Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Retcons Show Lore With New Character

Even though Stranger Things has now ended after five seasons, this world will continue to expand with a prequel series, through which Netflix is rewriting parts of the show. Stranger Things now ranks among the best TV shows of all time and with good reason, as it’s one of Netflix’s biggest and most popular shows, so much so that the platform isn’t letting go of it yet.

Although Stranger Things ended with its fifth season and with a twist in Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) story, this universe will continue to expand. Stranger Things is now a franchise with aftershows, documentaries, games, novels, and more, and its next big project is the animated prequel series Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, which is now rewriting the main show’s lore.

Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Is Retconning The Show

Developed by Eric Robles, Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 is an animated prequel TV show set in the winter of 1985, thus being placed between seasons 2 and 3 of Stranger Things. As such, Tales From ‘85 will reunite the audience with younger versions of Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Max.

For context, season 2 of Stranger Things is the one where Will is manipulated by the Mind Flayer, Eleven is hiding at Hopper’s cabin, and the show introduces Kali. Season 3 is the one with the Russians’ efforts to open a gate to the Upside Down, who build a lab underneath the new Starcourt Mall in Hawkins.

Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, then, sees Eleven and company fighting new monsters while investigating a paranormal mystery. Tales From ‘85 is said to feature new monsters not seen in the five seasons of Stranger Things, and have a more family-friendly tone than the main show. Despite being set between seasons 2 and 3, Tales From ‘85 is introducing a new character.

Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 will introduce a character named Nikki Baxter, who is described as taller and bigger than Eleven and her friends. That’s all that’s known about Nikki so far, as it’s also unknown who voices the character, but this character’s future isn’t hopeful.

Stranger Things' New Character Might Not Last Long

It seems like Nikki Baxter is a character exclusive to Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, as she was never shown or mentioned in all five seasons of the main show. Nikki hasn’t appeared in any other project from the Stranger Things franchise, so everything points to her not lasting long in this universe.

The most popular theory right now is that Nikki will die at some point in Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, though that only makes it worse that she was never mentioned in the main show, not even when the kids were by themselves.

Another possibility is that the events of Tales From ‘85 are too much for Nikki and her family, and they move out of Hawkins at the end of the series, so she ends up living a normal life far away from the horrors of the Upside Down and more. However, this also doesn’t explain why her friends never mentioned her.

Tales From '85 Must Be Careful Not To Contradict Canon

An animated prequel set between two weak seasons of Stranger Things (in my opinion, if there was going to be a prequel, it should have been set between seasons 4 and 5) is already a big challenge with huge risks, but introducing a new character makes the risk even higher.

Tales From ‘85 has to be very careful not to change or contradict the Stranger Things canon, not just with its story and monsters, but also with Nikki. The biggest problem with adding a new character is that she was never mentioned in the main show, so her presence in the franchise might not be that relevant, which will raise the question of why she was introduced to begin with.

Nikki joining the core group risks changing the dynamic between Eleven and her friends, which can clash with canon and create unnecessary plot holes and inconsistencies. Tales From ‘85 will have to be very clever with how it adds Nikki to the story, her dynamic with the group, and what happens to her to not just maintain canon but also explain why she was never mentioned.

How Many Stranger Things Prequels Can Netflix Do?

At the time of writing, Tales From ‘85 is the only Stranger Things prequel happening, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Netflix decided to produce more. As mentioned above, a prequel set between seasons 4 and 5 would be beneficial, as there was a significant time-jump between them, so it would be fun to see what happened during that time.

Stranger Things could also make prequels focused on characters like Max, Murray, and Robin, who joined the group after season 1, or even one that explores what happened at Hawkins Lab before the events of the main show. It’s to be seen how Netflix will continue to expand the Stranger Things franchise, but it has to be careful with the stories it chooses to tell.