Netflix has finally revealed some of the first footage of Stranger Things season 5’s three-volume release strategy (part 1 on November 26, part 2 on Christmas Day, and part 3 on New Year’s Eve), alongside some clips of Joyce talking to Will about his season 1 vanishing, El using her powers, Will screaming “run,” Dustin and Steve staring at a horrifying Upside Down-infected wall, Max in the hospital, and Mike some protecting younger kids.

The Will’s connection to Vecna and the Byers family uniting back home. In season 5, however, Joyce seemingly plays a more prominent role in the action, which involves reviving a familiar token from her season 1 fight to find Will.

Joyce Is Finally Using Her Ax As A Weapon In Stranger Things Season 5

Joyce Only Used It To Tear Down A Wall In Season 1

Stranger Things season 5’s teaser trailer includes a shot of Winona Ryder’s Joyce Byers brandishing an ax at an unknown figure off-screen. That weapon choice is a callback to an iconic aspect of Stranger Things season 1, as a frantic Joyce was often seen holding the ax around her house after using it to tear down a wall where she thought Will was trapped. While Joyce never actually got to use the ax as a weapon against any enemies or the Demogorgon in season 1 as expected, she finally does now in season 5 with her loved ones behind her.

Joyce using the ax on the wall in season 1 was a callback to 1980’s The Shining movie, and season 5 takes that reference further by having Joyce actively use it as a weapon. She won’t be using it in the same horrific vein as Jack Torrance, but Joyce finally using it violently emphasizes how much has changed since before she knew the full extent of the Upside Down’s dangerous influence. In season 1, the ax was a method to get her son back; in season 5, it’s a weapon to protect him and all of Hawkins.

Stranger Things Season 5 Is Finally Giving Joyce More Action Scenes

Joyce Gets Her Action Hero Moment After 5 Seasons

The ax’s return is an exciting development for Stranger Things season 5, and it comes with the tease that Joyce is going to be more heavily involved in the show’s action scenes. Joyce takes the lead with the ax in a teased fight scene as Stranger Things’ other major characters stand behind her, which is a different role in the action than we’ve seen her play before. Joyce has brandished guns against the Russians in Hawkins, cleverly evaded the Russian soldiers in season 4, and ran from Demodogs, but her involvement in previous action scenes has largely been reactive.

It’s thrilling now to see Joyce standing on the frontlines and refusing to back down against the threats against Hawkins, as it made no sense that she was one of the few main characters relatively uninvolved in major action scenes. Ryder’s biggest previous action role was in 1997’s Alien Resurrection, so she’s no stranger to actively battling supernatural creatures in high-stakes situations. With the ax in hand, Winona Ryder’s Joyce finally gets her big action hero moment before the series comes to a close in Stranger Things season 5.