Warning: contains spoilers for Stranger Things: Kamchatka
A spinoffs in the future.
Netflix has learned lessons from other successful franchises, notably Lucasfilm's Star Wars. In addition to the TV series, the streaming giant has commissioned a wide range of tie-in novels and comics which have expanded the world of Stranger Things in fascinating ways. Some of them have been side adventures for the main cast, others have revealed details about Dr. Brenner's experiments at Hawkins. But the most intriguing series to date is from a four-issue miniseries. This actually appears to be set up for Stranger Things season 4, exploring the Russians' attempts to keep a Demogorgon alive.
Stranger Things: Kamchatka by Michael Moreci, Todor Hristov, Dan Jackson, and Nate Piekos introduces readers to a Russian scientist named Dr. Boris Orlov. He's essentially the USSR's version of Dr. Brenner, a scientist who believes the human mind has the potential for phenomenal power. Curiously, his specific focus is upon telekinesis, which he believes can be used to create gateways to "infinite worlds." Fascinatingly, Dr. Orlov theorized this with no knowledge of the experiments being conducted in the United States, or of Eleven's unwittingly opening a doorway to the Upside-Down.
The twisted dimension known as the Upside-Down lies at the heart of Stranger Things, but this throwaway reference places it in the wider context of an entire multiverse. This may even explain the nature of the Upside-Down; it's possible it is a pocket dimension associated only with the geographical area around Hawkins, explaining why the Russians had been unable to open a Gate into the Upside-Down until they established a base beneath the Mall in season 3. In narrative , Dr. Orlov's theories open up the possibility of still more dimensions - potentially expanding the franchise still further.
The reference to infinite worlds may well be important to Stranger Things season 4. Each season is inspired by different horror tropes, and in the case of season 4 it's time for a haunted house - one that seems to be a portal to another dimension, one very similar to the Upside-Down but not necessarily the same. That would potentially explain why the Mind-Flayer appeared to be the dominant force in the Upside-Down, while season 4's main villain is a twisted creature known as Vecna. Stranger Things: Kamchatka really has set up a tremendous number of potential plot points for the main Stranger Things TV series.
