Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers reveal that they changed their plans for season 5's story after season 4 fan feedback. After first hitting Netflix back in 2016, Stranger Things has become one of the streamer's most popular shows. Season 4 was released earlier this year, introducing Jamie Campbell Bower's Vecna, the season's big villain that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) must face off against. Fans and critics alike generally praised season 4 for upping the ante significantly from previous seasons and featuring standout effects sequences, but the season did earn some criticism for its abundance of characters. Stranger Things season 5 is expected to be the show's last, with the writing room convening this past August.

As part of a recent speaking event at WGFestival 2022 (via Netflix), the Duffer Brothers revealed that COVID production delays on season 4 allowed them to fully outline the story for Stranger Things season 5. After season 4 was released, however, the creators took feedback from fans and fellow collaborators alike and rewrote the entire outline, keeping some elements but changing others, including the show's ending. Check out Matt Duffer's full comment below:

“We reread the document. We’re like, ‘That’s cool, that’s cool. That could be a lot better. That could be a lot better.’ Even the ending is a little bit different [now]. A lot of the big ideas are the same, but the stuff that happens within, it's very different.”

Related: Did Stranger Things 4's Ending Kill The Best Upside Down Theory?!

How Season 4 Sets Up Stranger Things' Final Season

Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 4.

After an action-packed 9 episodes, Stranger Things season 4 ends with Hopper rescued from his Soviet prison and Vecna temporarily defeated. In the season's chilling final moments, however, Hawkins becomes ground zero for an Upside Down incursion and the hairs on the back of Will's (Noah Schnapp) neck stand on end, signaling that the Mind Flayer is near. This cliffhanger ending sets up a major showdown in Stranger Things season 5, with all the creatures of the Upside Down potentially being free to roam and kill people in the real world. Eleven was able to severely injure Vecna in the Stranger Things season 4 finale, but the villain is likely to return in season 5, potentially working with the Mind Flayer in some capacity to destroy Hawkins and maybe even the world.

Although many characters end season 4 generally safe and unharmed, Max (Sadie Sink) is brutally mutilated in the finale, with Vecna not only breaking 3 of her limbs but blinding her as well. Eleven is able to bring Max back from the brink of death, but Sink's character remains in a coma at the end of the season. It's unclear what fate will befall Max in Stranger Things' final season but she could end up being crucial to the upcoming fight against Vecna. Max wasn't introduced until season 2, but she has since become a fan-favorite character and the Duffers could potentially be setting her up for a big moment in Stranger Things season 5.

Many fan complaints for season 4 criticize Will's storyline being put on the back burner, a critique that also plagued season 3. With Will's connection to the Mind Flayer having been established in season 2 and season 4 ending with a Mind Flayer tease, it's likely that Will will be playing an important role in the events to come, potentially serving as the key to defeating the giant Upside Down monster. A number of questions remain regarding Stranger Things season 5, but it's clear that the Duffers are listening to fan feedback, positive and negative, to craft a satisfying final season.

More: Why Eleven Could Kill Will In Stranger Things 5

Source: WG Festival (via Netflix)