【X-Deal (2011)】

Warning: Contains spoilers for Stranger ThingsSeason 3.

The X-Deal (2011)aftermath of any Stranger Thingsseason usually brings theories aplenty.

Predictions about where the show's headed, ideas about what might have happened to certain characters.

A lot of the post-Season 3 discussion so far has -- understandably -- revolved around Hopper's fate. But it may be that we've been so focused on the tiny details that we've missed another interesting pattern.

Reddit user u/Gamer_Nation recently shared the following Season 4 prediction in the r/StrangerThings subreddit.

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The nuclear accident at Chernobyl took place on 26 April, 1986. If Season 4 is indeed set in spring 1986 (and based on the show's seasonal pattern so far — Season 1: winter 1983, Season 2: fall 1984, Season 3: summer 1985 — this seems likely) then it makes sense that the event would at least be mentioned.

But would it really be the major plot point that this theory suggests?

SEE ALSO: The tiny detail in the 'Stranger Things 3' finale you may have missed

There are a couple of reasons to think that this is unlikely. The first is that altering a real-life tragedy for the purposes of fiction would almost certainly draw criticism, as someone was quick to point out in the comments.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

There's also the following, important geographical point.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Because of the two points above, it seems unlikely that the Chernobyl disaster will be featured in a major, central way in the fourth season's plot.

But the point about timings still stands. Spring 1986 seems like the logical setting for Season 4. Given at least part of the season will be set in Russia, and that Chernobyl was a global news story at the time, this means that the nuclear disaster will likely be in the season's backdrop at the very least.

How much it will feature in the main storyline remains to be seen.

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