#labyrinththeory

PART TWO IS REAL?! (sorry for the wait, i got busy). As I was saying in part one, I think there's a chance that the climax of Mike's arc in Stranger Things will parallel Sarah's from the movie Labyrinth.

In the movie Labyrinth, Sarah had exactly thirteen hours to rescue her baby brother Toby after accidentally wishing for him to be taken away. In the climax of the movie, she finally spots him crawling up (and down) a trippy ass staircase.

As one of Sarah's last challenges within the Labyrinth, she runs throughout this maze trying to catch up to her little brother. The laws of gravity and physics do not apply here. At one moment, little Toby might be crawling across the ceiling, in the next he might be catching a crystal bouncing up a flight of steps.- fandom wiki

In Labyrinth, the setting of the “endless stairs” scene is based on M.C Escher’s ‘Relativity’.

Which is foreshadowed earlier in the movie, by a poster hanging on Sarah’s bedroom wall:

And as you know from my earlier post, I think this MC Escher poster hanging in Mike's room, was a reference to Sarah's from Labyrinth.

Because it could potentially foreshadow a Snowball/GoblinBall parallel going down in season 5. (read theory: here)

I ended part one on a cliffhanger (cue laughter), by hinting that Sarah's "Relativity" poster might ALSO relate to a potential s5 reference.

Perhaps Mike's Cliff Jump is parallel to Sarah's Staircase Jump...

AND GUESS WHAT, THE VIBES WHERE PROPHETIC OR SOME SHIT, BECAUSE IT TURNS OUT THAT A POSTER OF RELATIVITY IS ALSO HANGING IN MIKE'S ROOM?!😱 (hanging under the notorious “one way sign” pointing into his closet)

(thank you to @strangerchicka for telling me this, because when i originally paused to screenshot Mike's room, he was covering it)

What if the scene of Mike jumping off the cliff comes full circle in s5.

because it’s the only way (?)

Which leads me back to Labyrinth:

The Climax:

In labyrinth, the M.C. Escher poster was used to foreshadow the climax. The final confrontation between Sarah and Jareth happens in the Relativity-themed room. When she finally reaches the top of the staircase, she looks down and spots sweet lil baby brother Toby.

Edit:(November 7, 2025): As everyone knows, the episode title: “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler” recently got leaked. Mike’s baby sister and Sarah’s baby brother now parallel eachother!!!

but lil homie is contemplating life, staring into the abyss. He's looking over the edge of what appears to be a pretty steep drop.

He's about to fall.

The baby represents her childhood innocence. When she sees him, she must jump to break the curse put on her.

This is how Mike’s Season 1 jump into the quarry will come full circle in Season 5.

The crystal ball in Labyrinth is used to create illusions. It bares striking resemblance to the OTHER MC Escher poster included in Mike's room.

and you know who else has the power to transport people into illusions? VECNA.

So what if to break the illusion, Mike will have to once again jump into the quarry?

this it what Jareth (Vecna) says whenever Sarah (Mike reaches the ground:

This is the scene where Mike will realize Vecna has no power over him.

and humping successfully breaks her/him out of the spell!

According to multiple credible academic sources (LitCharts and Reddit) Toby the physical embodiment of Sarah's own childhood innocence👼

Which got me thinking: What if the baby is the physical embodiment of Mike’s childhood as well? In other words, what if the baby parallels s1 Mike, and Sarah parallels s5 Mike

SPECIFIC S5 CLIFF SCENE PREDICTIONS:

3: TIME TRAVEL TOMFOOLERY:

This one is kinda edgy, but the writers almost made El mercy ki11 her mom in s2, so how crazy is it REALLY?

OKAY. So what if the ONE WAY to stop the end of the world, is go back in time and change things, but Mike unexpectedly DIES (by his own hand) as a result of this?

What if in s1, Mike still jumps off the cliff despite the bullies never threatening Dustin's teeth in the first place?

Let me explain: if time travel tomfoolery DOES have to go down in s5, as has been heavily foreshadowed, then that means they might never meet El or get involved in any supernatural antics.

Meaning that in s1, Mike would't learn the truth about what actually happened to Will after his “body” was found in the quarry.

The Cliff overlooking The Quarry is the key to all of this.

Why? because if Will's body was found in the quarry, then the police’s leading theory as to the cause of his death would probably be this:

Police would suspect that Will was either:

A: hate-crimed/pushed off of the cliff (bc of his sexuality)

B. committed suicide via jumping (bc of his sexuality)

In this alternate timeline, Mike would still watch Will's body get pulled out of the quarry. Only this time, he would falsely believe that the cause of Will’s death was his sexuality.

This is why Hopper kept pressing Joyce about Will's perceived sexuality in s1. It was a significant factor for them to consider, especially in the 80s, because being gay might have lead to his death:

Ted knew this as well, which is why he subtly implied to Mike that Will's disappearance wasn't shocking:

“You see Michael, you see what happens”-COULD have been in refrence to Nancy storming off.

