Stranger Things season 5 cast photo confirms the surprising return of 1 character

The cast and crew of Stranger Things season 5 officially started filming in early January 2024. Netflix confirmed the start of production with an all-new cast photo.

In that cast photo, Netflix also surprisingly confirmed the return of a key cast member from season 4.

Amybeth McNulty returns for Stranger Things season 5

Amybeth McNulty, who most Netflix viewers with recognize from Anne with an E, appears in the Stranger Things season 5 cast photo and will return as Vickie in the new season of the Netflix series.

In addition to McNulty, you can see the rest of the Stranger Things season 5 cast, including Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Cara Buono, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton, Natalia Dyer, Maya Hawke, Brett Gelman, Priah Ferguson, Jamie Campbell Bower, Linda Hamilton, who plays a new character, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, and Sadie Sink. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer are also in the photo.

For those who don't recall, Vickie is the marching band member who Robin (Maya Hawke) has a crush on in season 4. Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin talk about her on their way to school, and then, Vickie and Robin have a meet-cute-ish moment during the basketball game where Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) scores the winning basket. After that, Robin and the gang run into Vickie at War Zone while gathering all of the supplies for the battle against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).

Vickie is largely absent in Stranger Things season 4 until the final episode. In the season 4 finale, Robin and Vickie are volunteering and making sandwiches at Hawkins High for all those affected by the destruction that Vecna caused. Vickie and Robin have another moment after Vickie reveals her boyfriend broke up with her.

It's unclear what to expect from McNulty's character in season 5. It's safe to assume, based on what we know about Robin and Vickie, that Robin is the connection to the rest of the group and this story for Vickie. Whether they are just friends or dating, we'll have to wait to find out until the cast starts spilling some details about the new season. It would be great, given the talk about Robin's crushes through two seasons, if Robin was in a relationship in season 5.

And, don't confuse Vickie with Tammy Thompson (Julia Reilly), who was the person Robin had a crush on in season 3. Tammy was also featured in season 4, and yes, she sings like a muppet.

Stranger Things season 5 is expected to film for the better part, if not all, of 2024, setting up a potential release for the final season sometime in 2025. Stay tuned for more news about the new season!