Stranger Things (2016-2022) has captured viewers with its thrilling plot, lovable characters, and mysterious creatures. These monsters are important to the plot and help create the strange, weird atmosphere that defines the series from its beginning. However, what are these horrifying creatures? From where do they come from? And why do you think the Stranger Things universe needs them so much? We’ll explore each creature and monster from the show, highlighting their roles in each season and how they influenced the plot.
We’ll explore them according to their appearance in each season and how they ended by our great heroes (Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Steve, Jonathan, Nancy, and Jim Hopper). But, just a quick one, have you ever wondered, how these creatures found their into our world and how the peaceful town of Hawkins became so chaotic? Well, two obvious reasons behind this can be cracked after watching 4 seasons.
Reason no. 1: All this mess began in Hawkins Lab where scientists were conducting experiments on little children to transform them into super humans which accidently led to the opening of a second world which is known to be “Upside Down“
Reason no. 2: Each season bringing new and more powerful monsters than before because of one character who was revealed in season 4, and that character was “Vecna“, who was trying to infiltrate Hawkins only for revenge.
“Moreover, all the names given to these creatures and monsters we’re going to discuss are given by our heroes from their book called “Dungeons and Dragons“. They were playing with the same book at the very beginning of the series”
Now, let’s explore each monster from each season and their role in how they served Vecna’s purpose.
The Demogorgon is a big, humanoid monster with long, pointed claws and a flower-like opening in its head that displays rows of pointed teeth. This predator originates from the Upside Down, a parallel dimension that is the same as our world with no humans, creatures, and animals but demons, weird creatures, and monsters. The Demogorgon can create gateways between dimensions and sense its target through blood.
In the first season, it was nothing but a mystery but when he dragged William Byers (Noah Schnapp) into Upside Down by force. Will wasn’t his target but as we this creature is attracted only by blood and unfortunately he had an accident as we can see in the first episode on his way back from Mike’s house which led him into the trap of such a weirdly unknown creature.
How Demogorgon was defeated?
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) battles the Demogorgon using her telekinetic abilities. She throws it back into Upside Down, by vanishing it forcefully with psychic abilities. The sad part is she wasn’t very powerful at that time or we can say she was in self-doubt concerning her powers. That’s why she vanished as well in the same dimension which was an emotional scene for viewers as all of us thought she was dead but she wasn’t, she made a successful coming back in 2nd season.
Season 2
The Mind Flayer
Season 2 introduces us to the Mind Flayer, a huge, smoke-and-shadow-clad entity that resembles a spider and is the real villain of the Upside Down. It desires to rule the real world in addition to hunting. At the very beginning of the second installment of the series, it was known as “The Shadow Monster” but later at the end of the series he was given the name “The Mind Flayer” when its true agenda was revealed.
As we know, according to our relegions, we believe God created and rules this world, and he has a plan for all beings, and just like our world The MInd Flayer is the main entity believed to control everything in Upside Down.
It possesses Will in season 2 because of his connection to its world in the first season. He acts as his GPS locator to control and manipulate everything in the real world in real time. The events our poor hero faced were no less than a demonic possession.
How Mind Flayer was defeated?
Mindflayer leaving Will’s body
Will’s mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder) already lost his son once, she didn’t want to lose him again and wanted to cross any line when it came to saving her son. So she had an exorcism which was pretty awesome and gave the vibe of a proper demonic movie. She successfully saved him by getting that dusty demon out of his body and on the other hand Eleven closed the gate to Upside Down which was a stunning defeat for The Shadow Monster.
The Demodogs are a smaller, quadrant version of the Demogorgon. These animals or creatures are significantly more deadly because they hunt in packs and are ferocious. One of the most notable Demodogs was “Dart,” a creature Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) found in his dustbin and tried to raise as a pet. Eventually, though, Dart also transforms into a deadly Demodog and joins the pack which was very heartbreaking for Dustin but still, he couldn’t do anything about it as it was not safe for other people.
How Demodogs were defeated?
