Stranger Things Finale Nearly Included Epic Demogorgon Showdown
Plans for a three-hour Stranger Things finale with demogorgons and a nod to Aliens were scrapped, as the creators opted for a tighter focus and avoided 'demo fatigue.'
Viewers tuning in for the much-anticipated conclusion of Stranger Things’ fifth series may have noticed a conspicuous lack of demogorgons and demodogs in the final episode. This wasn’t always the intention, though. The Duffer Brothers, who helm the show, once toyed with a far more expansive ending—one that would have stretched to three hours and featured not only Vecna’s monstrous allies but also a sly reference to the classic film Aliens.
During a recent interview, the showrunners were pressed on the whereabouts of the demogorgons as the group made their way into The Abyss. Matt Duffer explained,
‘Mainly it’s just that Vecna was not expecting this sneak attack on his home turf. Never in a million years could he even imagine that,’
before adding,
‘[The demogorgons] are there somewhere. We obviously discussed having a demo battle on top of the Mind Flayer battle, but it felt more right to us that why does he need the demos when the Mind Flayer is this giant thing and can attack them? He doesn’t need his little ant army to attack, he’s going to take care of this himself. It’s a giant, desolate planet. If you recall, you see Henry wandering the planet back in Season 4 and at some point in his journey, he does see a demo far in the distance, but it’s not like they’re hanging out in little huts. There’s not like a giant civilization of demos up there.’
Unwritten Scenes and Scrapped Ideas
It turns out, there was a version of the finale where the demogorgons would have made a dramatic return. The Duffers revealed that at one stage, the script included a sequence reminiscent of Aliens, with the group stumbling across a vast field of demo eggs. Matt Duffer recalled,
‘We did at some point have that they were going to come across a giant field of demo eggs in kind of an Aliens thing, but you can’t get all your ideas in there,’
with Ross Duffer confirming,
‘Yeah that’s in the three-hour version of the finale, which was never written.’
The plan was for the creatures to burst forth from their eggs as the gang passed by, but this idea never made it to the page.
One of the main reasons for abandoning this elaborate set piece was a concern over what the brothers called ‘demo fatigue.’ Having already featured the creatures earlier in the series, they felt it was time to shift the spotlight. Ross Duffer explained,
‘One of the other things we talked about was just demo fatigue. I felt like we did everything we wanted to do with them in Sorcerer, and wanting to keep the focus on Vecna and the Mind Flayer, who’s been absent this season.’
Focusing on the Main Threats
Rather than crowding the finale with every monster in their arsenal, the creators chose to centre the action on Vecna and the Mind Flayer. The decision to leave the demogorgons lurking in the background, rather than front and centre, was a deliberate one. The Mind Flayer, as a towering and menacing presence, was deemed more than sufficient to challenge the group without the need for additional creatures swarming the scene.
For those keen to revisit the entire saga, the full Stranger Things series remains available to stream. And for anyone seeking further recommendations, there’s no shortage of standout series to discover on the platform.