There's a lot of anticipation surrounding season three of Netflix's hit sci-fi show
Stranger Things and in a recently released companion book, titled "
Worlds Turned Upside Down," executive producer and director Shawn Levy dropped a hint about the upcoming season.
Warning: Possible Spoilers for Stranger Things Season Three
The epilogue of the book specifically mentions that the Mind Flayer will remain a looming threat over Hawkins, Indiana. A quote from Levy even hints that the massive, tentacled creature will even do battle with what it has identified as its foe - presumably Eleven.
The Mind Flayer hasn't lost interest in Hawkins either. The tentacled creature continues to loom near Hawkins inside the Upside Down, and its malevolent influence isn't absent from the new season. "We ended season two with a clear signal that the Shadow Monster was not eliminated, and maybe he's even identified his foe," says [producer Shawn] Levy. "And that darkness, and the battle that it will require, grows in season three."
Introduced in season two, the Mind Flayer, also known as the Shadow Monster, is a massive spider-like creature that resides in the Upside Down and acts as a major threat to Hawkins. The Mind Flayer acts as a hive mind for the Demogorgons and their Demodogs. It possesses telepathic powers that not only command the army of creatures but can possess humans as well.
In Season two, the Mind Flayer was able to possess Will and even imbue a portion of its essence on the young boy, essentially linking the two in spirit. With this power, the Mind Flayer was able to use Will to its advantage on multiple occasions, even setting up a trap to lead multiple numerous soldiers to their death.
Season two ended with Eleven successfully closing the gate connecting Hawkins with the Upside Down, but the final shot of the season clearly indicated that the Mind Flayer was still very much interested in Hawkins.
Not much is known about the upcoming third season, but "
Worlds Turned Upside Down" confirms it will be set in the summer of 1985. Though it's less than a year after the events of season two, a lot has changed as the kids are growing older - something the show's creators had hinted would happen. Ross Duffer teased:
"It's really the final summer of their childhood. They're dealing with growing up, with these complicated new relationships. They're starting to fall apart a little bit, and maybe they don't love playing Dungeons & Dragons as much as they used to. Naturally, that's going to generate conflict."
Meanwhile, Matt Duffer also explained in the book that the show is partly inspired by J.K. Rowling's approach with the Harry Potter franchise, in that each season will feel more adult and more mature. Hopefully, Stranger Things doesn't lose its charm as the kids grow older, since part of what makes it so awesome its the sense of wonder and adventure through the eyes of a child.
The book doesn't offer a premiere date, but Stranger Things season three will return to Netflix in 2019.