However Mikes reply-“what happens when what?” before bringing the topic back to WILL, suggests that Mike picks up on Ted’s homophobia. He realizes what might have happened.

But why does everyone in town even think Will is gay in the first place? Clothes you say??Clothes could be the sole reason for these rumors (like Joyce said), but what there was something more?

Like something about how Will acted around Mike?

if that were the case, one can only image how Mike would react if he found out that Will di3d as a result of their friendship...

What if after he finds out that Will "jumped" into the quarry, Mike jumps too

What if in the alternate timeline, Mike's decision to jump remains unchanged, despite Dustin's baby teeth never being threatened.

This reveal would be powerful- it would reframe the s1 cliff scene, implying that if the party never got involved with the supernatural, Mike’s decision to jump would remain unchanged (and would have had a more profound underlying cause.)

Mike didn’t fully realize his sexuality until s3, so he wouldn’t jump because of that.

However, learning that Will, his best friend (who he Loves), died because of the town’s homophobia might.

Especially if he assumes that it was indirectly caused by their friendship.

This is even supported by the way the cliff scene was shot and written. Mike wasn’t shown struggling with the decision. He just calmly looks over the edge, before stepping off of the cliff.

If Mike still jumps in this timeline, there would be one major difference though. This time, El wouldn’t be there to save him:

Which might be why Mike was paralleled to Romeo in s4. Because just like Romeo, what if Mike tragically di3s by his own hand after learning of Will's fake “d3ath". What if, just like Romeo, he is tricked by the body?

And just like Romeo, Mike chooses to copy how Juliette (Will) died?

conveniently, this scenario would also add a whole new layer to this joke made by Ted in s2:

“So if your friend jumps off a cliff, you’re going to jump too?”

Might this line be yet another classic case of reverse story telling antics within Stranger Things???

Reverse Storytelling is literally how they constructed Mike and Will's entire relationship. Which suggests that reframing prior seasons and Mike himself will be a pretty major focus of the final season.

If this joke can only be fully understood in reverse it would play into this storytelling device, especially because as of now, it’s a pretty mid joke. Considering that Mike jumped off of the cliff to save Dustin's baby teeth, the dramatic irony only applies to the fact that Mike also "jumped off a cliff". The implication that he jumped "because his friend did" doesn't even apply to the s1 cliff scene!( I’m the comedy police, and you’re under arrest!😡👮‍♀️) UNLESS this joke was actually in reference to the season 5 cliff scene😨Because in s5, after “his friend Will jumped off a cliff, he’s going to jump too,” -just like Ted said.

More Potential Foreshadowing (Mike/Water)(watergate?!?)

I already thought another cliff scene was a possibility (before all this Labyrinth delusion started), based off of the water imagery surrounding Mike throughout s4:

link to that here

idk guuuuys...something something about all that water symbolism around Mike really makes me of the quarry, since it’s one of the only significant bodies of water in the show. It's also literally the setting where Will briefly "died" in s1, cementing it as a pretty significant water themed setting for both of them, but especially for Mike. Of course, the water symbolism might also foreshadow him drowning in Lover's Lake. (more on that later maybe?)

Along with this, I also think that Mike's death will end up referencing Artax's in the Never-ending Story. If Will is Bastian, and El is Ateyu...then who's Mike?

HE'S THE DAMN HORSE. Arguably the most iconic scenes in the Neverending Story is when that depressed horse Artax drowns. (just tryna think outside the box guys, idfk)

the end! hope you liked it!

(This analysis is part of a larger theory which you can read here. Skip to the end if you just want to see my prediction about The Return of The Teddy Bear™)

Both Labyrinth and Stranger Things utilize toys to foreshadow characters and monsters the will appear later:

but thats just a surface level observation. Now lets examine the purpose of toys within their respective narratives, because they both fall under a shared theme:

TOY SYMBOLISM

Sarah's journey through The Labyrinth is an allegory for growing up, with a focus on puberty and the discovery of her sexuality:

When her step-mom implies that she should "have dates" by now, it causes her to angrily storm up to her room which is filled with toys.

This shows how in the beginning, Sarah doesn't want to become an adult by letting go of her childhood. This changes by the end of the movie, as represented by her departure from toys and her decision to finally "grow up".

For Mike, toys also represent his evolving outlook as to what it means to "grow up" throughout the seasons.

In season 1: Mike is still a child, meaning that he can enjoy D&D and play with his toys without shame.

In season 2: Mike starts being told that he needs to conform and "grow up" by society. This is illustrated by his attachment to toys, and the conversation surrounding them at dinner.

Mike's parents want him to get rid of his toys, despite Mike still liking them. Only because adults/authority don't recognize their value, is Mike forced to get rid of them.

Sarah on the other hand, refuses to get rid of any toys, which is why her room is still cluttered with them as a teenager. It's implied that this will change after the movie ends, because making her way through The Labyrinth forces her to come to terms with growing up by accepting the harsh realities of life.

