Stranger Things Finale Demogorgon Absence is Explained

During the Stranger Things series finale, fans noticed that the menacing Demogorgons were missing, but the show creators have explained why they weren't at Vecna’s side.

Stranger Things made its debut on Netflix on 15 July 2016, and after nine years, five seasons and 42 episodes, it all came to an emotional end on 31 December 2025.

Set in the 1980s and inspired by the likes of The Goonies, E.T., as well as the horror tales of Stephen King and John Carpenter, Stranger Things took the entertainment industry by storm, with fans instantly won over by its merry band of geeky school kids, as they battled against the hellish creatures from a world dubbed the “Upside Down”.

By and large, Stranger Things has been a huge success, not only with its viewership on Netflix but also with its vast availability of merchandise, bringing in the big bucks from passionate fans across the world.

Stranger Things Season Five Spoilers Ahead

Granted, not everyone was happy with some of the episodes of the concluding season five. Personally, the lack of urgency in a couple of its episodes was mind-boggling, with children's lives being in danger or its big villain, Vecna, hot on the heels of Max and Holly.

Yet, overall, I was satisfied, and I loved how the final moments of ‘The Rightside Up’ wrapped things up for its characters. At one point, I was concerned that it was going to do a Game of Thrones and screw everything up, but thankfully, I feel it managed to avoid that pitfall.

Vecna in The Abyss, Netflix

That being said, there was a major absence from the final episode, and that’s the aforementioned Demogorgons. After all, these sinister creatures were always at Vecna’s beck and call.

So, why weren't they present to stop El, Mike, Nancy and friends from foiling Vecna’s plans? Well, the creators of Stranger Things, Matt and Ross Duffer, collectively known as the Duffer Brothers, have explained why.

As reported by IGN, during an interview with TheWrap, the reason the Demogorgons weren't present to stop the good folk of Hawkins was simply that Vecna was caught unaware when the crew rolled into his world, known as “The Abyss,” to attack his base of operations.

“Never in a million years could he even imagine that. They’re 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,” the Duffers explained.

“It’s a giant, desolate planet. If you recall, you see Henry wandering the planet back in season four, 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 civilisation of demos up there.”

What’s more, the Duffer brothers also explained that contrary to belief, the Demogorgons are not always at Vecna’s side (he usually summons them when needed) and there are not a lot of these creatures in The Abyss, unlike the Upside Down.

That’s not all, because the Duffer Brothers were mindful that we’ve already seen a lot of the Demogorgons and even referred to that over-exposure as “demo fatigue”. I suppose, from my own perspective, it arguably made the battle with the Mind Flayer in the final episode a more pivotal focus.

The entire Stranger Things series is available to stream now on Netflix.