Netflix Rewrites Stranger Things Canon With New Animated Prequel After Season 5 Backlash

Just when fans thought Hawkins had finally closed its doors, Stranger Things is pulling them back in — this time in animated form. Following a deeply divisive Season 5 finale, Netflix is expanding the franchise with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an animated prequel series set between Seasons 2 and 3, and subtly rewriting parts of the show’s emotional legacy.

The announcement comes after widespread backlash to the live-action series’ conclusion, which saw Eleven sacrifice herself to destroy the Upside Down. While the ending attempted to leave room for hope, many fans felt it was an unnecessarily tragic fate for a character who had suffered relentlessly across five seasons.

Tales From ’85 revisits Hawkins at an earlier, messier point in its timeline. The animated series will feature younger versions of the core group though without the original cast returning as voice actors and will lean into a more family-friendly tone without abandoning the franchise’s signature mix of monsters, mystery and emotional stakes.

Adding intrigue is the introduction of an entirely new character: Nikki Baxter. Described as taller, tougher and ready to disrupt Hawkins, Nikki has never been mentioned in the original canon raising immediate red flags among longtime fans. Her sudden appearance has sparked online theories that she may exist purely as narrative collateral, a character designed to meet a grim fate and absorb some of the emotional weight left behind by Eleven’s controversial ending.

The challenge for Netflix is significant. Tales From ’85 is threading its way through a tightly scrutinised era of the show, one that fans know intimately. Nikki’s role must be meaningful without contradicting established events, all while avoiding the impression that the franchise is retroactively patching emotional damage.

Still, some fans believe the prequel may be Netflix’s attempt to soften the blow of Season 5’s finale offering new emotional investments, fresh stakes and just enough nostalgia to keep audiences engaged with the Upside Down.

For those still processing the ending: the final episode of Season 5 ended with Eleven’s sacrifice as the Upside Down collapsed into the void, leaving a devastated Mike screaming her name. A later time jump hinted that Eleven might have survived, possibly living quietly in another country, but the ambiguity only fueled fan frustration. Many argued that after years of trauma, Eleven deserved clarity and happiness.

Whether Tales From ’85 is a genuine expansion of the Stranger Things universe or a strategic attempt to calm an unhappy fandom remains to be seen. One thing is certain: Netflix isn’t done with Hawkins yet.