The final Stranger Things trailer just dropped, and we already have so many new fan theories

Warning, spoilers for Stranger Things Seasons 1 and 2 ahead!

Yesterday, June 20th, Netflix released the final trailer for Season 3 of Stranger Things, and there is a lot to absorb. At the end of Season 2, all seemed well—kind of. Eleven closed the gate to the Upside Down, and the kids were finally able to partake in kiddie activities like going to the school ball (where Mike and Eleven kissed!). But despite the gate being closed, the Upside Down is still very much an omnipresent threat. The gang will seemingly have to confront it again in Season 3, but there’s a new, interesting twist.

“What if he never left? What if we locked him out here with us?” Will asks Eleven about the mind-controlling Shadow Monster/Mind Flayer. “He’d wanna attach himself to someone again. A new host.”

Then, an image of schoolyard bully Billy Hargrove, played by Dacre Montgomery, rests on the screen. His eye dilates, leading us to believe that Billy is the new villain.

This latest trailer has opened up several different cans of worms, and fan theories are spreading across social media. It’s a far cry from the upbeat summer vibes we got from the previous sneak peeks into the upcoming season. So, we have to wonder, what else could be awaiting us in the darkness that is Season 3 of Stranger Things?

Check out some more of the questions and theories that have people buzzing.

What’s the deal with those rats?

It’s important to focus on the rat situation for a minute. The show has been pushing the rat imagery since the early days of Season 3 promotion. They’re present in this latest trailer, too, and they’re seemingly running toward Billy. Is Billy some sort of Pied Piper that leads the rats toward Hawkins, Indiana, rather than away? Perhaps, as PopSugar theorizes, the rats are working for the Mind Flayer and carrying some sort of Upside Down-borne disease that infected Billy and has the potential to affect others in town.

As we saw in the first trailer for Season 3, Billy has some sort of grizzly infection spreading on his arm. Could that have been caused by a zombie-like rat bite?

Mayor Kline is actually the Mind Flayer in disguise

And what’s the deal with the narration? Obviously, the Mind Flayer has harnessed some sort of power that allows him to communicate through language—or through humans.

Cary Elwes joins the Stranger Things cast this season and plays Larry Kline, Mayor of Hawkins. At the end of the first trailer, we hear Mayor Kline wish everyone at the carnival a Happy Fourth of July. Is it just us, or does Mayor Kline’s voice sound awfully similar to that of the Mind Flayer in the new trailer?

We think that Mayor Kline either becomes possessed by the Mind Flayer, like Billy, or is somehow in control of the actual monster. That spells big trouble for the citizens of Hawkins. If their mayor isn’t really their mayor, someone will have to step in and save them. And we know the perfect group of kids for the job.

The Hawkins mall is a portal to the Upside Down

All the promotional clips lead us to believe that the new Hawkins mall is going to be an important setting this season. From the latest trailer, we can tell that a huge battle between good and evil will take place at the mall—a location full of winding hallways and places to hide.

If Mayor Kline is connected to the Upside Down, did he have the mall built as some sort of new portal to the Upside Down after Eleven closed the gate? Is it a coverup to hide some dirty business those men involved in the test lab are still working on?

We see Steve Harrington, played by Joe Keery, dressed in his work uniform (perhaps in a mall employee locker room) pulling a green substance out of a box. That tells us that something fishy is going on in that place. We just know it.

Do you guys have any Season 3 theories of your own? Let us know before Stranger Things Season 3 drops on Netflix on July 4th.