The New "Stranger Things" Trailer Hints That A Major Character is Going to Turn Evil in Season 3

From Seventeen

As can be expected for any popular Netflix TV show, the powers that be are keeping details about the highly anticipated third season of Stranger Things under lock and key and only giving us the tiniest clues as to what we can expect when the show returns.

So, to make your life easier, we rounded up everything there is to know so far about what's to come in the new season! Check out all the deets below.

Who will be the main villain in season 3?

Netflix finally released the final trailer for season 3 and it's three minutes of intensity featuring battle scenes, blood, and lots of neon lights.

It didn't take long after the trailer's release for fans to start guessing plot points from the clip. One main theory? That Billy is going to turn evil.

Yes, Billy was never a good guy, but from the new trailer it seems like he may really cross the line into the dark side this season because there are hints that the Mind Flayer may take over Billy as his new vessel.

In the trailer, Eleven is struggling to understand what is going on, saying, "it doesn't make sense. I closed the gate." But then Will chimes in. "What if he never left?" he says, referencing the Mind Flayer. "What if we locked him out here with us? He'd want to attach himself to someone out here again. A new host."

And then, right on cue, we get a shot of Billy. The perfect host for the Mind Flayer, if you ask me.

While the cast has been keeping things under wraps about what exactly will happen in season 3, Gaten Matarazzo just revealed a MAJOR secret about the next season that will certainly change things.

"I will say there are two major antagonists," he revealed at Emerald City Comic Con, according to ComicBook.com. While he didn't officially say what kind of villains the gang will be facing in the new season, it will certainly be interesting to see what new monsters are going to be coming to Hawkins in season 3, and we can probably now assume that one is going to be the Mind Flayer/Billy.

Are there any clips from season 3?

Summer is right around the corner, which means Stranger Things is almost back! While the cast has kept things pretty under wraps over what viewers can expect this season, things will certainly be heating up in Hawkins for one particular character. Billy had his eyes on Nancy Wheeler last season, but it seems like there's another Wheeler who is interested in him. Check out the new clip below:

Does the cast know how it ends?

While fans await the highly anticipated third season of Stranger Things, David Harbour already knows how the entire series is going to end.

"I know the end of the story, and I think it's beautiful," he told Digital Spy. "[It's] definitely going four seasons, and there's very much the possibility of a fifth. I don't think four is enough. I think five is maybe enough – if you want my opinion, I would like five."

Are there already fan theories?

Yup! After the trailer dropped, fans put on their tin foil hats and got to work. Priah Ferguson, who charmed fans on Season 2 as Erica Sinclair, Lucas's super sassy little sister, reacted to fan theories - and she definitely upped her sass game.

One theory involved "Jopper" - the pairing of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Jim Hopper (David Harbour) - and how they may get together, based on the editing of the trailer. Priah was onboard with the idea: Is that a hint it'll actually happen, or does she just like the theory?

Another major theory involves the rats. Some fans believe the rats all fuse together to become a giant rat monster. Priah had a hilarious reaction to the theory, but she didn't exactly deny it. Check out the video below for more theories.

Is there a trailer?

It might still be springtime, but Netflix just took everyone straight to summer thanks to the new Stranger Things trailer. The gang is gearing up for the craziest summer ever and it looks like no one is safe from the new monster that is trying to take over Hawkins.

New relationships and adventures are in the air and it will certainly be interesting to see what kind of crazy trouble they all get into. Check out the trailer below:

Will Eleven have a new look in season 3?

Thanks to a special time jump, Eleven and the gang will be sporting all new looks in the summer of '85.

At the New York Toy Fair, there were plenty of new goodies that were released including a brand new Scoops Ahoy Beverage Boats that will be perfect for the summer! However, if you look closely at the packaging, there's a new picture of all of the Stranger Things kids and they look so grown up!

El is sporting a larger hair cut while the rest of the cast members are wearing some cool new outfits. Dustin even has a new hat, which we'll certainly all want after we finish season 3 when it finally comes out.

When will season 3 premiere?

