Netflix’s wildly popular Stranger Things is soon returning for Season 4, and the streaming giant teased fans with a new trailer this past weekend. But it also released a map created by artist Kyle Lambert that features locations from every season of the show, including Russia, California, Chicago and, of course, Hawkins, Indiana. And while much of the sci-fi show takes place in the fictional Indiana town, fans can’t help but wonder if the references to other cities could mean something more for the upcoming season.
California and Russia shouldn't come as a surprise, as they both will be featured in the forthcoming season. Max and Billy moved to Hawkins from California in Season 2, but it’s also where Eleven is living with the Byers after taking off at the end of last season. Russia is sure to be highlighted as well, as it was revealed at the end of last season that, although Hopper is indeed alive, he is being held captive in a Russian facility. However, the fact that Chicago is included on the map raises eyebrows and makes one wonder if some characters might return.
The most prominent storyline involving Chicago is the introduction of Kali in Season 2, another child test subject from Hawkins National Laboratory. Eleven uses her powers to locate Kali after learning there are other children like her out there. She discovers Kali and her friends’ hideout and quickly forges a bond with her “lost sister” who, like Eleven, was reduced to a number: Eight. Kali is on a mission to exact revenge on employees of Hawkins Lab, aided not only by her friends but also her powerful abilities that allow her to make people see what she wants by creating illusions.
Kali is eager for Eleven to join her, mostly because she can put her powers to use in tracking down the remaining lab employees. Eleven obliges at first but ultimately can’t bring herself to kill their mark when she sees a picture of the man with his daughters after the group finds the pair hiding in the house. Kali tries to finish the job herself, but Eleven uses her powers to prevent her from doing so, sparing his life. The group flees the scene as police approach but don’t have long before their hideout is surrounded. Despite Kali’s pleas for Eleven to stay with her, she returns to Hawkins to help her endangered friends.
With the Season 4 trailer’s focus on other child test subjects from the lab, it’s reasonable to believe that Kali will make a return. It’s worth mentioning that Murray Bauman used to work for the Chicago Sun-Times, but it seems far more likely that any references to Chicago that may resurface in the new season will revolve around Kali. For better or worse, she's an important figure in Eleven's life, and the show cannot conclude without catching up with her one more time.
To see if Kali returns, Stranger Things 4 hits Netflix in 2022.
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