Sarah's flaw was that she refused to "grow up", whereas Mike's flaw is that he tries to force himself to:

season 3:

Mike's attempt at "growing up" in s3 by "moving on" from D&D is proven to be inauthentic by his return to D&D in s4:

The fact that Mike was putting up a facade in s3 is further illustrated by his initial excitement over Christmas and the idea of playing with toys. But because Mike is with El, he immediately feels ashamed by the admission and tries to hide his true feelings.

Only after El tells him that she likes presents too, does he admit to still liking them.

Deep down, Mike still wants to play games like D&D and Nintendo. He wants to sit in his basement and play games with Will for the rest of his life, but he doesn't think that it's realistic. To him, growing up also means growing out of those feelings because the alternative is not socially acceptable. He HAS to have a girlfriend, and he HAS tell her he loves her, because it's something "OLD PEOPLE" inevitably say and do.

He struggles to say the word "love" to El because its not true. Friends aren't supposed to lie. Trying to "grow up" by conforming is what prevents Mike from becoming his true self, thus completing his character arc. Unlike the movie Labyrinth, Stranger Things is about the power of love and friendship. His character doesn't have to "grow up" and learn that "life isn't fair" like Sarah did. What Mike needs to do is accept every part of himself even if society doesn't. In the end, Mike needs to embrace his "childish" and "nerdy" interests, as well as his sexuality.

Stranger Things 5 will be about Mike's path to acceptance of his sexuality and inner child. In the end, Mike will choose to play D&D and Nintendo together with his childhood bestie forever, despite also "growing up".

Unlike Mike, Sarah's refusal to conform is framed as a flaw because it prevents her from moving on from her mother's death. She can't become her true self until she lets go of her childhood and toys.

This is why the resolution of Sarah's internal conflict, is also the inciting incident of Mike's. In the end, Sarah must get rid of her toys.

When Sarah becomes trapped in her fantasy, she forgets her mission. The Junk Lady tries to take advantage of her memory loss. She tries to distract her by piling toys into her hands:

But in this moment, Sarah actually remembers her purpose. She no longer cares about her toys, and is able to realize that "it's all just junk"

Sarah's journey takes her down a different path but ultimately leads her to the same conclusion. For her, growing up is what leads to accepting herself, thus growing as a person.

Despite "growing up" in the end, the characters from her fantasy still reappear in the last few minutes. This shows us that Sarah can both grow up and be herself at the same time. The two are not mutually exclusive:

The Teddy Bear:

(I think this movie might be why the writers specifically introduced Teddy Bear Symbolism in stranger things. If that makes me delusional, so be it)

Sarah's teddy bear, Lancelot, is what sets the movie's entire conflict into motion.

After realizing that her teddy bear was missing, she finds it in her baby brother Toby's room:

THIS MAKES HER FUCKING LIVID. For some reason she blames the literal BABY and wishes for him to be taken by Goblin's.

and then when he actually is, she has the audacity to be ungrateful!?

You might be wondering why this teddy bear was so important to her. It's because the teddy bear is a symbol of Sarah's childhood, as well as a person (her dead ass mother).

In Stranger Things, a teddy bear is ALSO a symbol of childhood, and a person (Will)

(@beepboop358 300+ Byler Proof Slides)

At the end of season 3, Mike grabs The Teddy Bear(Will) out from INSIDE THE CLOSET and gives it to Eleven.

Then El confesses her love and Mike still can't say it back. When she kisses him, The Teddy Bear(Will) is literally BETWEEN THEM and his eyes stay open the entire time.

As she walks away with a look of excitement, Mike's face is in stark contrast. He's framed directly in front of the open closet as a look of realization crosses his face. This is when Mike realized that he's gay. Eleven then takes the Teddy Bear(Will) away from Mike, and with her to California.

She's also taking away with her A TOY, which is symbol of Mike's childhood innocence/naïvety. Why? because Mike just fully realized his sexuality. (and it’s confirmed that the s3 monster represented puberty)

At the end of the movie, Sarah gives the Teddy Bear to her baby brother Toby. This action also carries a lot of meaning, as it shows that she's moved passed her animosity/jealousy of Toby. It also represents her moving on from childhood. Toby is the physical embodiment of her younger self, and the teddy bear represents the memory of her mother/her childhood innocence. By giving the teddy bear to Toby, she is both letting go of and holding on to her childhood and mother's memory.

hmmm. So what if this scene were to be paralleled somehow in s5? What if the Stranger Things Teddy Bear Symbolism™ makes a return in the final season....maybe something related to time travel, with Sarah being s5 Mike, the Teddy Bear being Will/childhood, and the baby being s1 Mike? But i digress....lets move on to another potential parallel,

Forgotten Teddy Bear Parallel

Right after Sarah escapes from her fantasy of the ball, she falls down a black void.

idk maybe Stranger Things could reference this in season 5? something something about Whiterabbitgate and how the Sarah's fall is a reference to Alice in Wonderland

she lands in a junkyard, but still can't remember anything

I'm guessing that Mike will have his memories stolen/altered at some point because of Birthdaygate.

The ONE THING Sarah can remember is The Teddy Bear