WARNING! Minor spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 4.
Stranger Things is notable for casting many actors from the 1980s, but Robert Englund playing Victor Creel has finally broken the series' smartest trend in terms of referencing the stars' characters. With Heathers’ Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers and Full Metal Jacket’s Matthew Modine as the antagonistic Dr. Brenner, Stranger Things has always made a point of including iconic 1980s actors in its cast, thus improving the series’ ‘80s nostalgia. Stranger Things then added more 1980s actors to the cast in seasons 2 and 3, including The Goonies’ Sean Astin, Aliens’ Paul Reiser, and The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes – but had never explicitly mentioned their movies during these seasons.
As Stranger Things season 4 approached, one of the biggest questions was about which ‘80s actors would join Netflix’s nostalgic series. Perhaps one of the greatest casting choices Stranger Things could have made, season 4 recruited Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund to portray Victor Creel, a Hawkins man living in Pennhurst Mental Hospital for supposedly murdering his wife and children. Englund is the only new ‘80s actor to join the Stranger Things season 4 cast, with his most iconic A Nightmare on Elm Street character also playing an influential role in Vecna’s evil plan.
While Robert Englund as Victor Creel was an excellent casting choice, with his own character even paying homage to Freddy, the Stranger Things season 4 makes several explicit references to A Nightmare on Elm Street, thus breaking the series' trend of never specifically mentioning its ‘80s actors’ roles. While The Goonies was a major inspiration for Stranger Things season 1, the film hadn’t been released until season 3’s timeline, meaning it couldn’t have been mentioned in-universe when Sean Astin was on the series. However, Stranger Things season 4 has Dustin explicitly mention Freddy Krueger, with Robin and Steve’s Family Video store even having a cardboard cutout of the character. While this wasn’t an issue before with Stranger Things’ 1980s actors, the combination of Robert Englund as Victor Creel and Freddy Krueger as an in-universe pop culture figure now creates an actor paradox.
Since Stranger Things season 4 is now getting into the ‘80s slasher craze, with Vecna targeting Hawkins teenagers, it was inevitable that 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street would play a role in the series. Not only is Vecna compared to Robert Englund’s Freddy Krueger, but Nancy and Eddie Munson’s uncle also compare him to Halloween’s Michael Myers. This is one of the first occasions where a Stranger Things actor from the 1980s has had their most iconic movie already exists in the show’s era, as A Nightmare on Elm Street was released two years before Stranger Things season 4’s 1986 timeline. While Paul Reiser’s Beverly Hills Cop had already premiered when Dr. Owens was introduced in Stranger Things season 2’s 1984 timeline, this movie wasn’t influential to the series’ characters like A Nightmare on Elm Street, so it wasn't as likely to be included in-universe.
Now that Robert Englund’s Victor Creel has broken Stranger Things’ actor trend of not mentioning the ‘80s stars’ movies, Stranger Things season 5 may see many more paradoxes with its adult cast members. If Stranger Things season 5 is set in 1987, it seems almost inevitable that the series will reference The Princess Bride, Aliens, and Full Metal Jacket, which would also confirm Cary Elwes, Paul Reiser, and Matthew Modine as actors within the show’s universe. With the ‘80s actor paradox established, it also wouldn’t be surprising if Stranger Things season 5 brings on some of the most popular stars from the era that have already been referenced in the series.