owens came to be a part of the Lab that would lead to the opening of the Upside Down, fans compared the idea to Better Call Saul.
Argyle Scoobies
The series has the ability to keep introducing great new characters, one of them this season being Jonathan's friend Argyle. He already has a funky yellow van and a penchant for a certain plant also referenced in the live-action Scooby-Doo.
These similarities led fans to make the connection between the two franchises. It would be fitting if "Argyle adopts a dog and meets up with 3 other teenagers who all drive around in his van solving mysteries," says cippopotomas. This theory might be unlikely but it is fun to think about.
The Other Numbers
Since season 1, the mystery of numbers 001-010 has been up in the air. Now that the other numbered kids from Brenner's lab have been introduced, fans are curious about the other kids' abilities and stories.
User anOnyMousuSErip says they would love "a series about the numbers, with an episode being dedicated to each number. We’d find out about their backstories, how they ended up in Hawkins and if all of their powers differ." This kind of anthology show would allow for self-contained stories about each of them, giving the series a wide field to play in.
Next Generation
As some of these characters' dynamics have become so beloved, there is a possibility of them being paired together in spin-offs. Some Redditors suggest a time jump to allow for the show to follow the characters as adults.
Fans suggest they "set the next show 10-15 years after season 5. And have it be about Dustin who is a school teacher, Robin, and Steve helping a new generation of kids as they deal with their own paranormal mystery (not the Upside Down,)" via Themilfdestroyer.
Simultaneous Storyline
While most of the fan theories for the spin-off involve a prequel or sequel situation, user bmiclock521 would actually "like to have a spinoff of something that happens in Hawkins at the same time as the main storyline and have references to it throughout the show/movie (whichever it would be)."
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Showing a simultaneous story to the main Stranger Things storyline could make for interesting perspectives and fun references to the original. Hawkins has undergone extensive damage and it is likely other characters have had run-ins with the paranormal.
008 And Her Gang
In season 2, Eleven's "sister" Kali was introduced. Known as 008, she also has superpowers. The episode when she was introduced wasn't met with good reactions, but some fans remain intrigued by the character and her gang of misfit friends.
Redditor Ed_Derick_ suggests "something about 008 and her gang? Or people in other countries across the world coming into contact with the Upside Down and its creatures." Given the Upside Down could be an alternate reality that expands further than Hawkins, a spin-off could involve 008 finding other places that the Upside Down has been able to cross over in this reality.
Stranger Files
As with Nancy's potential spin-off, fans could also see other characters having an X-Files-like premise. User annarborjack would like a spinoff that "starts in November 1993, 10 years after Will's disappearance, focusing on Steve, Robin, Nancy, Lucas, and Max being, as someone else said, monster hunters."
It's clear that these characters work well together and have a chemistry that carries their scenes. They have all become somewhat experts in monster hunting in their young lives in Hawkins. Now fans could see them further continuing that journey in the '90s. The show would have a nostalgia factor for another demographic as well.
The Soviets
The Russians have been a constant antagonist for the last couple of seasons. They have been trying to re-open the gate to the Upside Down and keeping a Demogorgon captive. Their motivations are still unclear, but they have been involved in the Upside Down for some time now.
Redditor IchKlauDeinBier suggests a storyline "about the Soviet perspective would be cool, but very unlikely. Them finding out about what happened in Hawkins and trying to find a way to use it against the US." They add that it's possible "a plot twist that the Upside Down is a soviet experiment gone wrong."