Stranger Things season 4 premiere title revealed – and it's a big X-Men reference

(Image credit: Netflix)

The Stranger Things season 4 premiere title has been revealed by the show's writing team, and it's a big reference to the X-Men comic books. 

The official writers Twitter account posted an image of the very first episode script for the new season, revealing the title to be "The Hellfire Club". Alongside the image, a message reads: "Looking for new members... are you in?"

The Hellfire Club are a group of villains who have faced off against the X-Men numerous times, including on the big screen in X-Men: First Class. In that movie, the Hellfire Club is led by Sebastian Shaw, played by Kevin Bacon. Of course, the Stranger Things kids will not have seen that movie, but they will have read the comics. 

The Hellfire Club, filled with wealthy and influential individuals looking to manipulate world events for their own benefit, debuted in the 1980 comic Uncanny X-Men #129. At one stage, Jean Grey, overtaken by Phoenix, joins the club. 

Now, numerous commentators have drawn comparisons between Eleven and Jean Grey. Could the telepathic teenager be about to break bad? We should also take note of the writers' comments that they're "Looking for new members." We know that the Byers family are moving away from Hawkins – could the kids be forming a new club in a new city?

Whatever the case, we have a while to wait. Stranger Things season 4 looks set to start filming early next year, with a report indicating the new season will last eight episodes

Ensure you're on top of every upcoming series with our look at all the new TV shows coming your way over the next few years.

Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.