The final battle of ‘Stranger Things‘ left many viewers uneasy for one reason. The Abyss, known as the birthplace of the Upside Down’s horrors, contained no demogorgons during the series-ending showdown.
Fans noticed the absence immediately, and online discussions quickly turned into serious questions about why the most famous creatures never appeared. Netflix’s new behind-the-scenes ‘One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5‘ documentary now proves that the writers struggled just as much as the audience.
The ‘Stranger Things’ Documentary Exposes A Major Creative Clash
The documentary shows that the demogorgon question stayed on the table throughout the planning of the Abyss battle. Fans believed the dimension should have been swarmed with creatures, and the writing team raised the same issue.
The filmmakers included several moments that captured the tension over whether the Abyss felt believable without its monsters.
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Writer Paul Dichter pushed hardest for including them. He told the group that the Abyss needed “a demogorgon, bat, dog, something,” because “it’s crazy if there’s nothing there.”
Matt Duffer supported that logic and admitted the location could not appear empty if it truly served as the source of the Upside Down’s creatures. Writers continued revisiting the issue as the finale took form, knowing that removing demogorgons could weaken how the Abyss came across on screen.
Why Writers Finally Agreed To Remove Demogorgons From The Final Battle
Opposition inside the room came from concerns about repeating earlier material. Matt Duffer reminded everyone that episode four already delivered a large demogorgon attack during the MAC-Z battle, where the creatures hunted the kids and tore through the military. Another similar sequence at the end risked feeling recycled.
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Kate Trefry addressed that problem directly when she said she worried about “demo fatigue.” Her concern centered on audience burnout rather than logic inside the story, and that idea gained traction during the discussion. Matt Duffer also connected the decision to Vecna’s narrative.
Matt explained in an earlier interview that Vecna did not expect a surprise attack on his territory in the Abyss, meaning the demogorgons were still present but not prepared to respond. He also argued that Vecna did not need them when the Mind Flayer could serve as the primary weapon.
The documentary confirms that the writers ultimately settled on one enemy instead of many. The finale placed the Hawkins gang against a massive Mind Flayer created out of Vecna’s Pain Tree headquarters, and gave the scene a single overwhelming threat rather than a horde of monsters.
Most of the group fought the creature outside while Eleven entered its ribcage to face Vecna directly. And that approach kept the climax focused on her relationship with him rather than another creature chase.
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