Get ready to spend your Fourth of July in Hawkins, Indiana! As a special New Year's Day surprise, Netflix finally revealed when season 3 will premiere with a special new trailer.

Netflix also released a new poster featuring our favorite kids hanging out and celebrating Independence Day together, but things don't seem to be going so well for Eleven and the rest of the gang.

Who is the villain of season 3?

Unlike the previous seasons, the show will be returning with a major time jump, which means new characters and villains are coming to Hawkins. While the season's official villain hasn't been confirmed yet, a Reddit user believes he figured it out thanks to the show's IMDB page.

Previously, a character who was only listed as "Russian solider" was featured on the show's page. Since the user made the post, their character has been edited to just "guard" or "soldier." While IMDB pages can almost be edited by anyone, it still doesn't officially confirm that this character is real or not. However, considering the time period in which the show takes place and the fact that someone would edit the IMDB page right after the post became popular, it’s entirely possible that the Russian government plays a role in the show's third season.

For now, we'll just take things with a grain of salt until the show comes out.

Do we know the names of the episodes?

In anticipation for Stranger Things season three, Netflix just released all the episode names, which honestly...just left us with many more questions.

The episode titles include: "Suzie, Do You Copy?," "The Mall Rats," "The Case of the Missing Lifeguard," "The Sauna Test," "The Source," "The Birthday," "The Bite," and "The Battle of Starcourt."

Some thoughts: Who is Suzie? Will a lot of the new season take place at a mall? And will the season end in an intense battle at said mall? Probably, considering the finale title and what we know about Stranger Things.

We still don't know when in 2019 we will be getting these new eps, but it's safe to expect them in the summer since all of the promos have been about the summer of 1985.

What we do know? Season three is about to get gory. "While it's our most fun season, it also turns out to be our grossest season," said Ross Duffer, co-creator of the show. Sounds like that final mall battle is going to get pretty intense.

This may be the last season

The cast just finished Stranger Things season 3, and while, as of now, there's no news on a season 4, some fans think we may be saying goodbye to Eleven and her friends at the end of this next season.

When the cast finished filming season 3, they took to Instagram to celebrate the accomplishment. But many thought that the goodbyes seemed more permanent that a "see ya next season." Millie Bobby Brown posted an Instagram that said "one more time" with the caption "that's a wrap." The sentiment seemed very final.

She later posted a photo on her story of her in tears.

Finn Wolfhard also posted about wrapping filming, sharing a video of Gaten Matarazzo captioned, "last day I'm with Randy Newman 😥."

No, but you'll be back with Gaten when you film season 4, right?! Right???!!

This isn't the first time that there have been rumors that Stranger Things will end after Season 3. In February, Movie Fone reported that the season will be the last for the Duffer Brotherts, the show runners of the series. However, Netflix quickly responded to the rumors, saying they were false.

As of now, there is no news of a season four, though the Duffer Brothers said they think the show will be four or five season long.

"I think, you know, four to five seasons is likely where we'll end up, but who knows?" Ross Duffer told E! News. "I mean, none of this official, and we know where we want to go. We're trying to figure out still how long it'll take to get there, so we'll see."

"It's hard, like four seems short, five seems long," Matt Duffer said. "So I don't know what to do."

So, it's possible the cast was just sad to be going there separate ways for a fews months, but it seems like they'll most likely come back together for (at least) a fourth season. Thank god! I got scared for a sec.

Season 3 is Done Filming

While we still have a while until season 3 officially comes out on Netflix, we're one step closer to finally getting it on our screens. Stars David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown took to Instagram to say their goodbyes to the set and their characters.

David hinted there was a small spoiler in his photo, likely to do with the hat he's wearing.

"Wrapped. Everyone say ‘goodbye mustache.’ If you need any info on what’s good in Hawkins while I’m away, give Gary a call. He can’t keep his damn mouth shut," he wrote.

Millie posted a sweet photo of herself on the way to the set for the final day. She also tagged Sadie Sink and Noah Schnapp, meaning it's likely they're filming the last scene of season 3 together.

Although there's still no word on whether the show will get renewed for season 4, fans probably shouldn't be worried. Stranger Things is actually the biggest streaming show, according to IndieWire who looked at Parrot Analytics data.

