Netflix has revealed a surprising mistake in the Stranger Things Season 5 trailer that alters a key detail from past seasons. A new shot from the teaser features an updated tombstone for Billy Hargrove, revealing a different name than previously shown in the series.

Stranger Things Season 5 trailer changes Billy Hargrove’s tombstone

A continuity mistake in the Stranger Things Season 5 trailer has drawn fan attention.

At the 0:48 mark, a close-up shot shows Max (Sadie Sink) sitting in front of her stepbrother’s gravestone, which reads “BILLY HARGROVE” with the dates “Mar. 29, 1967 – Jul. 4, 1985.” However, this conflicts with previous visuals from Season 4, where the gravestone instead read “WILLIAM HARGROVE.”

This discrepancy was first noticed by fans during Season 4’s promotional campaign, which also showed both name variants in different shots. Billy, portrayed by Dacre Montgomery, died in the Season 3 finale while sacrificing himself during the Starcourt Mall attack. Billy’s death continued to affect Max in Season 4 and made her a target for Vecna.

Netflix reused the altered tombstone shot in the Season 5 teaser revealed during its Tudum event. The trailer appears to recycle or slightly modify existing footage. In Season 4, several trailer shots showed the tombstone alternating between “Billy” and “William,” indicating that editors may have changed it for recognizability. A side-by-side comparison confirms that the production team created two separate tombstone props rather than digitally editing the name.

Netflix and the Duffer Brothers have not commented on the inconsistency or addressed the reason behind the name change. Some fans believe the change hints at alternate timelines, dream sequences, or hallucinations tied to Max’s psychological state, while others think it serves as a deliberate marketing tactic to help audiences more easily recognize and remember Billy’s character.

Stranger Things Season 5 will release in three volumes on November 26, December 25, and December 31, 2025.

Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on SuperHeroHype.