As Stranger Things fans continue to hope for an additional episode or even an additional season following the season 5 finale last New Year’s Eve (known as Conformity Gate), the Duffer Brothers have just confirmed an entirely different Stranger Things project coming to Netflix. Already, Netflix has put out Stranger Things and Tales From ’85, a direct animated companion to the original show. The series is also getting yet another related Netflix release sometime soon, with the Broadway prequel play The First Shadow, focused on Henry Creel as a child encountering the Mind Flayer, coming to the streamer.
Now, per Variety, yet another prequel story is in the works. Titled Other Worlds, this upcoming series is set in the 1950s, before the events of either (obviously) Stranger Things or The First Shadow. Plot details are few and far between at present, but it is confirmed to be releasing in 2028 and, per the same article, “…focus on the events prior to Henry Creel being exposed to the otherworldly substance that gave him his powers in Stranger Things.” See the brand-new teaser below.
Even with five seasons of Stranger Things, Tales From ’85, and The First Shadow, so many questions remain about the Upside Down, the Mind Flayer, and how and why these fantastical events transpired. Presumably, that is exactly what Other Worlds is going to reveal to audiences. As shown in the teaser, these events take place on (or at least begin on) April 19, 1955, in Marion, Nevada. Notably, that is not the setting of Stranger Things—that’s Hawkins, Indiana—meaning that these take place effectively across the country from one another. Additionally, that’s also not as early a prequel as some might be expecting, as that actually places it only about 4 years away from the events of The First Shadow.
It’s therefore possible that the events of Other Worlds may lead directly into The First Shadow, which would make sense given that the description suggests this story will contextualize Henry Creel’s experience in greater detail, specifically. That will prove very interesting with audiences, as there continue to be grievances over how Henry’s story was handled in the final season. Because The First Shadow had confirmed that Henry was consumed by the Mind Flayer, in a similar way to Will in Stranger Things, and showed him as a scared kid, many had been expecting the finale to treat him with more empathy. In the end, that wasn’t exactly the case. Perhaps Other Worlds will change that to a degree, although it’s difficult to imagine a significant overhaul of the finale at this stage—and, yes, that includes Conformity Gate continuing to be very unlikely, despite ongoing speculation.
Do you think Other Worlds will be an interesting addition to Stranger Things? Will you be watching this come 2028? Share your thoughts down below.
