Stranger Things Season 5 Vol 1 Ending EXPLAINED: How Does Hawkins Gang Prepare For Vecna's Return, Plus Update On Max

The fifth season of Stranger Things has everyone back in Hawkins, Indiana, under military quarantine after the gates to the Upside Down were opened up. But what happens when Vecna (Jaime Campbell Bower)

finally makes his return to Hawkins? Here's what happened in the fourth episode of Vol. 1 titled Sorcerer, written and co-directed by creators Matt and Ross Duffer. Warning: Spoilers Ahead?

Why is Vecna targeting children?

After Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) is taken by a Demogorgon, the Party and the rest of the Hawkins gang learn that more children in her class are being sought after. This includes Derek Turnbow (Jake Connelly) and a few more of Holly's classmates. The children of Hawkins are in danger, both from Vecna, aka Henry Creel, and from the military, who want to use them as pawns. They are taken to the military base where the old Hawkins lab used to be. The gang plans to use the underground tunnels to rescue the children that have had visits from Mr. Whatsits. Derek, who finds out about the real monsters after him, agrees to help his classmates escape. Their plan almost works, until the military catches them. But then all hell breaks loose as a herd of Demogorgons attacks Hawkins from the Upside Down.ALSO READ: Stranger Things Season 5 Vol 1 Review: Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown Starrer Has Slow Start Yet Ups Emotion And Action

Vecna's master plan

Bookending the first five minutes of the show, Vecna once again controls Will (Noah Schnapp) and says he was the one who helped him with his big plan to refashion the world. Vecna grabs the chosen children, revealing that he will use these 12 children to control and create a whole new world. He manages to take them with him to the Upside Down, leaving the Demogorgons to finish off the remaining people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8Qxxq0Oh9M

When Will sees that those he loves, including Mike (Finn Wolfhard), are in danger, he uses happy memories from his life to summon powers and kill off those menacing Demogorgons just like Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Will the Wise is now Will the Sorcerer. The Hawkins gang has double the power to face Vecna when they see him next.

What do Hopper and Eleven discover in Upside Down?

Eleven and former police chief Hopper (David Harbour) have been trying to get to Vecna in the Upside Down, but he is protected by a giant wall. They find a military base in the Upside Down where they believe Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) has hidden Vecna. The duo breaks in, and this time, the military has created a weapon that hinders Eleven's powers, weakening her. Eventually, Hopper and Eleven manage to overcome the obstacles and find out what's behind the door. The hidden room reveals Kay was holding Eleven's long-lost “sister,” Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), who was introduced in Season 2. Like Vecna and Eleven, the trio was experimented on by Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine). With Kali free, the Hawkins gang has one more powerful being in their hands to fight Vecna. ALSO READ: Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1: Why Is Holly Wheeler, Mike And Nancy's Sister Targeted By Vecna?

What happens to Max?

Max (Sadie Sink) nearly died in Season 4 and was saved by Eleven at the last month. In the fifth season, she's been in a coma for months, while a guilt-ridden Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) waits by her side at the hospital. Ahead of the final episode in Vol. 1, the big reveal is that Max has been trapped inside Henry's memories, from the massacre at Hawkins' lab to his time at high school in 1959. She has been serving all this time but taking refuge in a cave where Vecna refuses to come in. When Max learns that Holly has been taken by Henry to the Creel house, she lures her to the caves to meet. Once there, Max explains to the little girl how Henry has been manipulating her. Eventually Max manages to convince Holly about Henry's intentions and how they should plot their grand escape.

What does this mean for Season 5 Vol. 2 and 3?

On one hand, Vecna has 12 children needed to start his master plan for the world. However, one of those 12, Holly, is planning a mutiny, and she might have help with Derek as well. Max, Hopper, Eleven, Kali, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Steve (Joe Keery), and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) are already in the Upside Down, ready to take on Vecna. With Will gaining new powers, that's three powers versus one. The odds are finally in favour of the Hawkins gang. Vol. 2 will release on December 26 at 6:30 am on Netflix in India.