Stranger Things Season 3: 25 New Photos Tease What's Coming

The third season of the hit TV series Stranger Things is just days away. Among the new July 2019 arrivals on Netflix are Stranger Things Season 3 on July 4. And while Netflix has been pretty secretive of just what's going to happen with the latest season, we do know a few things. It takes place during the summer of '85 in Hawkins, where a mall has recently opened. And it wouldn't be Stranger Things without the Upside Down, Eleven, and the rest of the gang.

An official synopsis from Netflix reads, "Romance blossoms and complicates the group's dynamic, and they'll have to figure out how to grow up without growing apart. Meanwhile, danger looms. When the town's threatened by enemies old and new, Eleven and her friends are reminded that evil never ends; it evolves. Now they'll have to band together to survive, and remember that friendship is always stronger than fear."

Still, even with what has previously been revealed, including new characters introduced via posters, so much of what to expect from the third season remains a mystery. However, there are some things we can pick up from a batch of new photos that have been released ahead of the launch of Stranger Things 3. Be sure to also check out the new behind-the-scenes photos from the upcoming season.

Follow along as we take a look at the new photos and speculate wildly about what they could mean for Stranger Things 3.

Dustin is wearing a Camp Know Where 1985 shirt, which we learned in the first trailer for the new season he is returning from. We've got to believe this happens in the Season 3 premiere.

He also gets surprised by his friends when Eleven controls all of his toy robots, giving him a real scare.

We already knew Erica, the sister of Lucas, was going to play a bigger role in Season 3. Based on this image, it certainly looks like she'll be part of whatever shenanigans her brother's friends are into.

It's not Stranger Things without the chief.

Billy Hargrove first appeared in Season 2 and wasn't the nicest guy. Max's stepbrother was actually a total jerk and pretty abusive, though it was later revealed he's the target of his own father's abuse. If he has an expanded presence in Season 3, hopefully the show makes us like him a bit more.

Regardless of whatever else is happening in Season 3, clearly Billy is still spending his time hitting on girls.

Steve didn't get the girl in Season 2, but he did get a new best friend. We're very glad to see these guys hanging out even more in Season 3.

Steve and Dustin on a covert mission is something we need this time around.

Thanks to Steve's new job at the mall, it looks like he and little buddy Dustin will also be hanging out with Maya. Let's go ahead and assume it'll be these three that save the world in Season 3.

There's no way Stranger Things would cast Cary Elwes as the mayor of Hawkins if he weren't going to play a major role in the new season. How tied up is he in the government conspiracy trying to hide the Upside Down?

These two tend to end up with their own side adventures as they dig into the conspiracy side of things. What's this wannabe detective couple up to now?

This had better not be a fakeout. We're going to need Eleven and her crew together much more often in Season 3, than in the years before. Seeing them together at the hospital--though Dustin is missing because he's off with BFF Steve, probably--is encouraging.

Dustin is gone, and Eleven is nowhere in sight. Naturally, that leaves Mike, Will, and Lucas incredibly bored.

After a rocky first meeting in Season 2, it looks like Eleven and Max are becoming pretty good friends. Where are they headed on that bus, though?

There's no Eleven in this one but with Mike, Dustin, Lucas, and Max hanging out near this antenna, could they be trying to somehow make contact with the Upside Down?

Honestly, this one doesn't give much away. It's good to see Hopper channeling his inner-Miami Vice, though.

Clearly, he's showing something to his and only Will looks happy about it. What's he hiding in there? Did he accidentally adopt another baby demodog?

It looks like there's some kind of plan being formulated to handle whatever is going on in Season 3. But man, it's hard to get past Nancy's super '80s hair.

Whenever Eleven has this look on her face, bad things are bound to happen to anyone standing in her way. Luckily her friends are behind her--except for Dustin, who is off searching for treasure with Steve, probably.

Sure, Hawkins is always on the verge of a supernatural apocalypse of some sort, but couldn't these kids be a little more excited about school being out?

We previously learned that Eleven would cover her eyes to connect with someone far away. So who's she connecting with here? It could be that she's trying to figure out what Steve and Dustin are up to on their totally awesome adventure. Or maybe, just maybe, she's trying contact Kali, otherwise known as Eight, who we met in Season 2.

Could these two look any guiltier after, we can only assume, getting caught hanging out together in a bedroom alone? Go outside.

This is weird. Joyce actually looks happy. Then again, her kids aren't dying or being kidnapped by monsters from parallel dimensions, so there's a lot to be excited about.

Mike and Nancy's mom is back and perhaps this time she'll play a bigger role. When we last saw her in Season 2, she met and flirted with Billy. Who knows what she'll be up to this year?

Max and Eleven sure seemed to be having fun eating ice cream and riding the bus. What's changed?