Popverse's top stories of the day

• Harley Quinn is making April Fools Day 2025 one to remember with a not-so-sweet-smelling DC comic book special
• Watch the D&D, Warhammer, Mega Man, and more anthology panel Secret Level from Prime Video, filmed at NYCC 2024
• Nintendo's long-time Mario voice actor reveals the secret behind voicing Mario's Dad in the movie (and how it goes back to his original audition decades ago)

Yes, we know we’ve been waiting a long time for Stranger Things season 5. You know who else knows it has been a long time? The cast and crew. Even though they’ve been hard at work filming the final season of one of Netflix’s biggest shows of all time, one member of the cast has decided to poke a little fun at the long wait – and the fans who have been waiting impatiently – by posting a picture of what he and his castmates might look by the time the season comes out.

Caleb McLaughlin, who has been playing Lucas since season one of Stranger Things, posted a picture on his social media with some of the cast aged up significantly. He gave himself a pretty substantial beard with some dignified greying, while Max’s actress, Sadie Sink, somehow looks older than future Maya Hawke’s Robin. Caleb posted the image with the caption “Sneak peak of Season 5.”

Considering there was once talk of the producers using anti-aging technology to keep the young actors looking the right age for their characters, this little joke feels even more on the nose. One of the big dangers of a show like Stranger Things is that young people don’t stay looking young forever. They grow up, change, and get significantly better haircuts. It has been eight years since we were introduced to the Hawkins kids – they’re now either well into their 20s or about to get there.

Of course, maybe McLaughlin’s post is less a joke and more a pitch for his own spin-off show in thirty years. We’d be down for an Old Man Lucas series. He could just be playing the long game with his career.

As we all collectively wait for Stranger Things season 5, here's the keys to getting ready:

• How to watch Stranger Things in chronological or release order
• Getting to know the Stranger Things season 5 cast
• There needs to be more death in Stranger Things, says co-star Gaten Matarazzo
• The Stranger Things time jump between season 4 and 5 has been confirmed by Netflix - and it raises some serious questions
• "They land the plane," David Harbour describes the Stranger Things finale, which he calls its "best episode"