Fans believe they have uncovered the truth about Kali’s intentions
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5.*
The final episode of Stranger Things is arriving in just a matter of days, and fans reckon they’ve identified a ‘traitor’ lurking in the group.
Part two of series five dropped on Boxing Day, with three fresh episodes exposing the truth behind Dr Kay’s (Linda Hamilton) plans.
The conclusion of volume one saw the comeback of Kali/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen). She has now revealed that she was abducted by the military, who murdered her friends and have been extracting her blood.
It turns out Kay is attempting to create new superpowered children and has been injecting Kali’s blood into pregnant women as part of the experiment.
But the evil scientist realised she needs Henry/One’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) blood to properly duplicate Dr Brenner’s experiments, reports the Mirror.
This explains why she’s hunting down Jane/Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who carries Henry’s powerful blood in her system.
Given that Eleven holds the key to producing more psychic children and continuing the destructive pattern that the Hawkins gang have been battling against for years, Kali has put forward a drastic proposal.
She suggested they end the “vicious cycle” by making the ultimate sacrifice once they’ve freed the kidnapped youngsters from Henry/Vecna. The duo would then destroy the Upside Down and remain inside as it detonates, essentially going down with the ship.
Though Eleven was initially hesitant about the plan, she ultimately consented to it. Fans are understandably worried about the main character’s fate, with numerous viewers sharing theories that Kali might actually be a villain in disguise.
On X, formerly Twitter, one fan wrote: “It is so obvious Kali is the traitor.”
Another viewer concurred, responding: “She is so obviously the “traitor” if there is one. I personally think she is focusing too much on the government and the experiments rather than trying to end Vecna. The government can be dealt with after Vecna and the Upside Down are gone.”
A third fan added: “The actual villain of the series is her and not Vecna I said what I said.”
Meanwhile, a fourth viewer proposed: “Kali popping back up in S5 with that “only we can die to save the world” energy… yeah, something’s OFF.”
The character’s actions during volume two appeared notably suspicious, though it remains uncertain whether she’s secretly working against the Hawkins crew.
Fans aren’t the only ones with doubts, even Hopper (David Harbour) has openly expressed his mistrust of Kali.
That said, some viewers believe she may have a secret strategy that could ultimately rescue Eleven’s life.
On Reddit, one user theorised that Kali could utilise her manipulation abilities to “create an illusion of El dying to the government/military (probably while she is dying) to save her. That way they stop going after her like she said and then she can safely go into hiding somewhere”.
Others agreed, arguing that it isn’t necessary for Eleven to die to stop the government from pursuing her; they simply need to be convinced that she is dead.
Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 8 comes out on January 1st. The rest of the show is streaming now on Netflix.
