Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 4 volume 1.
Stranger Things season 4 dramatically retcons the history of Hawkins Lab and the Upside Down. It's easy to forget the Duffer brothers originally approached Netflix with what they intended to be a limited series. "Maybe I shouldn’t say this because I like to pretend that it was all planned out," Ross Duffer recalled in an interview in 2017, "[but] Eleven was gonna sacrifice herself and save the world, and then that was gonna be it, because there was a moment where limited series were a big deal." (via Cinemablend)
Fortunately, the decision-makers at Netflix believed Stranger Things had potential, and they asked the Duffer brothers to reconsider. Years later, the streaming giant has released Stranger Things season 4, and there are plans for Stranger Things spinoffs as well. Naturally, because there had been no initial plan, by this point the retcons are beginning to build up - especially given Stranger Things season 4 finally reveals the secret origin of Hawkins Lab and its test subjects.
Some of these retcons fit well with the established continuity, while others are rather more contradictory. Frustratingly, lovers of the Stranger Things expanded universe - the range of tie-in novels and comics that have been published over the last few years - will find they don't sit comfortably with stories told in other mediums. Here are all the major retcons in Stranger Things season 4 volume 1.
Stranger Things Season 4 Retcons The Origin Of Superpowers
Stranger Things season 4 introduced Dr. Brenner's "Number One," Henry Creel, the patient who inspired him to begin his unethical research into paranormal abilities. Previous seasons had suggested all Dr. Brenner's "children" gained their powers because their mothers were treated with psychedelics during pregnancy, resulting in some sort of changed brain functions. But Number One - otherwise known as Henry Creel, or Vecna - developed his powers around puberty, and there's no evidence his mother ever experimented with LSD. Stranger Things has often riffed on the X-Men comics, and it's perhaps appropriate that mutants in the Marvel Universe developed powers around puberty as well. Presumably, ECG scans of Number One helped Dr. Brenner figure out how to recreate his powers, leading to the creation of Numbers Two through Sixteen.
Stranger Things Season 4 Reveals Most Hawkins Kids Shared The Same Powerset
Stranger Things season 2 introduced Kali, Eleven's "lost sister" who possessed very different powers from Eleven; while Eleven is telepathic and telekinetic, Kali (previously Eight) could project illusions into the minds of those around her. This inspired a wide range of tie-ins exploring the other Hawkins kids, with comic book writers coming up with a wide range of other psychic powers for them. But Stranger Things season 4 reveals Eight was the exception, not the norm; the vast majority of Hawkins kids possessed variants of Eleven's powers, although they were apparently less powerful. This does, at least, explain why Kali was able to escape with such apparent ease; the guards weren't used to illusion-casters.
Eleven Interacted With More Hawkins Kids Than Had Been Realized
Previous seasons of Stranger Things had strongly implied Eleven lived a relatively solitary existence during her time at Dr. Martin Brenner's facility at Hawkins Lab. She'd only ever been seen playing with Eight in flashbacks, leading many viewers to assume Eleven had been isolated - most likely because of her power levels. But Stranger Things season 4 reveals Eleven was originally brought up alongside the rest of Dr. Brenner's test subjects, and she only became isolated after Number One's rampage in 1979 (Kali having already escaped). This subtly rewrites Eleven's childhood, perhaps meaning she has a little more social awareness than had been believed.
Stranger Things Season 4 Reveals The Fate Of The Hawkins Kids
In the aftermath of season 2, Stranger Things tie-ins had continued the story of Eleven's fellow test subjects - complete with many escapees. Those have all effectively been rendered non-canon now, because in reality all the Hawkins kids were killed by Number One in 1979. Oddly enough, there's some evidence the Duffer brothers had plans for Number One all along; with comic book writer Jody Houser saying in an interview that this was the one character they were not allowed to use. "I mean, we’ve been given, actually, more freedom than I expected, honestly," she explained. "Especially in terms of creating new characters from the program. Really the one restriction we got was we couldn’t use the number One. Other than that, any other number was up for grabs. I was able to put in a 9.5, cause there’s set of identical twins and one has powers and one doesn’t." (via Gizmodo) Ultimately, though, when the Duffer brothers finally brought Number One to life they invalidated all these stories - which is a real shame, even if it is understandable from a narrative perspective.
Stranger Things Season 4 Reveals The First Brush With The Upside Down
Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 reveals Eleven's first brush with the Upside Down occurred all the way back in 1979, when she engaged Number One in a telekinetic duel and banished him into a parallel universe. This doesn't appear to have involved the opening of a full Gate, but rather a sort of window akin to the one Eleven used to defeat the Demogorgon in season 1. Still, it's likely this first link between Hawkins and the Upside Down was enough to weaken the boundaries between the dimensions, explaining why the Upside Down can only be accessed in the vicinity of Hawkins Lab. Eleven is still responsible for the link to the Upside Down - but four years earlier, because viewers had initially assumed the first connection was established in 1983.
The Upside Down Is Frozen In 1983
Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 sees Steve, Nancy, Eddie, and Robin explore the Upside Down - and revealed the twisted version of Hawkins contained there is frozen in 1983. This makes a sort of sense, because presumably, the opening of the first Gate brought the dimensions close enough together for a rough copy of Hawkins to be placed on top of the pre-existing reality. But there's been no hint the Upside Down was frozen in time until now, all the same.
Demogorgons Can Survive In The Real World Without A Gate
Most of the retcons in Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 work pretty well, but there is an exception: the Russian Demogorgon. All life in the Upside Down is bound together in the Mind-Flayer's hive mind, and according to seasons 2 and 3, creatures from the Upside Down cannot survive when that signal is broken. The Russian Demogorgon survived when the Gate was closed in season 3, which should be impossible. Hopefully, this won't prove to be a plot hole, but rather will be explained in Stranger Things season 4 volume 2.
Not All Areas In The Upside Down Are Equally Toxic
Stranger Things season 1 appeared to suggest the Upside Down was inimical to life, with Will clearly poisoned through spending time there and the scientist of Hawkins Lab wearing containment suits when they went through the Gate. Curiously, though, in Stranger Things season 4 a group from Hawkins is able to survive in the Upside Down without any real difficulty - although Steve notes at one point he's taken a breath of something that's left him weak and confused. The clear implication is that not all areas of the Upside Down are equally toxic, a surprising twist that may make it possible for Eleven to wage war against Vecna himself in the Upside Down in Stranger Things season 4 volume 2.
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