Here's hoping this won't be the end for any of our favorite characters.

Is this the name of the first episode of season 3?

As if our excitement for season 3 couldn't get any bigger, fans of Stranger Things might want to take a closer look at Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down as there are several pieces of morse code in the new companion book.

Seventeen can exclusively confirm that the first puzzle can be found on page 22 and reads, "The Week is Long." While we still don't know exactly what the message is supposed to be, it seems like it could be an episode name. Here's hoping we get some more answers soon.

Stranger Things Day is Happening

Netflix has created a new holiday and we honestly can't wait to celebrate it.

Stranger Things Day will take place on November 6th, which will be the 35th anniversary of Will's disappearance. While the official details of what Netflix has planned haven't been released yet, many fans are hoping to get a new trailer or an official release date for Season 3.

Check out the announcement below:

Some Characters Weren't Supposed to Survive this Long

While we still have a long way until Stranger Things season 3 comes out, the Duffer Brothers just shared that it was originally supposed to be very different than what we're expecting to see.

In the new book, Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down, they reveal that Eleven was actually supposed to sacrifice herself at the end of season 1.

"Eleven was going to sacrifice herself to save the day. That was always the end game. But once we realized that the show was potentially going to go on longer than one season, we needed to leave it more up in the air, because deep down we knew the show just wouldn’t really work without Eleven," Ross Duffer said, according to NME.

"And at that point, we knew how special Millie was. If there was going to be more Stranger Things, Eleven had to come back."

Ross Duffer also said that Steve wasn't supposed to survive or become a fan favorite character. "This Steve character, he was just supposed to be this giant douchebag."

While new character, and automatic fan favorite, Bob Newby sacrificed himself during episode 8 of the show's second season, he actually wasn't supposed to survive that long.

"Sean Astin proved so likeable that Bob’s death got pushed from episode four to episode eight because we kept wanting to keep him alive," he said. "It was important to us and also to Sean to give him a bit of a hero’s death. We wanted him to accomplish something meaningful."

Imagine no El or Steve in season 3?! Thankfully, they changed their minds or else Stranger Things would've been so different!

Fans Are Already Trying to Figure Out What's Going to Happen Next

Millie Bobby Brown posted a photo that was taken from the set of Stranger Things and things don't seem to be going well for El.

In the photo that she posted, El seems to be screaming and possibly crying about something that just happened. The scene is also being shot near a beach, which has many people guessing since there are no beaches in Indiana.

Just Jared posted other photos from the shoot that feature El trying to use her powers. Many fans have been trying to figure out what this means for El in Season 3.

Many Reddit users, including CleanExit, are guessing that the scene is actually a flashback. "This may be a flashback if the other characters do not see her, or one of Momma Terry Ives dream circles," they wrote.

Another user, stevp19, decided that one theory was not enough and came up with three possibilities over what is happening in the photo.

"Simple explanation: El projected herself into a scene from the past to find out more about her history, saw the kid in the baseball uniform get swallowed by the ocean/drowned and couldn't do anything about it because she wasn't really there/it already happened," the wrote. "Fun explanation I saw on Instagram: El has somehow managed to travel back in time, probably with a limited ability to interact with the past, in an attempt to change history."

His third theory revolved around the Mind Flayer and predicted that it likely has links to the past and future, which will cause issues for the characters as they get sent to different eras and they have to try to find their way back.

Twitter user @hometownsyd also came up with a theory, saying that El is actually in California with Sam and Max and the Mind Flayer ends up following them.

Another user, @80smiIevens, believes that it's a dream sequence that El is stuck in.

While these are all great theories, we won't really find out until Season 3 finally comes out later next year.

You Can Be in an Episode of Season 3

Ever wanted to hang out with Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and El? Well, here's your chance! Stranger Things is currently casting extras for the third season and there are plenty for you to choose from.

If you're at least 16 and you know how to play an instrument, you're in luck! They are currently casting people with marching band experience to play two songs that will be shown in the series. While shooting dates haven't been announced yet, it's expected to take place in October.

