Start thawing those Eggo waffles and have your Wrist Rocket at the ready, because Season 3 of “Stranger Things” is coming to Netflix on July 4.

To prepare ourselves for the supernatural suspense that’s soon to come, we just caught up with Joe Keery, who plays fan favorite Steve Harrington on the series, and executive producer Shawn Levy at the fittingly ’80s-feeling A4cade in Cambridge.

“We always knew that for Season 3, the theme was change,” Levy told the Track. “It’s about the way that all of the characters going through changes in their lives, in their development, in their bodies.

“And those changes don’t happen at the same speed,” he continued. “So this group of friends has to wrestle with the fact that some of them very much want to be their older selves already, while others want the connections of their childhood. There’s a lot of pain and conflict that can come from those different rates of change.”

As fans of the comedic thriller have witnessed over the first couple of seasons, Keery’s character has already undergone his own changes. He’s morphed from a self-centered bro teetering at the top of the Hawkins High totem pole to an altruistic sidekick and unlikely friend to the town’s creature-fighting “party,” and in the stretch of episodes to come next month, the Newburyport native says Steve will continue to mature before our eyes.

“(Matt and Ross Duffer) have written these characters that are so not one-note,” Keery said. “Really, the whole Steve arc in my mind is somebody who, thus far, has been learning to be less selfish in the world and to put others before himself, at least for Season 1 and 2. And that’s kind of where we pick up at the beginning of 3, and he’s continuing this arc into becoming a young man, heading into the real world with these supernatural elements thrown in.”

Transformations and personal growth aside, Levy promised that the next season will bring action “way, way, way bigger than we’ve done before.” As the numerous trailers show, we can brace ourselves for ongoing battles with evil entities from the Upside Down, despite our false sense of security at the end of last season when Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) sealed the gate she had accidentally created. But as to whether the crew of heroic misfits will finally defeat the likes of the Mind Flayer and the Demogorgons — for good this time — Levy is keeping his lips sealed.

“There is a larger arc we have in mind,” he said. “As for what that contains and how it will take, I can’t say.”

“The truth is, I know more than I will admit to,” he added, explaining that there’s still a lot of wiggle room in plot development because the Duffer Brothers aren’t afraid to deviate from their original blueprints.

“Every year, the brothers pitch me the whole season and then they write outlines for every episode,” Levy said. “And I would say that every year so far, it changes pretty substantially in the middle of the season.”

Apparently, the Duffers have a tendency to draw inspiration from an actor’s work while filming, rewriting scripts or adding storylines so they can fully tap the talent at their disposal. For instance, Levy said Steve Harrington was actually supposed to be nixed after the first episode, but Keery’s skills have caused him to become an integral piece of the plot. The same goes for Sean Astin, whose initially minute role as Bob Newby ended up with far more screen time and a more noble death during Season 2.

“We do pride ourselves on staying nimble and flexible in a way that most TV shows don’t,” Levy said. “None of us are TV professionals. We all came to this with basically no TV experience. So we don’t know the rules well enough to fear ripping up the rules.”

While there’s a willingness to rework seasons until they feel right, Levy did say there’s also a line. Unlike other hit shows that have amassed an almost overly vocal following, the “Stranger Things” bunch tries to shy away from “over-course correction towards fan wants.”

“I give the same speech before every season,” Levy said. “I say to our cast and our crew that now’s the time where we get back to work, put blinders on, stop listening to the cultural noise, be the people we were when we came together in Year 1 when no one wanted, no one cared, no one was watching.”

“We live in the world, we take in that cultural reaction but we never let it mandate what we do,” he said, jokingly adding, “Otherwise, Barb would be alive and well. Barb would have been revived in Season 2.

“We listen, but we don’t adhere. I do this myself. I think I know what I want out of a show, but it might not be the most satisfying experience to me as an audience member.”