Stranger Things viewers spot heartbreaking background Easter egg about Max and Billy in season 4

Stranger Things viewers are currently on guard watching the newly released fourth season, in the hopes of unearthing any hidden details.

One such Easter egg has been spotted in the first episode of the new series, which was released on Netflix last week.

It relates to the character of Max, played by Sadie Sink, and her brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), who died in season three.

The abusive Billy died after he was possessed by the Mind Flayer and ultimately sacrificed himself to save Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the residents of Hawkins.

In season four, viewers learn Max has been left traumatised by the event, and is having recurring nightmares about it – which are revealed to have potentially fatal consequences in the show’s fourth episode.

*Spoilers follow - you have been warned*

It’s revealed that Max is a chosen victim of Vecna, a Freddy Krueger-style character that kills its young victims after claiming them. Thanks to some detective work by Robin (Maya Hawke), however, music is revealed to be a bridge between reality and Vecna’s nightmarish world – with the help of Kate Bush, Max lives to fight another day.

But, when she sees Vecna, he comes in the form of Billy, and viewers learn the full extent to which her brother’s death has affected her.

The clues were there the entire time, though, with viewers hearing a background exchange featured on a TV show in the background of the first episode.

While Max is walking through her trailer, as she’s feeding her dog, a character on the unseen TV show says “But this is your old friend Billy talking,” to which another character replies: “I’m trying to be normal, Billy.”

This exchange is alsmot certainly a nod to the trauma Max is experiencing in the new series.

Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix now.