They are also casting adults for various roles, including some photo doubles. If you live in the Atlanta, Georgia area, then definitely jump at the chance and hopefully you'll get to visit the Upside Down too.

Millie Bobby Brown Wants Eleven to Lose Her Powers

While at a special event for the Stranger Things' Emmy nominations, Millie Bobby Brown shared all her hopes for Eleven and the rest of the characters for the show's third season.

While speaking to Variety, Millie shared that she hopes that Hopper and Joyce get together.

"I can’t say anything about this. This is so bad," she said. "Listen, I would love for them to get together. Jopper is like my inspiration in life."

She also confirmed that the season will be darker that it's previous seasons and shared that she hopes that Eleven makes a big sacrifice at some point in the series.

"I think Eleven should sacrifice herself in some way. That’s how I kind of want that situation to go. I want to have her really sacrifice her powers. If Eleven loses her powers, is she as powerful just as a character? I think that would be very cool," she said during the panel. "I want to build her to be a strong person without her powers…But right now it’s very about her powers and I think taking that away slowly could be cool."

Millie also said that she wants to explore the girly side of Eleven too and that her look in the first season caused some confusion even in real life.

"I don’t think she knows how to be a girl. She’s been looking like a boy for a very long time. They thought she was a boy in season 1," Millie said. "I mean, some of my friends now are like, ‘The first time I saw you I thought you were a dude.' Well, look at me now!"

Season 3 will be the show's darkest season yet.

Despite what the recent teasers might lead you to believe, the show will actually be darker than ever before. Executive Producer and Director Shawn Levy talked to The Playlist about the new season and revealed that the show will certainly have its happy moments, but it’ll also bring some more trouble to the people of Hawkins.

"There’s no question that, as you saw in that infomercial, Starcourt Mall is a part of season 3," Levy said. "As is summertime. So season 3 has a really healthy dose of poppy, bright levity and cultural fun. But I can only promise you that season 3 eventually goes places that are darker, and unquestionably more action-packed, than we’ve ever gone before."

Love will be in the air.

Finn Wolfhard hinted to US Weekly that Mike and Eleven will be doing just fine when it comes down to love. "I don't know much about it because we get the scripts as we go along," Finn told Us Weekly. "But yeah, it's set in 1985, in the summer. It's the summer of love -- that's all I can say, really."

David Harbour previously hinted to TV Guide that Hopper will also be trying to make things work when it comes to relationships. "[Hopper will] take more risks with these new languages of intimacy and vulnerability." But fans shouldn't hold out hope since he's "going to flail and be horrible at it."

Ultimately, Eleven will be number one on Hopper's mind and if he should ever die, it'll be because he was protecting her. "I would like to take a bullet for Eleven," he said, according to Floor 8. Fans ended up cheering after his response and he replied with, "now you're all happy about me dying!" We definitely don't want to see Hopper dead, but we sure hope he ends up getting together with someone soon.

Season three has no release date yet.

There's no release date for the season just yet and Netflix just confirmed that we will be waiting a little bit longer than normal for it to come out. At the Television Critics Association press tour Netflix’s Vice President of Original Content, Cindy Holland, was asked why the season has been delayed.

"Well, it’s a hand-crafted show. You know, the Duffer Brothers and [director] Shawn Levy have worked really hard and they understand the stakes are high," Holland said, according to The Wrap. "They want to deliver something bigger and better than what they did last year. And so, they really want to take the time to get it right. I think it’s gonna be a fantastic season, it’s gonna be worth the wait."

While Holland didn't officially confirm that the new season will be released in Summer of 2019, it was hinted during a new promo for the show that was released in early July featuring Hawkin's new Starcourt Mall that is "coming next summer."

The season will be shorter than season two.

Executive Producer Shawn Levy lets the story dictate how many episodes each season will be. “The number of episodes will be dictated by the amount of story that excites us. We now know what is going to happen in season three to every character,” Levy told Glamour.

Apparently, the story needed one less episode than last season. Sadly. TV Line has confirmed that it will be eight episodes long.

There's going to be another time jump.

