Stranger Things has officially been retconned thanks to the newest installment in the franchise. Although some may have thought that Stranger Things season 5’s ending was the final stop for the Netflix behemoth, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 proves otherwise. The animated spin-off is set between seasons 2 and 3 of Stranger Things, in the January of 1985.
While Stranger Things: Tales from ’85‘s reviews claim it to be a fun if not entirely engaging spin-off, it has its share of plot holes. For instance, the show’s timeline is a huge retcon. Another story involving Upside Down creatures was never mentioned in the main show, which leads to yet another plot hole. The scale of this story is a lot bigger than first thought, with Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max facing off against many creatures and their huge “Queen Bee,” and closing a major rift to the Upside Down.
This scale, combined with the timeline, makes it a big plot hole how Tales from ’85 was never mentioned in the main show. With future seasons being teased, too, the scale will likely only increase, with the timeline edging ever closer to Stranger Things season 3’s July 1985 setting. All that said, the biggest plot hole in Tales from ’85 has retconned Stranger Things in a way many thought wasn’t possible, given what is known from the latter: Nikki Baxter’s role.
Nikki Baxter is Stranger Things: Tales from ’85‘s new central character, a girl who moves to Hawkins alongside her mother and becomes friends with the crew, later helping them battle the newest threat they face. Nikki being part of the show at all begs the question of why she was never brought up by the other Hawkins kids in Stranger Things, with the end of Tales from ’85 season 1 only bolstering this plot hole.
Nikki’s Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Ending Makes Her An Even Bigger Plot Hole
As of the final moments of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 season 1, Nikki is still alive and in Hawkins. The show introduces the idea that her mother, Anna, likes to move around a lot, leading many to assume that the season would end with the same happening, thus removing Nikki from proceedings before Stranger Things season 3, of which she evidently wasn’t a part.
However, Nikki’s ending in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is completely the opposite. Instead, Anna decides that Hawkins is a good place for her and Nikki to live. Nikki then officially joins the party, complete with her own Dungeons & Dragons figure. This proves how embedded Nikki now is with the Hawkins group, raising several questions that make the future of the universe make less sense.
Nikki being around for longer, only to build even stronger relationships with the main crew, makes the lack of mentions of her in Stranger Things season 3 and beyond all the more strange. Nikki has proven to be a vital ally in battling Upside Down creatures, and formed strong friendships with Will and Eleven especially, but all of the main characters, too.
Regardless, she is not in Hawkins as of Stranger Things season 3 only six months after Tales from ’85 takes place. This retcon of Nikki being such a big part of the group not only raises the question of how she is never mentioned going forward, but also what happened to her and where she ended up.
Nikki Is The Source Of Several Stranger Things Plot Holes
Beyond these main questions, Nikki’s presence in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 creates a few other plot holes and inconsistencies. As an ally in the fight against Upside Down creatures, Nikki proves to be valuable; she is a tinkerer, meaning she has created several weapons that are effective against the vine creatures of the spin-off. What’s more is Nikki gives Will, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Eleven complete access to her garage workshop.
How the kids never used these weapons going into Stranger Things season 3 and beyond is baffling. Even if they ddin’t use Nikki’s weapons, her ingenuity should really have inspired the Stranger Things kids to better prepare for Vecna and his minions after doing exactly that only six months prior. All fo this proves how Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 retcons the main show, with Nikki at the center of the plot hole-making changes.
- Release Date
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April 23, 2026
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Eric Robles
- Directors
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Phil Allora
- Writers
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Jennifer Muro
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Brooklyn Davey Norstedt
Eleven
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Odessa A’zion
Nikki Baxter
