Heads up – major spoilers ahead for Stranger Things: The First Shadow! A new Stranger Things project is coming to Netflix: a filmed version of The First Shadow, a Broadway play that tells the story of what happened before the original series. Importantly, this movie significantly changes the established ending of the TV show, rewriting some key events.
The final episode of Stranger Things showed Vecna as the primary villain of the Upside Down, defeated by Eleven and Joyce in a dramatic battle. However, the upcoming play, The First Shadow, promises to completely reshape how we understand Vecna, even though it’s connected to the main Stranger Things story that fans have followed for the past two years.
The play first opened in London’s West End in 2024 and then moved to Broadway last year. However, most fans haven’t had the chance to see it, and discussions continue about whether it’s officially part of the story, even though the creators have confirmed it.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow Is Coming To Netflix
Manuel Harlan
Netflix is doing something new with its Stranger Things spin-off: instead of just being a stage play, it will be released as a movie on the streaming service. Once it’s available alongside the original series, The First Shadow will become a key part of the overall story and history of the Stranger Things universe.
This week, streaming service is filming a movie adaptation of the play, The First Shadow. Because of the filming, all performances of the play on Broadway from February 10th to 14th have been cancelled, as reported exclusively by Collider on February 10th.
Although Netflix hasn’t announced a specific release date, the movie is expected to arrive sometime in 2026 or 2027. Given the fantastic reviews and awards The First Shadow has already earned, this is really exciting news for fans of Stranger Things.
How The First Shadow Changes The Stranger Things Finale
Set primarily in 1959, Stranger Things: The First Shadow explores the teenage years of Henry Creel – before he became Vecna. The play directly ties into Stranger Things season 5, referencing the cave that features prominently in Vecna’s disturbing memories from the fourth season.
However, The First Shadow offers a very different take on Vecna than what we saw in the final season of the Netflix show. The movie presents Peel, who becomes Vecna, as more of a helpless victim controlled by the Mind Flayer, instead of the main antagonist in Hawkins.
The new prequel will reveal how Dr. Brenner contributed to the creation of the Upside Down, including his work on the USS Eldridge experiments in 1943. Even more surprisingly, it will show a personal link between Vecna and two key characters from the original series, Joyce and Hopper.
Why Stranger Things Season 5 Didn’t Reference The Broadway Play
Netflix
While a mention of a cave creates a link between The First Shadow and the upcoming season 5 of Stranger Things, the show mostly avoids referencing the play’s story. The creators, the Duffer Brothers, did prevent any Stranger Things spoilers from showing up in the Broadway production, but that doesn’t explain why the series includes so few references to the play itself.
The team behind the Netflix series Stranger Things knew most fans wouldn’t be able to see the stage play, The First Shadow, so they intentionally avoided including details that would connect the two. However, viewers of the show’s latest season might be surprised by what they see in the filmed version of the play.
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2026-02-11 16:38