“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!” It was pretty hard to miss the newest threat to Hawkins, in the Stranger Things season 2 trailer that debuted during the Super Bowl. That huge creature Will Byers saw in the sky? It’s called the Shadow Monster, and it makes the Demogorgon seem small by comparison. We think that the Shadow Monster scores pretty high on the Lovecraft scale, but it may be hiding its greatest secret in plain sight. Today’s Nerdist News is uncovering the clues and turning Stranger Things upside down for answers!
Warning: there are potentially major spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 2! This is a theory, but we really think that we’re on to something here. Either way, this is your last chance to turn back!
Join host and Eggo hunter, Jessica Chobot, as she dives into Stranger Things‘ latest EW cover story, in which series co-creator, Ross Duffer, confirmed that every disparate storyline in season 2 will eventually lead back to a “singular threat,” before adding that it is all “tied into this shape that Will sees in the sky.”
A shape in the sky? Why that almost makes it sound like it’s not actually a monster. What if Will’s vision isn’t real at all? A few months ago, we spoke with Stranger Things executive producer Shawn Levy about Will’s connection to this year’s big bad, and his evasive response seems especially cagey in retrospect. Here’s our working theory: because of his extended time in the Upside Down, Will is now linked to that alternate dimension. We think that Will is inadvertently bringing that realm to our world, and the Shadow Monster only exists in Will’s mind.
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t another threat manipulating Will from the other dimension, or that the Shadow Monster can’t become real at some point in the season. It has been theorized that the Demogorgon was merely a manifestation of Eleven’s psyche that managed to take on physical form in both worlds. What if the Shadow Monster is essentially the same thing for Will, but on a much larger scale?
We’ll get our answers when Stranger Things returns for season 2 on October 27, only on Netflix.
What do you think about the latest theories about the Shadow Monster? Let’s discuss in the comment section!
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Images: Netflix
