Stranger Things Season 5 Trailer Puts Steve and Dustin Bromance Front and Center

Stranger Things offers a lot to viewers. The Netflix series has become a sensation thanks to its expansive monster mythology, its use of needle drops like “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush, and a cast that ranges from reliable stars like Winona Ryder to breakouts such as Sadie Sink. But, let’s be honest, there are two major reasons that people get so excited about the streaming sensation: Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson, especially when they’re together.

That’s what the people want and it’s exactly what they get in the final trailer for volume 1 of Stranger Things‘ fifth and final season. The trailer begins and ends with the dynamic duo in Steve’s (Joe Keery) car, now outfitted with a ridiculous satellite receiver, not too dissimilar from the antenna Doc Brown puts on the DeLorean in Back to the Future. When Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) expresses doubt about their newest plan working, Steve responds. “It’s gonna work. It’s not like we’re conspicuous or anything,” gesturing up to the device on the roof.

The Steve and Dustin bromance works so well because it’s so unlikely. As Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer have made clear, they initially thought of Steve as a one-season character, and even considered killing him off in the first few episodes. They wrote him as a typical preppy teen guy, the handsome and popular dude who would distract good girl Nancy (Natalia Dyer) from the more authentic and sensitive Jonathan (Charlie Heaton).

But Keery brought enough charm to the part that they rewrote him to be more of a likable goofball who also fit in with the cool kids, giving Steve a new lease on life. And when later seasons required the central quartet of preteen boys to start going their own ways, Steve became a natural pairing for Dustin, the kid most devoted to his friend group.

The Steve and Dustin duo might be the most prominent element of the latest Stranger Things trailer, but it’s hardly the only set of familiar faces we see. Where previous promotional materials for the ultimate season had reemphasized the threat of the monstrous Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), leaving the Upside Down to conquer the town of Hawkins, Indiana, this final trailer goes back to the primary appeal of the show. More than anything else, Stranger Things is about a bunch of characters we like, hanging out together.

So while we do get glimpses of Vecna’s attack and adult characters such as conspiracy theorist Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) or military scientist Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton), most of the trailer focuses on the kids. We get Mike (Finn Wolfhard) inspiring old pals Dustin, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Will (Noah Schnapp). We get exciting images of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Nancy. We get wry replies from newer additions to the friend group Robin (Maya Hawke) and Erica (Priah Ferguson).

Certainly, the happier vibe owes largely to the fact that Netflix is releasing the final season of Stranger Things in three different chunks, and this trailer only highlights the first four episodes, collected as volume 1. Volume 3 will collect the next three, with the finale releasing as a stand-alone on January 1. As the show heads to its ending, the bad times will surely come.

But until then, we’re on a roller-coaster ride of fun, and Steve and Dustin are driving.

Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 releases on Netflix at 8pm EST on November 26, 2025.