Warning: Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things, Season 4, Volume 1!Stranger Things Season 4, Episode 4, “Sorcerer,” ends with a finale-like intensity that delivers multiple massive reveals. The twist involving Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is surprisingly well hidden until the time is right. In retrospect, while it’s not easy to guess what Eleven was about to discover behind the door in the military’s Upside Down base, Stranger Things did provide one clue that it kept repeating over and over again. When interpreted in a certain way, a major element of “Sorcerer” is spoiled before one of the biggest left turns takes place.
Despite feeling like a finale, the end of “Sorcerer” is only the halfway point for Stranger Things‘ final season. Part 2 (Episodes 5–7) will arrive on Dec. 25, 2025, and the highly anticipated final episode of the beloved Netflix show will debut on Dec. 31, 2025. Because Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s biggest shows of all time, it’s not surprising that Season 5’s release schedule is so staggered. Although it’s a little frustrating that the platform has chosen to deviate from its traditional approach of dropping an entire season at once, the decision has at least resulted in two massively exciting cliffhangers that will be picked back up on Christmas Day.
How ‘Stranger Things’ Constant “Kryptonite” References Foreshadowed Kali’s Return in “Sorcerer”
Part of what makes Eleven such a formidable opponent is that there’s very little that can stop or slow down her psychic and telekinetic abilities. However, Stranger Things Season 5 introduces a military weapon that’s custom-made to disarm Eleven, dampening her powers and putting her in too much pain to fight without them. The radio waves have a mysterious origin throughout the first four episodes of Season 5, but both Eleven and Hopper (David Harbour) refer to the phenomenon as the “Kryptonite” of Millie Bobby Brown’s character.
Stranger Things constantly makes pop culture references to simplify some of its more high-concept lore. For example, Dungeons and Dragons terminology has been used since the show’s first episode when talking about the Upside Down and the monsters within. So, it’s stopped being all that notable when Stranger Things characters bring up things from various franchises. Viewers quickly latch onto what the characters mean, and the story moves on.
Due to this trend, when the frequencies that disarm Eleven are referred to as her “Kryptonite,” the audience knows this is shorthand for the weapon that emits them, and that said device is the only thing that can stop Eleven. This is because Kryptonite is the only substance that can stop (or kill) Superman, and this is why the Stranger Things characters have settled on this terminology to describe it. Saying “Kryptonite” is a far more streamlined way of saying, “The only thing that can stop Eleven.” In this metaphor, Eleven is Superman.
Although this feels very on-brand for Stranger Things, the reference actually contains an embedded spoiler that quietly reveals that Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) is set to return. As context for those who don’t know much about Kryptonite in Superman lore, the green rocks are actually radioactive remnants of the superhero’s home planet, Krypton. In other words, it’s Superman’s very origin story that is the only thing that can stop him. The very same thing is true for Eleven, as Kali (AKA Eight) was similarly experimented on with Eleven as a child, and they were both imbued with their respective powers at the Hawkins lab. In Season 5, Linda Hamilton’s Dr. Kay and her team tap into Kali’s powers to take Eleven down.
Hopper and Eleven unknowingly touch on this Superman connection, not only by referencing Kryptonite, but also by suspecting Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) to be the figure trapped in the room from which the dangerous waves are coming. Vecna is also tied into Eleven’s origin story, but Stranger Things viewers know at this point that Hopper and Eleven are wrong, and that the villain is not trapped in the military base. With the show strongly implying that Eleven will find someone of great importance inside, Kali becomes the most likely candidate. Still, in the throes of all the drama, it’s difficult to decipher all these clues while also concentrating on the story at hand.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 5’s Hidden Kali Spoiler Is Tricky To Figure Out for Another Reason
Stranger Things Season 1 arrived in July 2016, but despite being on the air for almost a decade since, Netflix is only just now releasing Season 5. The show has a notable budget and ambitious storylines, so while the delays between seasons have been frustrating, they’ve also been understandable. Regardless, this doesn’t change the fact that it can be difficult to remember specific parts of Stranger Things lore because it takes so long to make a run of episodes. There are, of course, those who have watched the show numerous times, and fans who rewatched everything before Season 5 began. Unfortunately, with so many other shows to watch and the demands of everyday life, this isn’t always possible.
So, for those who watch Stranger Things when it comes out but never go back to rewatch the show, there can be gaps in their knowledge. While Kali was a key character in Season 2, she appeared in only three episodes, and her most recent appearance was in October 2017. That means that by the time she shows up again in “Sorcerer,” Kali hasn’t been directly involved in the Netflix show for over 8 years. Many more Stranger Things characters have come and gone since then, so when trying to figure out who’s behind that door in “Sorcerer,” Kali would be at the very bottom of that list for many fans, if she was even on it at all. Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix.
- Release Date
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2016 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Writers
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Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock