The long-awaited third series of Stranger Things is but a few short weeks away, and to honour the occasion Netflix have released an exciting new trailer that shows off all sorts of hints at what to expect when we return to Hawkins, Indiana this Fourth of July.

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Watch the trailer below first, then join us as we ponder the new and exciting mysteries raised by the new footage…


How did the Mind Flayer return?

Will confronts the Mind Flayer in Stranger Things 2 (Netflix)

The last time we saw shadowy monster The Mind Flayer, he seemed to be trapped again in the Upside-Down after Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) finally closed the door between dimensions.

Sure, the final shot of series two saw him land ominously on the alternate version of the kids’ school during their school dance, but he couldn’t do much damage to them there – right?

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However, it now seems like we’ve fundamentally misunderstood what happened in season two, with the gang now theorising that the Mind Flayer was instead trapped on their side of the dimension – weakened, but alive, and now out for revenge.

Now, speaking with a human voice he promises that “We're going to end you, we're going to end your friends and we're going to end everyone."

This time, it’s personal.


Is Billy his new host?

While not confirmed, the trailer seems to suggest that rather than trying to get inside Will Byers (Noah Schapp) again the Mind Flayer finds a new host – Max’s bullying older brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), whose emotional turmoil may make him the perfect companion to the evil power.

Certainly, the Mind Flayer now seems to speak with Billy’s voice, and if he is the new face of the villain it could explain why his (seemingly irrelevant) subplot was included in season two. It’s all backstory, baby!


If the Mind Flayer’s back, who’s the NEW monster?

In earlier trailers (and this one, to be fair) we see the gang menaced by some twisted horrorshow of a monster (with a bit of a 'Professor Lazarus' vibe if you watched Doctor Who) – so is this just one of the Mindflayer’s footsoldiers?

Or is this the Mind Flayer's form on our side of the Upside-Down dimension, having only really existed in Will’s mind previously?

And if that’s the case, is this contorted, flesh-coloured monster Billy’s future fate, once the Mind Flayer has changed him inside and out?


Is there ANOTHER government conspiracy?

During the trailer we can see what appears to be some shady government types, a new machine in a lab and our heroes wearing special protective gear, while another scene has Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) handling some sort of glowing ingot.

There’s also plenty of soldiers, gas-masked figures and helicopters on the move, so we have to wonder whether the powers-that-be really gave up on all their Hawkins experiments at the end of the last series.


Why is Eleven telling Mike to trust her?

"I need you to trust me," Eleven tells Mike – and while we’re not sure exactly what she’s roping him into, the request is a mirror of their conversation in the first series, when it was Mike looking for a little faith.


Who is Mayor Kline?

Name-checked during the Hawkins carnival and later seen from behind addressing a crowd, Mayor Kline – played by The Princess bride’s Cary Elwes – is a new character joining the series, and he’s been described as “handsome, slick and sleazy...your classic ’80s politician more concerned with his own image than with the people of the small town he governs.”


Who’s that mysterious man?

At one point during the trailer we see a mysterious denim-clad man who seems so be following a trail of clues – but who is he?

As far as we can tell he’s not the journalist character played by Jake Busey, and we can’t see any other casting announcements that include him, but would they really feature him in the trailer if he wasn’t important?

And is it us, or did we see him again battling Hopper (David Harbour) later in the series?


What is the Mind Flayer “building”?

At one point during the trailer, Eleven notes the Mind Flayer is “building” something – but what?

As a giant smoke monster he never struck us as particularly handy, but maybe while possessing Billy, he’s working on one of the machines we spotted in the new footage – unless of course what he’s “building” is the horrible creature we mentioned already?


And finally – hmmm, when is this series set again?

STRANGER THINGS

Vintage logos for The Gap and JC Penney’s, big chunky walkie-talkies, the fashion… nope, the ongoing mystery of which specific and distinctive decade this series is set within rages on.

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Stranger Things 3 will be released on Netflix on 4th July

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