Stranger Things : A Look Back on How Season 3 Ended Before Season 4 Premieres

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After a long wait, Stranger Things is finally coming back.

Following the season 3 premiere in July 2019, the show will return to Netflix on May 27.

Unlike past seasons, season 4 will be split into two parts for a "supersized" season, with the first batch of episodes dropping on May 27 and the rest of the episodes dropping on July 1.

Not only will the new season be bigger, but it's also upping the ante with a slew of brand-new characters and plenty of mystery. Plus, season 4 serves as the show's penultimate season following the announcement that season 5 would be its last.

While fans are more than eager to see how things unfold in season 4, you're probably wondering what all went down in the season 3 finale. After all, it has been almost three years since it debuted!

Before the new season premieres, here's a refresher on what happened to the show's major players. (Be warned: There are spoilers for season 3 within!)

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What happened to Jim Hopper on Stranger Things season 3?

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Throughout the season, Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) work together as they learn that Russian soldiers are buying abandoned properties across Hawkins in an effort to reopen a portal to the Upside Down. During their adventures, Hopper and Joyce grow closer and eventually make plans to go on a date by the end of the season. However, those plans are derailed when Joyce closes the gate to the Upside Down, and Hopper is seemingly disintegrated. While it appears that Hopper is dead at the end of season 3, recent trailers for season 4 confirm he is alive.

What happened to Eleven on Stranger Things season 3?

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Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown)'s powers continue to grow in season 3, which she uses to fight against the Mind Flayer as it tries to kill her as revenge for closing the gate to the Upside Down. In a battle with the Mind Flayer, Eleven is severely wounded after a piece of the creature embeds itself in her leg. Though she is able to rid herself of the Mind Flayer, it takes her powers, leaving her defenseless. Even so, the group is able to defeat the Mind Flayer in the end. Following the epic battle at Starcourt and Hopper's apparent death, Eleven is adopted by Joyce and moves away with Will (Noah Schnapp) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) at the end of the season.

What happened to Mike Wheeler on Stranger Things season 3?

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In season 3, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven grow even closer in their relationship, which irritates Hopper as he has grown protective of Eleven. Though the two momentarily break up as a result of Mike lying to Eleven, they eventually reconcile by the end of the season when Mike confesses his love. The two embark on a long-distance relationship as Eleven moves away with the Byers family.

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What happened to Dustin Henderson on Stranger Things season 3?

After a summer away at camp, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) comes home and builds a radio tower so he can stay in contact with his new girlfriend, Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo). As he attempts to contact her though, he ends up intercepting a Russian transmission, which sets off a chain of events in season 3 as the group learns of the Russians' plans to reopen the Upside Down portal. At the end of the season, Dustin finally gets back in contact with Suzie as she helps him with a critical code during the group's mission at Starcourt.

What happened to Lucas Sinclair on Stranger Things season 3?

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In addition to growing closer with Max (Sadie Sink) in season 3, we also learn more about Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin)' outspoken little sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) as she becomes a bigger part of the gang. Lucas and his sister eventually team up as the group battles and defeats the Mind Flayer at Starcourt at the end of the season.

What happened to Will Byers on Stranger Things season 3?

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Following the events of season 2, Will still has a mental connection to the Mind Flayer, which he uses to help the gang defeat it. In season 3, we also see Will grapple with being the constant third wheel as both Will, Lucas, and Dustin become preoccupied with their respective girlfriends. Following the battle at Starcourt, Will leaves town with his mom, brother, and Eleven.

What happened to Max Mayfield on Stranger Things season 3?

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As the Mindflayer possesses Billy (Dacre Montgomery) to do its evil bidding, Max is torn as she grapples with destroying the creature and trying to save her stepbrother. During the battle at Starcourt, Eleven temporarily frees Billy from the Mindflayer's control, leading him to sacrifice himself to protect the group. As the Mindflayer kills Billy, Max watches on in horror. At the end of the season, she is shown grieving his death as she sits in his bedroom.

What happened to Steve Harrington on Stranger Things season 3?

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In season 3, Steve (Joe Keery) gets a job at the Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlor at Starcourt, where he eventually befriends his coworker and former classmate Robin (Robin Buckley). He eventually develops feelings for her, but she doesn't reciprocate as she comes out to him as a lesbian. After discovering a Russian lab underneath Starcourt, Steve and Robin are captured and drugged before they are eventually saved by Dustin and Erica and help the gang defeat the Mindflayer. By the end of the season, Steve and Robin take on a new adventure together as they both get jobs at the local Family Video store.

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What happened to Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers on Stranger Things season 3?

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During season 3, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan work as interns at the Hawkins Post, where they investigate a mysterious case about rabid rats and missing fertilizer. Though they are later fired from their internship as a result, the case does lead them to learn more frightening information about the Mindflayer as they watch it possess several people at a hospital. After defeating the Mindflayer at Starcourt, Nancy and Jonathan embark on a long-distance relationship as Jonathan moves away with his family.