Fans Claim Major Mistake In 'Stranger Things' Finale: Why Were There Absolutely No Demogorgons?

The final credits are done, the tissues are in the bin, and the dust has settled over Hawkins one last time. Heading into the Stranger Things finale, pretty much every fan had the same chaotic scene painted in their minds: the Party making a final stand against a tidal wave of monsters from the Upside Down.

But when the fight actually started, it was strangely quiet. Those terrifying foot soldiers from Dimension X? Nowhere to be found. The baffling absence of the show's iconic Demogorgons has sparked a fierce debate, with fans now circulating a horrifying theory: the Mind Flayer didn't just command its army, it cannibalised it.

The Upside Down's Missing Army

The most compelling explanation circulating online suggests that the creatures didn't just vanish; they were repurposed. This plausible theory posits that the Mind Flayer harvested every single Demogorgon, Demodog, and Demobat to construct its own physical form.

We know that the Upside Down was once teeming with them; they are the hive mind's muscle, the terrifying wildlife native to Dimension X that makes the alternate reality so hostile.

Logical storytelling would dictate that the final battle should feature a swarm of these creatures defending the Mind Flayer. Instead, the landscape was eerily barren of independent monsters. The absence was so glaring that it felt like a production error, but fans believe there is a much grimmer, in-universe explanation for the empty nest.

A Horrifying Fusion of Flesh

The most compelling explanation circulating online suggests that the creatures didn't just vanish; they were repurposed. This plausible theory posits that the Mind Flayer harvested every single Demogorgon, Demodog, and Demobat to construct its own physical form.

Throughout the series, the Mind Flayer has been an entity of shadow and particles—a 'dust' that possesses but lacks solid mass. However, in the finale, it manifested as a colossal, six-legged, spider-like creature made of raw, heaving flesh. Since the Mind Flayer shares a biological makeup with the Demogorgons, it stands to reason that it cannibalised its own army to build this new, towering avatar.

The theory gains weight when you consider the creature's vulnerability. The Demogorgons have always been weak to fire and heat. In the climactic battle, the kids managed to slay the Mind Flayer by raining fire bombs down upon it from the clifftop, exploiting the exact same weakness that kills a Demogorgon.

One viewer took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their realisation: 'I think the Mind Flayer combined all the Demobats and Demogorgons into the Mind Flayer's actual physical body. Because he's technically just dust, right?'

Another fan echoed this sentiment, drawing a parallel to previous seasons: 'Maybe that giant spider at the end consists of Demogorgons and Demobats like the Meat Flayer in season three.'

Further evidence can be found in the harrowing scene involving Steve and Dustin. As they launched their assault beneath the massive entity, viewers spotted egg sacs embedded within its structure containing undeveloped Demos. This gruesome detail supports the idea of a total merger of organic life.

Did The Military Purge The Upside Down?

If the flesh-fusion theory is too grotesque, there is a more tactical possibility rooted in the episode's earlier scenes. We saw them cutting the creatures open and studying them with cold, clinical precision. This suggests the army was actually getting stuff done in the background.

It is totally possible that while the gang was dealing with the main supernatural threat, the soldiers were busy clearing the field and wiping out the Demogorgon population before the final battle. Whether they were absorbed into a giant spider or taken out by a black-ops team, their absence made the silence of the Upside Down louder than ever.