“Make your choice adventurous stranger ;

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

You’re not imagining things - they had Derek’s eyes transition from a blue glow to a red glow

Alpha Derek is confirmed

S4 death = evolved to full wolf shift Movie death = evolved back to an alpha

Or were the alpha eyes always there, just dimmer and hidden by the bright blue?

Regardless, he didn’t stay dead in S4 so why should he now. The question is, WHERE is he? We don’t actually see him when he’s dead. There’s no body and no ash left behind, he just vanishes in that ball of fire like he was teleported.

————-

There were tons of hints about death not being the end and characters being able to come back so they’re clearly leaving that possibility open.

Allison died and was cremated (fire) then resurrected 15 years later, appearing naked in the woods. Derek sacrificed himself to get rid of the nogitsune and went up in a ball of flames (fire), is he going to appear naked in the woods next?

Peter calling Stiles: “So my nephew went and died, again… want to help me bring him back?” Stiles: “I was wondering why he showed up naked outside my house. Did you know he’s an alpha again?” Peter: “Oh, well that makes things easier”

Did I mention that Derek sacrificed himself in a spirit realm thing ON THE FUCKING NEMETON. HELLO BIG MAGIC TREE STUMP. BARDO AND JACOB’S LADDER ARE VERY MUCH PRESENT. Not to mention Jennifer used it to revive herself…

A line from before about people who are supposed to be dead not being dead (cough Allison, Peter, etc)

Sheriff Stilinski telling Eli that Derek was like the jeep, beaten up more than anyone and still surviving. Stiles had left his jeep because it died then Derek brought it back to life for sentimental reasons because STEREK. He ends the metaphor with until one day Derek couldn’t or something like that but the jeep is still there and Eli should keep it running. EXCEPT by his own metaphor, Derek is like the apparently dead jeep and can still be brought back to life.

Oh, and Lydia broke up with Stiles a while back in order to stop her banshee screams from predicting Stiles’s death. Also no mention of Eli’s mother so both Stiles and Derek are confirmed to be single.

Did I miss anything? I’m not sure.

TLDR

Derek ends up being THE big hero of the movie, easily a thousand times more of a hero than Scott could ever be, they’re making it very clear that characters don’t stay dead in Beacon Hills, Derek would be an alpha if he comes back, Stiles and Derek are single, and Derek is still showing his feelings for Stiles by keeping the jeep running.

It’s a super easy setup for if there’s another movie and if they can get Hoechlin and/or Dylan in.