Stranger Things Creators Reveal Untold Secrets Behind the Unwritten Season 5 Finale

So, if you binge-watched the Stranger Things season 5 finale and thought to yourself, 'Wait—where did all the demogorgons go?'—you were not the only one. Sharp-eyed fans definitely noticed that the show's infamous creatures (and their cousin demodogs) were sort of... MIA in the big finish. As it turns out, that was not always in the cards. The Duffer Brothers, who run this Upside Down circus, recently pulled back the curtain on what really went down, in a way that is both fascinating and, honestly, just a little bit funny.

Why No Demo Showdown?

Here’s the short version: The final showdown goes down in a place ominously named The Abyss, but no classic monster attack. The Duffers said this was less about forgetting the demogorgons exist and more about narrative efficiency (and, let's be real, avoiding overkill).

Matt Duffer explained their thinking: 'Vecna did not see this coming—not even close. When the gang showed up on his turf, a demogorgon ambush was just not on the villain’s bingo card.' Basically, instead of calling in his monster minions, Vecna was ready to handle business himself. After all, why bother with the 'little ant army,' as Matt put it, when you’ve got a massive, swirling Mind Flayer to show off?

If we're being precise, yes—the demo-creatures are theoretically lurking somewhere out there. That Upside Down planet is huge and empty, and we did see Henry (pre-Vecna) roaming around and catching a glimpse of one from afar in season 4. But, no—you’re not missing some underground demogorgon city. They’re not building huts or holding tiny demo family reunions; it’s just not that kind of world.

There WAS a Wild Demo Plan, Though

Now, here’s where things get kind of fun (and maybe a bit bonkers). Matt Duffer admitted they actually had a version where the heroes would stumble across a giant field of demo eggs—yes, total Aliens homage. Imagine Will and company tiptoeing through a foggy, egg-riddled landscape only to have demogorgons hatching all around them.

'That’s in the three-hour version of the finale, which was never written.'
—Ross Duffer

In this alternate scenario, the eggs would burst open as the gang walked past. Maybe it would have been awesome, maybe a total mess, but the Duffers never actually put it to paper. Why? Well, in their words—they were a little worried about 'demo fatigue.' The monsters had already chomped their way through earlier episodes, especially in 'Sorcerer,' and at some point, you gotta let your Big Bads have the spotlight. Ross Duffer said they’d pretty much done everything they ever wanted to do with the demo crew in that episode, and wanted to end with all eyes on Vecna and that elusive Mind Flayer (who had been basically hiding most of the season).

So What Actually Happened?

• Demogorgons and demodogs: Not in the finale—but hanging around somewhere in the background of the Upside Down.
• Demo egg nest scene: Once toyed with, but scrapped before an actual script draft.
• Why? To avoid going overboard with monster appearances and keep the final showdown focused on the main villains.
• Length: That epic monster battle would have landed in a three-hour finale (which, again, they never even wrote).

For what it’s worth, if you’re craving extra demogorgon mayhem, you’re probably out of luck—the Duffers sound pretty certain they’ve done what they needed to do with those monsters.

In any case, the full Stranger Things series is out on Netflix now, in all its demogorgon (and not-so-demogorgon) glory.