Stranger Things was the little show that could when it landed on Netflix, with no ceremony, back in 2016. Although there was very little hype or promotion leading up to its first season, it quickly became one of the most successful series on the streaming network, thanks mostly to word of mouth. Fast forward to two years later, and fans now just can't get enough.

While viewers anxiously await the arrival of season 3, rumors run rampant about might happen in the little town of Hawkins. Will the Upside Down come back to claim Will? Will Eleven finally grow into being a normal girl? Will Joyce and Hopper ever hook up? Will Steve continue to become one of the good guys? Will Dustin become the new link to the Upside Down, given his affinity for Dart, the Demodoggy?

There are a lot of questions, and for each one, there is a rumor. Some of these rumors are just that: complete nonsense. But others have some traction and could turn out as true. But there are some that fans should hope are proven false.

Here are Stranger Things: 8 Season 3 Rumors Confirmed To Be True (And 7 We Hope Aren’t).

Confirmed: New Monsters

One rumor already confirmed as true is that the Upside Down may no longer provide the big bad for season three of Stranger Things. Instead, the show's writers have something else in mind. At the end of season two, both Dustin and Chief Hopper got sprayed by some mysterious particles in the tunnels when they were fighting the creatures from the Upside Down. That would suggest that this might somehow come into play in season three.

But the show's executive producer and director Shawn Levy suggested that the boys will have to face down something different than fans have seen before.

“You might assume that," he told Glamour, "But you would probably end up being wrong. We’re [going to be] dealing with forces of evil that are new.”

Hope not: Mike will say his goodbyes

The first two seasons of Stranger Things revolved around Mike, especially since he was the first to discover and befriend Eleven. He is also the unofficial leader of the group of friends that ends up going up against both the Demogorgon and the Shadow Monster. But there is a fan theory about season three that says Mike will meet his end.

Finn Wolfhard, the actor behind Mike, has become pretty busy since season one, landing a starring role in the hit movie It. He also has several other starring roles lined up. It's already possible that fans will see less of Mike in season three. Many also believe, though, that it's time the series eliminated a main character, and Mike is the most likely candidate because of Wolfhard's new gigs.

But Mike is also the character that so many fans see the story's viewpoint from, so eliminating him would anger many viewers - and Eleven.

Confirmed: 4 New characters

Hawkins is certainly a small town, but there is more to the place than just the characters we have already seen. Now that we have a good feel for the main cast, it is definitely time to introduce some fresh blood into the show. The second season added Billy and Max, but the show is in the process of casting three more characters, including someone viewers have not seen yet, the mayor of Hawkins. A new report recently released descriptions of these three characters: an "80s style politician" that is Mayor Larry Kline, a "morally compromised reporter" named Bruce and a woman in her 70s ("a sweet neighborhood elder) named Patricia Brown. But don't expect any more details about what part these characters will play in season three just yet.

 Hope Not: Drake will appear on the show

Stranger Things has its share of celebrity fans, but one of the biggest and most vocal is rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor Drake.

Hollywood Life reported that Drake is absolutely obsessed with Stranger Things (who isn't?) and even showed excitement in several photos of himself on Instagram with Eleven herself, actress Millie Bobby Brown. He also hung out with Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) after an awards show.

"Drake would love to start acting again, he’s made no secret about it, and yeah, of course, he would die to secure a part on Stranger Things, even if it was just a cameo role,” a source close to Drake reportedly said to Hollywood Life.

Let's hope this isn't true. Drake's only real acting experience comes from Degrassi, and that was a long time ago.

Confirmed: There will be another one-year time jump

One rumor that actually makes sense is that season 3 will happen exactly one year after season 2. This is how the show progressed between season 1 and season 2, so it is not a huge surprise that this is one rumor confirmed as true.

"It will have to be somewhat of a time gap, because the kids are, I mean, they already look so much older," co-creator Ross Duffer said to Yahoo!. "No matter what we want to do, I remember when we were originally talking about Season 2, we wanted to just start it in Christmas and just go from there, but then we realized the kids are just too old, so we had to jump forward. Even the latest trailer, we had to loop a line with Caleb. He sounds like a man now. It creeps me out. He’s going to be driving to set next year.”

Hope Not: Season 3 won’t premiere until 2019

With a show so good that it gets binge-watched through the course of a weekend, it's really hard waiting almost a year for another season to arrive. There is now a rumor that the wait for Stranger Things season 3 will be longer than a year. Instead of having a new season ready by this year (season 2 dropped in October 2017), there are rumors that new episodes will not become available until 2019.

"I mean, one of the things that’s annoying for fans is that it takes us a long time to do them,” David Harbour (Hopper) said to Variety. “Like, you probably won’t get [Season 3] until sometime in 2019. But also part of the thing is, like any good thing, they need time. And those guys work so hard. I mean, they just sit in their apartment and write for 12, 14 hours a day.”

Confirmed: Max and Billy will have expanded roles

Viewers got two new characters with season two of Stranger Things, Max and Billy, but their roles seemed a little small and it felt like their characters were not given a lot to do. There was a supernatural subplot that got edited out of season two featuring more of Billy, but co-creator Matt Duffer confirmed that this plot will end up as part of season 3 instead because season 2 already had so much going on.

So if it seemed like season 2 needed more Billy, just remember that it was supposed to have had more of him in the first place.

