Why Finn Wolfhard didn’t get his wish for Mike to fire a gun in Stranger Things finale

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A new documentary about Stranger Things, called ‘One Last Adventure,’ shares several surprising details, including the reason Finn Wolfhard’s idea for his character Mike to wield a gun wasn’t included in the show.

One Last Adventure offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Stranger Things season five, featuring interviews with the actors and people who worked on the show.

This two-hour documentary reveals the reason Demogorgons aren’t present in the final showdown, and includes a passionate discussion about what happens to Eleven.

There’s an interesting moment in the writing process where Finn Wolfhard suggested his character, Mike, use a gun, but the idea was ultimately rejected.

Finn Wolfhard wanted Mike to get more than a candlestick

Ever since the first season of Stranger Things, fans have joked about Mike Wheeler’s tendency to use weak weapons – like a candlestick – when battling monsters. It’s become a running gag that he doesn’t have much firepower.

Finn Wolfhard shared that he and the creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, once talked about weapons, and the Duffer Brothers jokingly responded by asking if he simply wanted the candlestick prop from a previous scene.

The idea for this plot point came up during a brainstorming session for the show, specifically when the writers were discussing a fight scene inside the Mind Flayer’s ribcage – who would be involved, and what weapons they’d use.

Matt Duffer explained that the young actors, particularly Finn, have been asking to be more involved in the physical action, specifically the fight scenes. Finn jokingly requested not to be given a prop like a candlestick to use, which Duffer found reasonable.

Duffer explains that a character really wanted a gun, but they responded with, ‘I don’t think so.’ The writers agreed, fearing that giving Mike a gun would cause him to lose his innocence.

Why no gun was the right call in Stranger Things finale

Mike doesn’t have a gun in the final battle, and the director of One Last Adventure, Martina Radwan, feels that decision was correct.

“The beauty of the spectacle is that they always come back to the character,” Radwan tells Variety. “And really, in the writers’ room, I think that becomes really clear. Matt and Ross are really good at that. Yes, the MAC-Z took, like, six weeks. But at the end of the day, it is about the characters.

I understood why they didn’t want to give Mike a gun. Once he’s armed, he loses his innocence – he’s no longer just that harmless, nerdy kid who plays Dungeons & Dragons.

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2026-01-12 15:20