Stranger Things theories have been fueled by fans since the show began, and season 4, volume 1 was not without its share of speculation. After years of pandemic-related delays, Stranger Things finally released its new season. While it did highlight a popular theory spawned at the end of season 3, its payoff in the fourth season was less than satisfactory.
Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 introduces Vecna, a horrifying creation of the Upside Down who begins to wreak havoc on teens in Hawkins. Before Vecna kills them, his victims hear and see a clock, heralding their final moments alive. This clock ties into Vecna's origins and contributes to a long-believed theory many thought Stranger Things would eventually touch upon.
Clocks are prevalent images in Stranger Things season 4, volume 1, particularly the Creel house grandfather clock, which hinted at a popular time travel theory in early trailers. Since several Stranger Things trailers placed attention on various timelines, a clock set to 3 P.M. in Hawkins Lab, and the glass breaking in the grandfather clock, many posited this was teasing time travel in the new season. The fourth season does confirm that time travel exists in the Stranger Things universe, but just not in the way viewers expected. One way time travel is used is in Eleven's journey to regaining her powers. The Nina Project makes visiting the past possible by accessing Eleven's old memories from Hawkins Lab. By reliving a particularly traumatic event as a patient there, Eleven's powers begin to reactivate. The logistics behind this technology are not readily known, and the execution of this theory falls a bit flat, as Eleven is not physically moving through time.
The Stranger Things time travel theory does receive a bit of in another separate narrative involving the kids in Hawkins. While searching for a gate to the Upside Down, Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie accidentally become trapped in the other dimension. In order to protect themselves, Nancy suggests they visit the Upside Down version of her house, where Upside Down versions of guns that she bought back in season 1 should be stored. However, when they arrive, the guns are missing because they don't exist in that dimension yet. Thanks to Nancy's diary, whose last entry was written the day Eleven opened the gate in Hawkins Lab, the kids realize that they've traveled to the past.
This is a fascinating revelation into how the Upside Down functions and what that may mean for future seasons. Though the theory of time traveling in Stranger Things isn't explored more at present, that doesn't mean it won't be in the second volume of Stranger Things season 4. Hopefully this major time travel theory will pay off in following episodes, as it has the potential to be expanded upon.