The brand-new Stranger Thingsdocumentary, One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5, reveals new details about the final season, including one original plan for Season 5 that would have addressed a major complaint about the Stranger Things finale.
SPOILER—This post includes spoilers from the Stranger Things series finale.
Since its New Year’s Eve release, the Stranger Things finale has brought on plenty of online reactions and even conspiracy theories (including Conformity Gate, which took the internet by storm by suggesting that a secret final episode was coming).
Along with those responses have come various criticisms, ranging from grievances about unanswered questions to displeasure over certain choices made in the finale. Among the latter was the argument that the final battle against Vecna/the Mind Flayer was too quick.
Of course, not every viewer felt that way, but some argued that this showdown should have taken longer and/or required more of the show’s heroes. Now, this new documentary has indicated that there was a slightly different plan for the fight against Vecna.
In the documentary, the Duffer Brothersrevealed that there was originally a “midway battle” that was ultimately scrapped. Although the specifics of what (or who) that battle would have involved weren’t clarified, theoretically, this would have addressed the idea that the final fight was too easy, at least in part.
This revelation may frustrate some viewers, but other comments from the Duffers within the documentary indicate why they might have made this decision. Namely, the show creators discussed that audiences care about the characters even more than the spectacle, and that’s clearly what they focused on.
In the end, the finale was really about the characters’ stories and taking the time to explore what happened to each of them after this battle was won, be it Eleven’s ambiguous fate or the graduation of the core characters. While some may have preferred to see that midway battle or a longer final battle, in the end, the finale centered on the characters and wrapping up their stories.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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