Likewise, Max will also have an expanded role in season three. There's the rivalry between her and Eleven to explore, with the suggestion that the two might eventually become friends in season 3.

Hope Not: Season 4 might be the last season

As much as fans hate to think about it, all good things come to an end, even TV shows that they love. Considering that each season of Stranger Things happens one year after the next, couldn't viewers, in theory, get at least ten seasons of their favorite show? That is, unfortunately, probably not the case.

There is an ongoing rumor that season 4 will serve as the end and finale for the series. It probably makes sense, considering that the kids will continue to get older after that. But it doesn't make viewers any happier about having to say goodbye.

“We’re thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out,” Ross Duffer said to Vulture.

“We just have to keep adjusting the story,” Matt Duffer said. “Though I don’t know if we can justify something bad happening to them once a year.”

Confirmed: Season 3 will be more character-focused

After two seasons, Stranger Things viewers already know the basic plots and subplots that surround the show's characters, as well as the basic setting of Hawkins. So in the third season, one rumor confirmed as true is that the series will focus more on character development.

Although nothing is set in stone yet, and there isn't much writing done for the season, expect to learn more about both the kids and the adults of the series.

"It’s not necessarily going to be bigger in scale,” Matt Duffer said to Indiewire. “What I am really excited about is giving these characters an interesting journey to go on.”

This means that we'll finally get some backstory on some characters, as well as see some growth from others.

Hope Not: Dustin or Eleven will become the main target of the new monster

In the first two seasons of Stranger Things, it was poor Will Byers that seemed to attract the monsters of the Upside Down. He got kidnapped in season 1 by the Demogorgon and in season 2, he fell to the curse of the Shadow Monster. So it does make sense that there are rumors running around that one of the other kids will become a target for whatever evil creature lurks behind the darkness in season 3.

There are rumors, though, that the new creature could focus on Dustin. We hope not, because Dustin is a sweet and pure soul who doesn't deserve it. The same goes for rumors about Eleven becoming the target of the next monster, but mostly because she could easily take it out with her powers.

Confirmed: The Duffer Brothers are not leaving the show

One of the biggest rumors to run like crazy across social media is that the Duffer Brothers had plans to leave Stranger Things before season three. Those rumors gained a lot of traction, but fortunately, they are simply not true. After Moviefone posted a story about their departure, Netflix took to its own social media to denounce those rumors as inherently false.

“Don’t drop your Eggos. Rumors that the Duffer Bros are leaving Stranger Things after season 3 are false,” Netflix posted on its official Twitter account.

The Duffer Brothers have confirmed that they are in the process of writing season three, so wherever the initial rumors of their departure came from was completely and utterly wrong. That's good news for fans because it's the Duffers' devotion and love to the series that makes it so good.

Hope: Billy and Mike’s mom

There was a scene in season 2 where Billy goes to Mike's house and Mike's mom answers the door in nothing but a bathrobe. Billy does his charming thing and it's obvious that Mike's mom is really getting into it. So that, obviously, leads to rumors that Billy and Mike's mom will hook up in season 3.

"You will see that side of her explored," Shawn Levy said to Glamour. "We have much more story for Karen that is linked to her discontent and her [dissatisfaction]."

That's all fine and good, and this storyline definitely comes from the '80s, but in this new modern world that proudly posts about #MeToo, do we really approve of seeing a relationship between a grown woman and a teenage boy?

True: There will be more Erica

One character that fans quickly grew to love in season two was Erica, Lucas' little sister. That led to rumors that the sassy little sibling would have a greater role in season 3. The good news is that those rumors are entirely true. The actress behind her, Priah Ferguson, recently got bumped up to become a series regular for the new season.

"In Season 3, Lucas’ strong-willed little sister returns, only this time with an army of friends," Deadline reported. "No longer content with sitting on the sidelines, Erica finds herself on a wild mission to save Hawkins from a dangerous and unexpected new threat."

Viewers can't wait to see Erica jump into the fray, all the while standing up to and rolling her eyes at the boys.

Hope Not: Robin being another love interest

One new character already cast for season 3 is the mysterious Robin. Maya Thurman-Hawke, the daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, will step into that role, but not much is known about the character just yet. Her character description is that of an "alternative girl who is both sharp and playful." Also, she will apparently uncover some dark secret about Hawkins that hasn't yet been uncovered.

Robin is probably around the age of Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan, meaning that she would interact with those characters the most. Rumor has it that Robin could act as a romantic interest for Steve, who got jilted by Nancy. Let's hope those aren't true, though, because Steve is too busy being a teen dad to Dustin and the boys - and not every female character needs to serve as a love interest.

Confirmed: More back story for Hopper

Although Hopper quickly became one of the favorite adult characters of the series, there still isn't a lot of information about his back story. Viewers know that he once had a daughter that died, but the circumstances behind her death still remain shrouded in mystery. There are even rumors that she was also a victim of the Upside Down.

Perhaps season 3 will offer up some answers. Actor David Harbour, who portrays Hopper, believes that will happen.

"We’ve also seen a lot of things, when Eleven goes down to his cellar and sees the boxes, we see a box that says Dad, a box that says New York, a box that says Vietnam," he said to Variety. "These are little Easter Eggs for Jim, further layers of the onion that can be peeled back. More will be revealed on that front."

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What do you hope happens in Stranger Things season 3?