15+ Subtle Easter Eggs Spotted in Every Season of Stranger Things
Stranger Things has always subtly made mention of pop-culture references in every season. And in the latest season too, the Duffer Brothers left no stone unturned by sneaking in the Easter Eggs to leave their fans intrigued. So, 5-Minute Crafts binged the entire season to list the most interesting ones for you below.
1. Lucas’ jersey number
Lucas wears a number 8 jersey when he plays on the Hawkins basketball team. McLaughlin is a big fan of Kobe Bryant, hence he wore this jersey to pay tribute to the late sports icon.
2. The Reebok shoebox
Eleven’s project that showed Hopper and the cabin they used to live in is made out of a Reebok shoebox. This is because Joyce always wore that brand of sneakers.
3. Mike’s hairstyle
Since Eddie Munson is Mike’s new role model, he’s growing his hair out like Eddie. It’s slightly longer in the back with short layers.
4. The E.T movie reference
The creators of the show, the Duffer Brothers, were so influenced by the movie, E.T, that they left a little Easter egg in an episode to show the new California setting.
5. The Lord of the Rings reference
When Eddie says, “The Shire is burning,” it’s actually a reference to the Lord of the Rings books that didn’t make it into the movies. So when Eddie mentions this quote, it’s a smart way to show the pre-Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movie era.
6. The music helps.
In season 1, Will Byers used to sing, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” by The Clash when he was in the Upside Down. He also played the same song on his cassette player in his room to let his mom, Joyce, know that he was still alive.
In season 4 too, the kids realize that playing music is one way to keep Vecna away. So, Lucas, Dustin, and Steve played “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush to help Max escape from Vecna.
7. The Rainbow Room
When Henry Creel or One faces Eleven in The Rainbow Room, it shows that on Creel’s side the color purple was on top, and on Eleven’s side, the color purple was at the bottom. This is an Easter Egg that shows the Upside Down where One was sent to by Eleven and he turned into Vecna.
8. The Grandfather Clock
In season 4, you might have heard the sound of a grandfather clock often. You might hear the sound even in the first season when Will encounters the Demogorgon for the first time. And even in the third season when Billy was captured by the Mind Flayer.
9. The odds of using a Star Wars reference
While playing Dungeons and Dragons, Dustin was trying to defeat Vecna in their game with a perfect role of 20 by saying to his club members, “Never tell me the odds.” This like was originally said by Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back.
10. Stephen King’s, The Talisman
At the end, when Max was in the hospital, Lucas was reading her a part from Stephen King’s novel, The Talisman, about a character opening his eyes. Maybe, it was a way to tell her to wake up. It also had a deeper reference to the story. It’s about a 12-yeal-old named Jack Sawyer on a crusade to find a talisman to save his mother’s life.
11. Eddie left a clue about what could happen with Vecna in the next season.
When The Hellfire Club was playing D&D in the first episode, the viewers are introduced to Eddie Munson, who is the leader of the D&D club. The players come across hooded figures who were lowering their hoods, and one of them was unrecognizable and was missing his left arm and left eye. He is believed to be Vecna. Dustin rolled an 11, which was not enough to defeat Vecna. Eventually, Erika Sinclair rolled a 20 and won the game.
Some fans believe that the way Eddie introduced Vecna could be the state the latter would show up in during the next season when the group of friends, Steve, Robin, and Nancy, defeated him. And Will also stated that Vecna is not gone but only very wounded, i.e., missing an arm and an eye.
12. Eddie will return and the Michael Myer’s mask is the hint.
Eddie wearing Michael Myers’ mask has a lot of hidden meanings. According to the internet theory, this mask gives bad luck to its wearers, but at the same time, the wearer can also escape death. And this mask belonged to Max Mayfield in the show. Both characters faced death in the same season. Max was resurrected by Eleven and is now alive, brain-dead, and visually impaired.
The fans suggested a theory that a similar fate was in store for Eddie as well. The theory states that Vecna will resurrect Eddie back to life, and he’ll control him as a part of his army or as his puppet master, the song he performed in the Upside Down, “Master of Puppets.”
Another theory suggests that Eddie will return as Kas the Destroyer, who defeats Vecna. In the game of D&D, Kas is Vecna’s former servant who comes from another dimension as a vampire and battles the villain.
13. Will could be Vecna’s ally.
When Will was stuck in the Upside Down for nearly a week, he was trying to survive and hide from the Demogorgon who was hunting him, and it affected him deeply. And since Vecna preys on teens with lots of inner turmoil like Chrissy, Fred, and Max, it’s possible that Vecna will target Will again.
