A Demogorgon attacking Lucas in a tunnel.Netflix

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WARNING: Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 are below!

When Stranger Things debuted in 2016, it laid out numerous mysteries that have kept viewers enraptured for the last nine years, tuning in for new thrills and answers to burning questions. Season 5 of the Netflix hit sci-fi series has finally set about providing answers to many of the show’s long-running secrets. The latest batch of episodes that dropped as part of Volume 2 in the Stranger Things release schedule is delivering the satiating details for fans.

The Duffer Brothers, the creators of Stranger Things, made promises prior to the season premiere to wrap up mysteries that have been standing since Season 1. One noted mystery was why Will was taken in the first season, with the creators also letting audiences know they would lay the mystery of the Upside Down to rest. Thanks to Volume 2 of Season 5, Stranger Things has kept its promise, giving fans a full, detailed explanation as to what the dark mirror world of Hawkins is all about.

What Is the Upside Down?

The wormhole shape of the Upside Down in Stranger Things season 5Netflix

Stranger Things has always presented the Upside Down as another dimension, but thanks to Dustin’s detailed presentation to the Hawkins resistance group in Episode 7, "The Bridge," audiences now know that isn’t the case. The Upside Down is actually a wormhole, acting as a bridge between the real world and what Dustin labels "The Abyss," stating that it is "an interdimensional bridge that rips through space-time." He continues to explain that it is unstable, but held together by "exotic matter," which is the frantically shifting red ball they found hovering above the Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down.

Stranger Things lets fans know that the Demogorgons, the Mind Flayer, and all the nasty gunk populating the Upside Down actually originated from the Abyss, with the wormhole being infected by their presence. As Dustin explains to everyone, when Eleven banished Vecna from the Hawkins Lab, he was sent to the Abyss. As seen in past seasons, Dr. Martin Brenner forced Eleven to find Vecna, and the latest episode elucidates the truth: when she connected with him in the Abyss, the wormhole was formed, effectively creating the Upside Down.

With access back to Hawkins and the real world, Vecna began utilizing the Upside Down, moving in his Demogorgon army and polluted aesthetics. Vecna effectively took Will to manipulate his mind, allowing him to act as an amplifier for his power and influence in the real world. Will also unconsciously aided in digging the tunnels under Hawkins, with Vecna doing the same to the Abyss in an effort to weaken both universes. Vecna has been taking other children, as seen with Holly and Derek, to amplify his abilities to new heights, with Will showing him what was possible. Stranger Things set up the show’s finale in "The Bridge," letting fans know that Vecna’s true motive is to force the worlds to merge, collapsing the Upside Down to make a single reality.

How Does the Truth of the Upside Down Affect ‘Stranger Things’?

Netflix

While Stranger Things set up the Upside Down as its own dark reality, the truth is that it is merely a bridge to an even darker world, falling victim to its evil influences. With the show redefining what audiences thought the Upside Down was, it’s the type of revelation that can send ripples through the series, with fans able to draw new meaning from earlier episodes, bringing new context to previous moments mired in darkness. Will’s journey is a great example, as it now takes on new meaning, with his trauma and visions stemming from a clear motive from Vecna, adding value for fans rewatching Stranger Things.

It also highlights just how powerful Eleven is, as beyond being capable of banishing Vecna to the Abyss, she created the Upside Down. Eleven and Vecna’s psychic connection spawned the wormhole, but it also insinuates that she was capable of reaching into another universe to sense him prior to the creation of the Upside Down. Her link to Vecna was so powerful that it spawned the wormhole, forcing their mental connection to form a reality breaking physical one. This connection also adds value to Kali’s return to the series, as audiences see her blood being used to potentially recreate what was done to her and Eleven with Vecna’s blood. The blood connection to Vecna further adds to how Eleven was capable of reaching into another universe to banish him and then find him.

Season 5’s explanation of the Abyss had Eleven noting that’s why she couldn’t connect with Vecna while utilizing the bathtub to heighten her psychic abilities, as he wasn’t in the Upside Down. Yet, that isn’t entirely true, as she was capable of finding him in the Abyss prior to the existence of the Upside Down, which means she is powerful enough to do it again. While Eleven has constantly been learning the extent of her abilities, with Season 5 highlighting her further training, the revelation of how the Upside Down came to be and what it ultimately is paints her as a vastly more powerful character than the show has let on.

While the finale may yet have a surprise up its sleeve, especially as the life and death stakes are raised, Stranger Things has finally laid to rest its biggest mystery. With the last episode poised to spend plenty of time in the Upside Down, fans are sure to get one last heaping dose of the grim mirror world with a new view of what it all means.

Release Date 2016 - 2025-00-00

Network Netflix

Showrunner Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer

• 

Jane ‘Eleven’ Hopper

• 

Mike Wheeler

Directors Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz

Writers Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock

Genres Drama, Mystery, Horror, Science Fiction

Creator(s) Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer