Stranger Things Spinoff Exacerbates Series Finale’s Upside Down Plot Hole

Warning: spoilers for Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85.

The Stranger Things finale left a couple of plot holes, and the show’s first spinoff series, Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, made one Upside Down plot hole even worse. Throughout five seasons, Stranger Things established many mysteries related to the Upside Down and the creatures that live in it. Many of these were solved with the introduction of Henry Creel/Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and the reveal of the Abyss.

However, all that also left some plot holes and unanswered questions at the end of Stranger Things, which might not get an answer soon or at all. Now, Stranger Things is back with the animated spinoff Tales From ‘85, which is set between the main show’s seasons 2 and 3. Tales From ‘85 sees Eleven and her friends facing new monsters from the Upside Down, with the help of their new ally and friend, Nikki.

The origin of the pumpkin monsters and a new type of Demogorgons in Tales From ‘85 is explained in the show, but the ending made an Upside Down plot hole even worse. At the end of Tales From ‘85, Eleven saves the day yet again and the gate closes, killing the monster. However, half of the monster’s body ends up in the Upside Down, where it spawns a monster flower – and that’s where the plot hole is.

Stranger Things’ Abyss Was Notably Missing Monsters In The Series Finale

Image via Netflix

Stranger Things season 5 revealed that the Upside Down was actually a bridge to another dimension that the characters referred to as The Abyss. This was the real home to Vecna, the Mind Flayer, Demogorgons, Demodogs, Demobats, and all other monstrous creatures, and it was the setting of the final confrontation between Eleven (and company) and Vecna.

As exciting as the battle in the Abyss was, there was a notable and inexplicable absence of monsters. This raised many questions, as the Abyss is where all the monsters who crossed into Hawkins actually live and not the Upside Down, and having some of them around would have made the final battle a lot more interesting.

Now, as mentioned above, at the end of Tales From ‘85, a mutant flower pops up from the corpse of the monster. The flower blossoms into the head of a Demogorgon, meaning that this mutated creature made it to the Upside Down. This raises the question of why this type of monster wasn’t seen again in the rest of Stranger Things, in both the Upside Down and the Abyss, and it’s a reminder of the lack of monsters in the Abyss in season 5.

What Happened To The Mutant Demogorgon After Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85?

With the mutant Demogorgon surviving at the end of Tales From ‘85 and never being seen or mentioned again in Stranger Things, the big question now is what happened to this monster once it made it to the Upside Down. It’s clear that the Upside Down has the right environment for a mutant flower to blossom and make way for a monster, but its fate after that is unclear.

Given that neither the flower nor the mutated Demogorgon appeared in Stranger Things seasons 3, 4, and 5, it’s safe to assume that they didn’t survive for long. The life cycle of a Demogorgon is unclear, and even more so is the one of its mutation, so it’s possible that the mutant creature died sometime after the ending of Tales From ‘85.

The fate of this creature will most likely be addressed in another season of Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 (if the show is renewed, obviously), or it could be solved in another spinoff. While solving this doesn’t fix the plot hole of the lack of monsters in the Abyss, it would at least explain why this specific monster wasn’t seen again, and would avoid creating even more plot holes and inconsistencies.

Release Date

April 23, 2026

Network

Netflix

Showrunner

Eric Robles

Directors

Phil Allora

Writers

Jennifer Muro

• 

  Brooklyn Davey Norstedt

  Eleven

• 

  Odessa A’zion

  Nikki Baxter