STRANGER THINGS 5’s Big Kali/Eight Cameo….Sure Was a Choice!

And that choice WAS NOT Eddie Munson. Come on, guys! It could have been Eddie Munson. Instead, Stranger Things 5, Volume 1 brought back quite possibly the LEAST requested character of all. Throughout Volume 1, Stranger Things 5 teased a major revelation, hinting that Linda Hamilton’s Dr. Kay was keeping someone or something behind a locked vault door. And that character COULD have been Eddie Munson. Instead, what we got was pure Stranger Things shenanigans. So, who was behind Dr. Kay’s locked vault door? In the end, Stranger Things 5, volume 1’s big cameo, its promised super-powerful surprise character, was none other than Elven’s “sister” Kali Prasad, also known as Eight. And it turns out Kali/Eight was introduced in what is widely considered to be Stranger Things‘ worst episode. But why is Kali/Eight present in the narrative of Stranger Things 5, and how is she important to the story? Here’s everything we learned about Kali/Eight in Stranger Things 5, from Volume 1 to its series finale.

Who Is Kali Prasad/Eight in Stranger Things?

It’s been a very long time since we saw Kali/Eight on Stranger Things, yet, somehow, here she is again in Stranger Things 5.

Kali first appeared in Stranger Things 2, episode seven, “The Lost Sister,” presumably to shed some light on Eleven’s past and powers. Like Eleven, Kali was taken by Doctor Brenner at a very young age and kept at Hawkins Lab in Indiana. She was one of the several other children with abilities, whose mother had presumably been part of the MKUltra experiments where Brenner infused women with Henry Creel/Vecna/One’s Flayed blood in order to induce powers and abilities in them. Eight was also seen in one of the Stranger Things‘ most replayed flashbacks, playing with Eleven as her birth mother tries to break into the lab and reach out to her.

Eventually, Eight and Eleven were separated, and Kali used her abilities to run away. When Eleven met Eight/Kali years later on Stranger Things 2, she had formed something of a gang of misfits. She used her powers not only to help her friends but to take revenge on those who wronged her in the Hawkins lab.

Kali/Eight taught Eleven how to use her emotions and rage to tap into her powers on Stranger Things. She also tried to push for them to remain together as sisters and help one another heal. But Eleven was not as disillusioned with the world as Kali/Eight and did not approve of the overly violent tactics she used. So she left Kali behind to go save her friends, including Mike Wheeler and Hopper, in Hawkins. But she did draw on Kali/Eight’s advice in order to ultimately close the Upside Down gate, season’s two big issue. Eleven did that by recalling the loss of her mother and other traumas.

Bitchin’

Notably, Kali taught Eleven the term “Bitchin,” which Eleven loves to use at every available opportunity on Stranger Things. Her sister also gave her a punk rock makeover.

And, as we assumed would happen, in Stranger Things 5, Volume 2, “Bitchin” makes an appearance. The two don’t say it to one another, but Hopper brings us this Stranger Things fun fact, in case we forgot.

Kali/Eight Was the Person in Dr. Kay’s Mysterious Vault, and Now We Know Why

But how does Kali/Eight come to cameo in Stranger Things 5? The government brought Dr. Kay, a fearsome military scientist, into Hawkins. Initially, we thought it was just to study the Upside Down. But we learned that Dr. Kay’s plans are much more nefarious than that. Dr. Kay is seeking to restart Dr. Brenner’s program and make more psychic kids that can connect to other dimensions, like Henry Creel/Vecna can. Dr. Kay kidnapped Eight to try and use her blood to make new psychic children, but it wasn’t strong enough. Kali/Eight reveals that Dr. Kay needs Eleven in order to really create new psychic children. And that’s why, through most of Stranger Things 5, Volume 1 and 2, Dr. Kay tries to hunt Eleven down.

But Dr. Kay didn’t waste her time with Kali either; it’s revealed in episode three of Stranger Things 5 that the military has a sonic blast they can fire that completely neutralizes Eleven. Eleven calls it her kryptonite.

Kali/Eight’s Cameo on Stranger Things 5 Set Up Eleven’s Death and Sacrifice

But what ultimately was the purpose of Kali/Eight’s Stranger Things 5 cameo? Kali/Eight’s return on Stranger Things, and Dr. Kay’s desire to restart Dr. Brenner’s research, came down to setting up Eleven’s final choice in Stranger Things 5‘s series finale. Before Kali/Eight came back and brought with her the knowledge that Dr. Kay was restarting Dr. Brenner’s program, Eleven thought she could run away and live happily ever after with Mike. But now, Kali/Eight has revealed to her on Stranger Things 5, Volume 2 that as long as the blood is pumping in Eleven’s veins, not only are she and her loved ones not safe, but the entire world remains in danger. As long as Eleven is still alive, then someone like Dr. Brenner and Dr. Kay could make more psychic children, more monsters, and put the whole world in jeopardy once more. Kali/Eight wants Eleven and herself to remain in the Upside Down after the Party blows it up, so that their deaths can ensure the world is safe forever.

Kali/Eight Dies In Stranger Things‘ Series Finale—But Did She Save Eleven’s Life?

Ultimately, Kali/Eight’s part of the plan goes as she imagines. After the Party’s plans to destroy Vecna get interrupted, Kali/Eight, Hopper, and Eleven are tracked into the Upside Down by the military and Akers. Akers manages to capture Kali/Eight and Hopper, and threatens to kill Kali if Hopper doesn’t reveal where Eleven is. Murray manages to help by destroying the military’s “kryptonite”/sonic weapon, which stops Eleven and Eight’s powers, and Eleven intervenes to save them. But in the chaos, Akers shoots Kali/Eight fatally. Eleven immediatly murders him in the most brutal way, but it’s not enough. Kali/Eight appears to die.

But despite her death, it seems like what Kali/Eight resonated with Eleven. In Stranger Things‘ series finale, Eleven chooses to die with the Upside Down, stepping into the explosion that the Party has detonated. Eleven, it seems, believes that she must die in order to truly end this chapter. However, in the ending scene of Stranger Things‘ series finale, Mike Wheeler casts doubt on what we saw happen. Instead, he suggests that Kali/Eight used her vision powers to fake Eleven’s death, allowing her to escape alive while everyone believed her to be dead. In this way, Kali/Eight saved her sister before she died on Stranger Things. Did this really happen? We will never know.

Who Plays Kali/Eight on Stranger Things?

Kali/Eight is played by Linnea Berthelsen on Stranger Things 2. Linnea Berthelsen returned to play Kali/Eight in her Stranger Things 5 cameo.

Kali/Eight’s Appearance Was More Than Just a Cameo in Stranger Things 5

In the lead-up to Stranger Things 5, Volume 2, the Duffer Brothers revealed that Eight/Kali would have a major role to play in the ending of Stranger Things, noting, “None of it would play out the way it would if she wasn’t involved again.” And add “to really tell this story completely, we needed to bring her back. As you’ll see in Volume 2, she’s really there. Her reason for being there is very important in terms of Eleven’s journey and also the journey for this story to end.” And indeed, she did. Farewell, Kali/Eight, you weren’t our first choice, but we wish your ending had been less tragic.

Stranger Things 5, Volume 1 is now streaming on Netflix.

Rotem Rusak is Nerdist’s Editor-in-Chief. She recently rewatched all of Stranger Things in 72 hours and is still not over Eddie Munson’s death. If Steve Harrington dies in Stranger Things 5, she will cry.

Originally published on November 26, 2025.