'Stranger Things: Tales from '85' trailer sees Eleven and the gang uncover a mystery no one saw coming
'Stranger Things' fans will soon get to return to Hawkins a few months after the series came to a thrilling end on December 31, 2025. Its animated spin-off series, 'Stranger Things: Tales from '85,' just released its official trailer, in which the gang uncovers new monsters from the Upside Down that are taking control of Hawkins. Eric Robles has developed the upcoming sci-fi series, which comprises 10 episodes, and also serves as its showrunner. Set during the winter of 1985, the events in the show take place between Season 2 (2017) and Season 3 (2019) of the live-action series. It is set to premiere on April 23 on Netflix, with the first two episodes arriving early in select theaters on April 18.
As per the show's official description, "the original characters must fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery." The trailer begins with Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Max, Dustin, and Will returning to their normal lives as they ride their bikes and get into snowball fights. The gang then meets Nikki Baxter, a new character, after they save her from an insect-like monster from the wormhole. Since Eleven closed the gate to the Upside Down in the Season 2 finale, she is left wondering, "The gate is closed. Where did it come from?" Dustin then figures it out, saying, "Something from the Upside Down must have survived last year."
As more monsters arrive in Hawkins, Nikki joins the gang in their fight against the Upside Down creatures. But since Nikki is never seen or mentioned in 'Stranger Things,' it probably means the character doesn't stick around for long and likely gets killed by the end of the series or moves away. The trailer ends with Eleven telling her friends that there's no going back, as they have to catch and stop the monsters from taking over Hawkins and killing innocent people.
Most of the characters from 'Stranger Things' will return, albeit in animated form, and will be voiced by a different set of actors than those who originally played them. The voice cast of 'Stranger Things: Tales from '85' features Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven / Jane Hopper, Braxton Quinney as Dustin Henderson, Luca Diaz as Mike Wheeler, Ben Plessala as Will Byers, Elisha 'EJ' Williams as Lucas Sinclair, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max Mayfield, and Odessa A’zion as Nikki Baxter. Some older characters will also appear in the supernatural series, including Brett Gipson as Jim Hopper, Jeremy Jordan as Steve Harrington, Alysia Reiner as Karen Wheeler, Lou Diamond Phillips as Daniel Fischer, Valeria Rodriguez as Rosario, Jack Griffo as Jeff, and Janeane Garofalo as Anna Baxter. The series will see one familiar character return, though, as Robert Englund, who played Victor Creel in 'Stranger Things' Season 4, has been tapped to voice a new character named Cosmo.