As they also came from the same opposite demonic world that was controlled by some other entity and had no connection to the actual world, so eventually they were dead when Eleven closed the gate. The Demodogs were only foot soldiers serving Mind Flayer’s purpose and hunting for it, so when it was no longer active so was the fate of these dogs.
In Season 3, the Mind Flayer is able to create a physical form in the real world by using human bodies. The hideous, enormous “Flesh Monster” is formed from the melted bones of those who have been consumed by it. It is determined to destroy Eleven and her friends and is more powerful than before.
The Mind Flayer was gone in the second season then how he was able to form a physical form in the real world again. Now interestingly, here comes the evil Russians, who bought multiple properties covering a vast area where they opened the gate again by using scientific equipment.
Max Mayfield’s (Sadie Sink) older brother Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) falls under the Mind Flayer’s control at the very beginning of this season. He helps the monstrous creature gather more victims to absorb them into the Flesh Monster. One of the most emotional scenes was when Billy tried to fight this monster in order to save all of his friend’s lives.
This monster gave a pretty good challenge to Eleven and the rest of the team and they hardly survived at the end. It was defeated in Starcourt Mall not by force as our main superheroine lost her powers in season 3. The teamwork was pretty awesome but unfortunately, this one demon took two great characters from the show, Billy and Jim Hopper (David Harbour).
That last battle was very emotional as Billy gave his life fighting this monster and Jim was unable to survive while closing the gate but one thing is very interesting in Stranger Things Universe, that suspense and surprises never end in this realm, that’s why we saw a successful coming back of Jim in the following season but Billy never came back.
Vecna is a monster who, as a result of his link to the Upside Down, was changed into a strong entity. His true identity is revealed to be Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell), a kid with psychic powers who was experimented on at Hawkins Lab. The first test subject, Henry, evolved into a hideous creature with terrifying powers over time.
Stranger Things season 4 was a game changer. We came to realize that behind all the chaos in previous three installments were caused because of Vecna, who could be said as a captain of The Mind Flayer’s army. He was just like Eleven but under rare and forced circumstances they battled in Hawkins Lab and he was dragged into Upside Down by her where he became an evil entity by absorbing Mind Flayer’s power.
Vecna’s transformation from his childhood to becoming the actual villain
This actual villain uses his victim’s previous suffering to gain mental control by feeding on their deepest anxieties and traumas. His murderous technique is to make his victims levitate in the air before breaking their bones and taking their lives. His ultimate goal is to let the horrors of Upside Down permanently bleed into the actual world by opening several gates to it. As the season comes to its end, Hawkins is on the edge of disaster due to his curse, and the heroes are barely able to save everyone.
How Vecna was defeated?
Sadly, it never happened. Vecna became too much powerful during his time in Upside Down. Even though Eleven got her powers back by the end of the fourth season, still she couldn’t save Maxine and Hawkins and the villain’s cursed dimension took another beautiful character as well which was Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) who was a great addition in the series.
One thing is certain, Vecna’s still alive, and it was confirmed by Will in the closing scenes of the series where he mentioned that he could still feel him due to his connection to the darker side. And that’s why we’re desperately waiting for the 5th and final series of Stranger Things which is said to air on Netflix soon and we can finally see the great ending of one of the greatest series on television.
Jason Gill
I'm Jason Gill, a certified Web developer and Content creator. I've seven years of experience in Blogging. I decided to pursue a career in aviation, and while I was a student, I had short-term internships with a number of businesses in the USA, Canada, and the UK to expand my knowledge and experience. These businesses included Future Now Limited, a software company based in Canada, T-Steex Technologies, a software and service provider, and RVshare, a rental vanity service provider company based in the USA.
I have also visited Istanbul (Turkey) and Doha (Qatar) twice over a six-month period while serving as a Student Brand Ambassador for Superior University's Cultural Exchange Program. I oversee live operations and dispatch services at Infinito Hub Solutions at the moment. I've also contributed to a number of small industries, I'm constantly eager to explore new possibilities, and I've worked as a freelance web developer and content manager trainer for a number of different businesses.
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