As the finale of the fourth season of Stranger Things approaches, a production designer came forward and gave details about how time works in Upside Down.

PS- SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS 4 AHEAD!

Chris Trujillo, the production designer for Stranger Things, has explained how time runs in Upside Down; fans were shown in Stranger Things 4 Volume 1 how the time in honest Hawkins and the Upside Down ran differently.

Who is Vecna, and how is he connected to the Upside Down?

The cast and creators, Duffer Brothers, had promised a lot of excitement and the most horrific season of the Stranger Things, yet; they seem to have kept their words.

In the epic Battle of Starcourt Mall, shown in Season 3, Eleven defeated the Mind Flayed from Upside Down and post-battle Vecna, the Supervillain, was introduced. Vecna is a creature created due to Dr Berner’s experiment and was his first subject.

Later Vecna, also known as One, becomes a fearsome creature who derives his powers from his victim’s trauma from the past and eventually kills them, but his motive remains unknown. The pattern Vecna follows in choosing his victim is also not revealed yet. He resides in the alternate timeline beside Hawkins in Upside Down.

What happened in Stranger Things 4 Volume 1’s last episode?

In Stranger Things Season 4, the original gang of Hawkins High had to split up and live across the country. While Eleven, Johnathan and Mike left Hawkins, the rest of the team still resides in Hawkins.

In their quest to free their hometown from the grasps of Vecna, Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie travel to Upside Down through a gate and get stuck there; that’s where the last episode ended. But wait, that is not all, to know more, keep reading!

Also Read: Stranger Things 5- Ending Hints Toward The Original Eleven Death Plan

Stranger Things 5- Ending Hints Toward The Original Eleven Death Plan

In the last epiode of Stranger Things season 4, part 1, called “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab,” while the leftover gang is trying to break out from Upside Down, Vecna casts his spell over Nancy and shows her where he comes from. Simultaneously Eleven is experiencing jitters about the past, why and how Vecna was created.

Vecna was born to a present convict Victor Creel who was in prison for the murder of his family, but he is not the natural killer and was wrongfully convicted. At the same time, Eleven learns that Vecna was One, Dr Berner’s first experiment subject.

Eleven also learns that she banished One to Upside Down when she was young after she got to know his real motive for the world and how he planned to use his powers to destroy Hawkins.

While all this is happening simultaneously, Nancy, Steve, Eddie and Robin are still in Upside Down, where they realise that they are actually in Hawkins but in some twisted version. Nancy realises that the time of Upside Down seems to be stuck in 1983, which was three years ago in the current timeline.

What did Chris Trujillo say about the Upside Down timeline?

Since that episode, there have been multiple theories about how time runs in the real and Upside Down Hawkins. To clear those confusions, a new video showing Chris Trujillo has surfaced where he explains how time works in Upside Down.

As part of outtakes from the series, the production designer of Stranger Things- Chris Trujillo, has explained that the time in Upside Down is frozen in 1983. The time is many years after Vecna was created/exiled there by our hero Eleven.

Now, because the ‘Stranger Things Time’ was set in 1983, it is designed with elements and features from the set of Stranger Things Season 1 after Eleven ran away from Hawkins Lab.

Chris Trujillo said in his comment:

“The moment that the Upside Down was quote-unquote “created” inadvertently by Eleven, the set dressing and the world of the Upside Down are frozen at that moment. So like when we’re in Nancy’s room, we’ll discover in the Upside Down that Nancy’s room is as it was in season 1 when we first were introduced to it.”

There were two essential parts in the comment made by Chris Trujillo from the crew of Stranger Things. First, the time inside the Upside Down is frozen in the past. Second, he hinted that Eleven might have “created” Upside Down, although it was not clearly stated.

Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, has previously said that her character merely opened the gates to pre-existing Upside Down, and she has been cautious with her comments on the subject. These two pieces of information from two essential members of the team of Stranger Things have not been able to clear any confusion.

One thing that fans can deduce from Chris Trujillo’s comments about the time factor is that Upside Down is currently frozen in 1983 when Bill was kidnapped, but Eleven’s fight with One happened in 1979. There is still some hidden mystery about the timeline that will be cleared once Volume two of Stranger Things arrives.

When will Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2 be released?

The second part will be released on Netflix on 1 July 2022.

Conclusion

The trailer of Stranger Things Season 4 had created a thrill amongst the fans; it also suggested a ‘final’ battle between Eleven and Vecna, where only one can survive. Nancy and Steve were also back in the honest Hawkins, which meant they escaped Upside Down and Vecna’s curse.

The final two episodes of Stranger Things 4 are of great significance to the story, but there are still many unanswered questions, like Vecna’s creation, how does time run in Upside Down and did Eleven create Upside Down by mistake?

The time they were being stuck in 1983 points towards Eleven, as she ran away from Hawkins Lab that year and Nancy herself pointed out that it was the year when Bill, played by Noah Schnapp, was kidnapped. All the questions are expected to be answered in the soon-to-be-released Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2.