Moreover, Will was also the outcast of the group. In season 1, he was missing most of the time. In season 2, he was recovering from the Upside Down’s impact. In season 3, to regain his normal life, he constantly mentioned playing D&D to the point that Dustin and Mike called him childish. Now in season 4, Dustin and Mike both joined a D&D club called The Hellfire Club, where the distance and rejections from his best pals will only make him a more viable target for Vecna.
Also, Will and Vecna have somewhat similar storylines. In season 1, Joyce used to call Will a sensitive child, he was the quietest and most introspective, and spent most of his time drawing. Henry Creel is described the same way by his father, as sensitive and spending most of his time drawing. Also, in the game of D&D, Vecna is a wizard, and Will is called “The Wise.”
In conclusion, Will has the most exposure to Upside Down in the group and he also gets a tingling sensation on the back of his neck whenever the influence of Vecna is near. It’s possible that he could become a friend-turned-villain.
14. Hulk Hogan tees
After rescuing Hopper from the prison and reaching Uri’s hideout where he was fixing the helicopter, Hopper and Joyce needed warmer clothes to change into. Then they found Hulk Hogan t-shirts there. This is a subtle Easter Egg because Hulk Hogan was a wrestler during the 1980s who was very famous for throwing punches. Joyce and Hopper also took down the Demogorgon in the prison so these tees they found were quite fitting for the theme.
15. Vecna is similar to Darth Vader
There were many similarities between Vecna and the infamous villain of the Star Wars universe, Darth Vader. Both worked as good guys in an organization that had questionable intentions. But when these guys broke free from this prison-like organization, they caused more chaos, turning them into villains. Both of these villains also attacked their enemies in similar ways, Darth Vader used the Force, whereas Vecna used his vines.
16. An E.T. reference again
Starting in season 1, the show had many references from E.T., including a local boy becoming friends with an alien, and the bad guys looking for it for experimentation. Eleven wasn’t an alien, but her attitude was newborn-like, she had a hard time communicating, and Mike also hid her from her family, which is a throwback to this classic movie.
Eleven was also dressed as a little girl with a blonde wig and a girly dress, which was similar to the alien wearing a wig and a girly outfit too.
17. A Hint of That ’70s Show
In season 3, Lucas Sinclair and Max Mayfield were wearing the same outfits as Eric Foreman and Donna Pinciotti from That ’70s Show.
18. The mystery of the blue hair tie
In seasons 1 and 2, Hopper wore a blue hair tie around his right wrist. The history of this hair tie links back to Hop’s late daughter named Sara. She herself wore the accessory in her hair as she played with her dad. But after chemotherapy, she lost her hair, and then Hop wears it around his own wrist.
When Hop takes in Eleven, he still wears it throughout seasons 1 and 2. When El and Hop grew fond of each other, he gave the hair tie bracelet to her. And you’ll notice her wearing the bracelet in the rest of the seasons too.
19. Eddie’s tattoos revealed his fate in season 4.
If you notice Eddie’s ink, his bat tattoo was a subtle hint of how he would pass away in the latest season. After he and Dustin planned to keep Demobats at bay, Dustin rushes to the real world and Eddie stays and fights with the creatures. Instead of escaping the situation, he attracted the Demobats toward himself, and they started attacking him. He probably adored his tattoo, but little did he know it was a nod to his fate as well.
It was a strange coincidence for them too when we notice the puppet tattoo on Eddie’s arm. It features a claw holding a figure on puppet strings, and the song Eddie performed was “Master of Puppets,” too, where he was trying to distract the Demobats who were guarding Vecna. Quinn had no clue that the final script would align with these tattoos so well. However, it ended up in perfect sync in the most poetic way.
Bonus: Eddie could be 010.
A fan suggested a theory that 010 survived the Hawkins Lab Massacre and he later became Eddie Munson. The first bit of proof is when Eddie and Chrissy meet in the woods for a deal, they get along well. Eddie also mentioned that he used to look pretty different back then, as he had a buzz cut in middle school. The test subjects in Hawkins Lab had buzz cuts too. And Eddie showed up in Hawkins out of nowhere as well.
Many also believe that 010 passed away in the flashback, but this is not entirely confirmed. It may seem like 010 passed away when Dr. Brenner held him in his arms. But all the other subjects and lab staff had blood on their faces. And still, 010’s face wasn’t visible the entire time. It could be that he was pretending to be dead, even if Brenner thought so. Maybe he survived and someone took him away.
This theory can be proven to be true when Eddie first learned about Eleven. It’s a huge deal to have superpowers, however, Eddie didn’t react at all. If Eddie is really 010, he probably doesn’t remember the lab or his superpowers. As Eleven’s memories were also blocked about the lab chaos, maybe he blocked it too from his conscious thoughts, but the fact that he has no reaction to superpowers may hint that his subconscious is aware of what’s happening. This may prove that Eddie is 010.
Did you spot any other Easter Eggs in Stranger Things? Share your theories with us!