'Stranger Things' franchise announces to revamp the main story

The Stranger Things Season 5 franchise has announced the expansion of the show by rewriting the main story with a new addition.

In the recent news, after Stranger Things announced its comeback, but with a twist. The universe is now expanding with a new addition. After four successful seasons full of action, drama and mystery, Stranger Things ended with its fifth season, which has divided the audience into different opinions.

Stranger Things has remained one of the top-rated shows of all time, and one of Netflix’s biggest hits; it still holds capacity for many diversions in its main story. Franchise, not long after the main story ended, has announced Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85, an animated prequel series.

Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 is set to be released on April 23, and from what’s known about its story so far, it’s rewriting the main show through one new character.

As the title says, Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 is set in 1985, which, within the Stranger Things timeline, sets it between seasons 2 and 3. This means that the show is set after Eleven’s return and reunion with her friends, Max’s (Sadie Sink) arrival, and before the summer when Starcourt Mall was built, and the Russian base was found underneath it.

Tales from ‘85 sees Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max facing new monsters from the Upside Down and teaming up to investigate a new paranormal mystery. Joining the cast is a character named Nikki Baxter, who was never mentioned in Stranger Things. Odessa A’zion voices Nikki, and she’s a 14-year-old student transferred from the East Coast.

Showrunner Eric Robles has described her as kind, loyal, and unafraid to use “her intimidating size and punk-rock look” against bullies. While it’s exciting to meet a new character from the world of Stranger Things, Nikki’s presence retcons the main show because she was never mentioned by the main characters.

Nikki, as well as the presence of never-before-seen creatures from the Upside Down, puts Tales from ‘85 in a weird spot as it’s rewriting the main show while also expanding it, and it risks feeling like a bubble world within the Stranger Things universe instead of part of it.