"Stranger Things" fans are convinced that a new production photo has confirmed the return of a fan-favorite character in Season 5 of the hit Netflix series.

Netflix delighted "Stranger Things" fans by releasing a behind-the-scenes photo from the cast meeting for the highly anticipated fifth and final season on Monday.

The image shared on X, formerly Twitter, showed series creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer reuniting with the returning cast members, signaling the start of production for the hit show after delays caused by the Hollywood strikes.

"THIS IS A CODE RED. 'Stranger Things 5' production has officially begun!!!" the streamer captioned the black-and-white image.

The photo featured Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, Jamie Campbell Bower, Priah Ferguson, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin.

However, what caught the attention of eagle-eyed fans was the presence of Sadie Sink, who portrays Max Mayfield on the show.

Sink's character faced an uncertain fate at the end of Season 4, with Max in a coma after sustaining injuries while battling Vecna. 

 

Fans quickly took to social media to express excitement and share their speculation regarding Max's role in "Stranger Things" Season 5.

"I see Sadie Sink," one fan wrote on X. "Does that mean that she will wake up???"

Others joined in, anticipating Max's return, with comments like, "'Stranger Things 5' is officially in production, and all we can see is that SADIE SINK (Max) is there."

The mystery surrounding Max's fate has been a central point of discussion among fans.

Sink opened up about her character's future in an interview with Deadline in July 2022, saying, "Max's storyline is very up in the air because obviously she's in a coma, and Eleven can't find her in the void. So who knows where she is and what state she's in."

But Matt and Ross previously said on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast that they aren't giving up on Max. "She's brain dead, but yeah, she's alive. She's blind, and all of her bones are broken," they said.

Meanwhile, during Stranger Things Day in November 2023, the show revealed on X that the first episode of Season 5 will be called "The Crawl."

"Stranger Things" executive producer Shawn Levy also previously teased that the final season would address lingering questions and promised a satisfying conclusion.

"Our ambitions remain pretty high," he told E! News in September 2022. "We are hard at work to stick the landing."

A release date for "Stranger Things" Season 5 is yet to be confirmed.

Tags: Stranger Things