Stranger Things’ Controversial Ending Could Have Been Way Worse

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The ending of Stranger Things sparked debate among fans, but it could have been much more disappointing. After almost a decade, the show wrapped up a story that started with a small group of kids and became a worldwide sensation. Viewers grew up alongside the characters from Hawkins as they battled ever-increasing dangers.

The final season of Stranger Things had a lot to live up to, but its action-packed conclusion proved divisive. The season heavily prioritized action, turning the battle against Vecna into a large-scale sci-fi spectacle reminiscent of movies like Constantine or Independence Day – a significant shift from the show’s earlier, more character-driven seasons. Some viewers felt there was either too much action or that it didn’t quite hit the mark, but overall, the ending could have been much worse.

Stranger Things’ Biggest Finale Theory Would Have Never Worked

Fortunately, The Kids’ Dungeons & Dragons Game Remained A Game

A popular fan theory about the ending of Stranger Things suggested the whole series was actually a Dungeons & Dragons game the kids were playing back in Season 1. This meant everything – the Upside Down, Vecna, the Mind Flayer, and everything that happened later – was all made up within the show’s story. While the idea is interesting, considering how much the show uses D&D language and concepts, it doesn’t really make logical sense.

The idea that the kids in Stranger Things could have predicted everything happening doesn’t hold up when you actually watch the show. A lot of key events happen when the kids aren’t around – like Hopper being held prisoner in Russia, Joyce and Murray’s trip overseas, and Eleven’s secret training. Many important things happen that the kids have no way of knowing about. It’s simply unrealistic to think these middle schoolers could understand complicated political situations or the motivations of adults.

Ultimately, explaining away Stranger Things as just a role-playing game would undermine everything the show has carefully developed over the years. The personal journeys of characters like Eleven, Max, Steve, and Hopper – their struggles with identity, grief, heroism, and loss – would lose all meaning. It would be as if none of the events ever truly happened, and no one would have grown or changed. This is the problem with “it was all a dream” endings: they can be surprising, but they often leave the story feeling empty and pointless.

Stranger Things’ Best Finale Was Always Under Our Noses

Stranger Things Never Needed A Bombastic, Shocking Ending

What I always loved about Stranger Things was how it built tension slowly, making you feel uneasy before anything even happened. It really focused on how the characters felt as they faced the mystery, and Season 1 did that perfectly. It felt scary and personal, like a true suspense story. But honestly, Season 5 felt different. It focused too much on big action scenes and turned the final battle into a huge war, and it lost some of that original, intimate feel.

The first season of Stranger Things was so well-received because it built suspense and focused on the characters, which could have made the final battle with Vecna in season 5 much scarier. If the story had remained smaller in scope, the character development would have been stronger and Vecna would have felt like a more genuine threat. This approach is similar to how the It films and the upcoming Welcome to Derry series create a constant sense of dread with Pennywise before he finally appears.

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2026-01-19 02:28