Playtime’s over, nerds. It’s time for Stranger Things to get dark. How dark, you ask? We’re talking really dark! Maybe even Zack Snyder’s Justice League dark. According to series star Finn Wolfhard, who started the show looking like a small child and now looks like a full-grown adult who is still playing a kid, Stranger Things season 4 is going to be the “darkest season ever been [made].” Sounds pretty dark!

Stranger Things, one of Netflix’s biggest hits, will eventually unleash its fourth season upon the world. And what can we expect when it gets here? Something dark, of course. In an interview with CBC, Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler on the show, said: “Every season it gets darker. I will say [with] season three I was like, ‘This is the darkest season that there’ll ever be’ — like exploding rats and everything. But really, Season 4 so far… it’s the darkest season that’s ever been [made]. Every year it gets amped-up; every year it gets funnier, darker, and sadder, and everything. So I’m really excited for people to see it.”

Just how dark can the show get, exactly? Season 3 went to some very dark places, and even appeared to kill off fan-favorite character Hopper, played by David Harbour. But Hopper’s death was almost immediately walked back in a not-so-cryptic post-credit scene. And the character was officially confirmed to be alive via a season 4 teaser. But Hopper isn’t exactly out of the woods yet. He’s stuck in a prison camp in Kamchatka, Russia, and a statement from Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers teased that Hopper is set to “face dangers both human…and other. Meanwhile, back in the States, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long-buried, something that connects everything…”

So what could that mean? It’s likely tied-into the secret U.S. government laboratory in Hawkins that was introduced in the first season. Beyond that, though? Your guess is as good as mine. Speaking with Total Film last year, cast member Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington, also teased some looming darkness, saying: “I think that this year—and I know I say this every single year—but this is definitely going to be a lot scarier than prior years, because last year was pretty dark.”

Bottom line: whatever happens in season 4, it’s going to be dark and/or scary. And as long as there isn’t another side-trip to Chicago, I’m curious to see how it all plays out. Production on season 4 hasn’t wrapped yet, so it’s unclear when we’re going to see it. If I had to guess it would be no sooner than October 2021, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if we have to wait until 2022.

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