The third season will pick up one year after the second season in 1985, which means your fave crew of kids will be in 9th grade. The only difference is the show is going to take place in the summer for a change!

Are there going to be any new characters?

As always, the third season will introduce a few new faces to keep things exciting. Here are all the new characters coming to the show.

Maya Hawke as Robin: Robin is an alternative girl who wants some excitement in her life other than her normal job at Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream Shop. She ends up looking for some excitement in Hawkins, Indiana but ends up getting much more than she bargained for.

It seems like Robin and Steve will get pretty close this season, as Steve will be starting a new job at Scoops Ahoy Ice Cream Shop. Netflix even released an retro ad for the ice cream shop, which features Steve and Robin working together.

Cary Elwes as Mayor Kline: This Hollywood vet is best known for his role in the '80s hit The Princess Bride. Mayor Kline is a handsome, slick, and sleazy '80s politician who's more concerned with his own image than with the citizens of Hawkins.

Jake Busey as Bruce: Bruce is a journalist for the The Hawkins Post, with questionable morals and a twisted sense of humor.

All your fave couples are still a thing.

Season two ended with Eleven and Mike finally uniting after spending a year separated, pining for one another. Caleb and Max also got together at the Snow Ball and it was the cutest moment ever. And both couples will be going strong when season three picks up. But that doesn't mean everything will be smooth sailing in the love department.

"Mike and Eleven are going strong, so that's a relationship that continues, and same with Mad Max and Lucas," Levy told The Hollywood Reporter. "But again, they're like 13- or 14-year-old kids, so what does romance mean at that stage of life? It can never be simple and stable relationships and there's fun to that instability."

There's going to be more Dad Steve.

Levy is giving the fans what they want - more Steve Harrington tagging along and babysitting the crew on their supernatural journeys.

"We'll definitely get to see some more of Steve Harrington in season three, and I'll just say we won't be abandoning the Dad Steve magic," Levy told The Hollywood Reporter. "I don't want to say much more, but I literally feel that we were walking along and we stumbled onto a gold mine with Dad Steve."

And more of Lucas' little sister Erica!

You definitely haven't seen the last of Lucas' hilarious little sister Erica, either. The Duffer brothers realized a little too late in season two that the little girl who plays Erica, Priah Ferguson, deserved a million times more screen time, but they're making up for it next season.

“There will definitely be more Erica in Season 3," Ross Duffer told Yahoo. "That is the fun thing about the show - you discover stuff as you’re filming. We were able to integrate more of her in, but not as much you want because the story [was] already going. ‘We got to use more Erica’ - that was one of the first things we said in the writers’ room.”

The Shadow Monster will still be wreaking havoc.

The final moments of season two were pretty ominous. All your faves were having a blast dancing at the Snow Ball, while, unbeknownst to them, the Mind Flayer was encroaching on Hawkins Middle School in the Upside Down. Let's just say the Mind Flayer is not done tormenting Hawkins yet.

“They’ve shut the door on the Mind Flayer, but not only is it still there in the Upside Down, it’s very much aware of the kids, and particularly Eleven," Ross Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter. "It had not encountered her and her powers until that final episode. Now, it knows that she’s out there. We wanted to end on a little bit of an ominous note.”

The cast are getting pay raises.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Winona Ryder and David Harbour (Joyce and Hopper) will be pocket $350,000 an episode while Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) will take home $300,000.

The rest of the middle school crew, Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) and Noah Schnapp (Will) will all get $250,000 per episode.

Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Charlie Heaton (Johnathan) and Joe Keery (Steve) will all make roughly $150,000 each.

Season three has already started production.

Millie Bobby Brown took to Instagram to commemorate the start of production for season three with a selfie with executive producer Shawn Levy on Sunday, April 22.

"And so it begins 🤭 #strangerthingsseason3," she captioned the picture.

Season three probably won't be the last season.

The geniuses behind Stranger Things, The Duffer brothers, envision the show being four seasons long in the end.

“We’re thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out,” Ross Duffer told Vulture. "By then, the original band of adorable preteens will be ready for college. “We just have to keep adjusting the story,” says Matt. “Though I don’t know if we can justify something bad happening to them once a year.”

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