Television

'Stranger Things' Season 4 Premiere Episode Title Revealed, But What Does It Mean?

Stranger Things Season 4 Premiere Episode Title
By Ethan Anderton

As if there was any doubt it was happening, Stranger Things season four was announced at the end of September. The short teaser hinted at a departure from Hawkins, Indiana, but the Upside Down was still very much very much present. Now, thanks to the recent Stranger Things Day celebrations on November 6 (the day on which Will Byers disappeared in the first season of the Netflix series), we know what the title of the Stranger Things season 4 premiere episode will be. Find out below.

Here's the tweet that the official Stranger Things account sent out, retweeting the revelation from writers' account:

So the first episode of the fourth season of Stranger Things is called "Chapter One: The Hellfire Club." This title could have many possible meanings depending on what it's actually referencing. In fact, it could be referencing several things all at once.

First of all, The Hellfire Club as mentioned in the history books (and Wikipedia) refers to several exclusive clubs that were established by upper class citizens in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century. They were said to be meeting places for "persons of quality" who wanted to partake in certain non-specific "immoral acts." Members of these clubs were also often involved in politics. These clubs don't sound much different from the shady dealings of millionaires today.

This reference may not seem like it makes much sense in the grand scheme of Stranger Things, but the first episode could easily be introducing us to a group of rich individuals who have been pulling the strings behind the exploration and experiments involving the Upside Down. Someone has to be funding these secret projects, and maybe we'll finally meet them.

On a similar note, The Hellfire Club also refers to a society of mutants in Marvel Comics who are at odds with the superhero team known as the X-Men. The club is portrayed as being an organization for wealthy elites to congregate, but their Inner Circle is always trying to influence world events with their own agenda, not unlike members of high society who were part of the historical Hellfire Club.

What's especially interesting about this possible comic book reference is that the Hellfire Club was introduced during the famous Dark Phoenix Saga run of X-Men comics. In that storyline, the telekinetic mutant Jean Grey became possessed by a celestial spirit known as The Phoenix Force, making her extremely powerful while also turning her into a villain. Could this be a possible hint that Eleven may end up making a turn to the dark side this season? That would be quite an Earth-shattering development.

On the other hand, the Stranger Things season 4 premiere episode title could have a more simple explanation. Hellfire is also a type of energy or magical substance in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, which is something our main characters love to play with each other (or at least they did when they were younger). So "The Hellfire Club" could easily be the name of a group of friends getting together for some good old-fashioned role-playing. After all, Will Byers is moving away from Hawkins, Indiana, so maybe he has a new group of friends that he's been playing Dungeons & Dragons with, and they give themselves a cool name.

Anything is possible with the fourth season of Stranger Things, especially with the tease of a story happening away from Hawkins, Indiana (at least in part). However, we could be waiting a long while before we see the fourth season of Stranger Things since production won't wrap until the summer of 2020. Depending on how long post-production takes, we might not see Stranger Things return until 2021. Until then we'll just have to be patient and keep an eye out for more details.

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