Stranger Things has always focused on the threat of the unknown. All manner of beasts and monsters dwell in the Upside Down, and the fifth (and final) season of the Netflix series will have to solve this realm’s mystery once and for all, ideally while severing its connection to the real world in the process. But Season 5 also has a lot more on its plate, and the return of Stranger Things’ Big Bad, Vecna, is just one of many conflicts in store for the heroes of Hawkins, Indiana. The supernatural will always take center stage, but Season 5 is also set to introduce another threat in the form of Dr. Kay, played by Terminator star Linda Hamilton.
The Stranger Things team has worked hard to keep Dr. Kay under wraps, but the closer we get to the Season 5 premiere, the more we learn about this new antagonist. A recent profile in Time revealed that Kay leads a “sort of mercenary regime” called the Wolf Pack, and they’ll be hunting Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) for some yet-unknown reason. As for Kay herself, showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer recently sat down with Empire to reveal a bit more about her, and how she’s the exact opposite of what we’d expect from Linda Hamilton.
The Duffers have revealed more about Linda Hamilton’s “intimidating” antagonist.
After molding Sarah Connor into an all-out badass in Terminator 2, Hamilton has long been regarded as one of the ultimate action heroes. When it comes to people you’d want on your side at the end of the world, Sarah would easily find herself at the top of anyone’s list. Dr. Kay, on the other hand, seems like a direct subversion of Hamilton’s on-screen persona. She’s a federal agent, according to the Duffers, and Stranger Things has a habit of using scientists and G-men as villains, so it’s safe to assume that Dr. Kay will join their antagonistic ranks.
“She’s hyper-intelligent and intimidating,” Matt Duffer told Empire. “She’s a scientist but if she needs to, she can get into a fight.”
It sounds like Dr. Kay is more adept at psychological warfare, but there’s no way we won’t see Hamilton hold her own in an action sequence or two. There’s still so much we don’t know about Stranger Things Season 5, but what the Duffers have teased about its newest villain suggests that the finale will find plenty of ways to surprise long-term fans.
