Stranger Things 5 Finale Ending EXPLAINED: What Happens To Hawkins Gang After Battle With Vecna?

The

final episode of Stranger Things, called The Rightside Up, is a major battle to save Hawkins, Indiana, and the world. So how does the Netflix show wrap up after nearly 10 years and 42 episodes? It's an emotional and sentimental end that bookends the series to the first-ever episode back in July 2016. The creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, will manage to please most fans, but the finale does end up raising more questions than answering them. So let's find out what went down when the Hawkins gang entered the Upside Down to kill Vecna. Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead!

How is Vecna defeated?

After entering the Upside Down, the team splits up, with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) finding Max (Sadie Sink) to guide them through Vecna's (Jamie Campbell Bower) mind. Hopper (David Harbour) and Murray (Brett Gelman) are on standby with the explosives to blow up the Upside Down after their mission is complete.

The rest of the team climb the WSQK radio tower to get into the Abyss when Vecna tries to merge the worlds together. But before Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Steve (Joe Keery), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Robin (Maya Hawke), and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) can rescue Holly (Nell Fisher) and the rest of the children, the Pain Tree transforms into the Mind Flayer and proceeds to attack them. It's a team effort, with Nancy as the bait, to get rid of the monster, and it's Eleven who strikes the big blow to get it started.She moves on to attack Vecna, with a little help from Will, and manages to nearly finish him. It's Joyce who makes sure the monster stays dead by using an axe to decapitate him. She tells him, "You f*cked with the wrong family." After that the crew gathers the children and leaves the Upside Down to safely return to Hawkins.

Was Vecna controlled by the Mind Flayer?

Yes and no. In the finale, Henry is finally able to make his way to the infamous cave, chasing after the children to his most painful memory. He sees his younger self killing a man and becoming possessed by the Mind Flayer. It tells him to "Come find me," and Henry obeys, becoming the creature known as Vecna.

While in his mind, Will implores Henry to stay true to himself and says that the Mind Flayer is just using him. Henry replies that he chose to go to it. He tells Will, "No, it showed me that this world is broken, that man is broken." So while Henry was doing his bidding, it was his choice.

Is the Upside Down finished?

Yes, after the team returns to Hawkins to the MAC-Z, they are immediately apprehended by Dr Kay's (Linda Hamilton) military men. They are trying to find Eleven, but she moves back to the entrance of the Upside Down, where the bomb is about to go off. She sacrifices herself so that the rest of the gang can move on. She manages to say goodbye to Mike by pulling him into the void. Earlier in the show, when other military personnel are after them, Kali is killed by a stray bullet in a fight. She urges El to finish up what she couldn't do.

Where everyone ends up in the epilogue

After the Upside Down and in conjunction, the Abyss are blown up, the series returns 18 months into the future, where Hawkins is still rebuilding. The military has moved on, there's no more quarantine, and the residents are free to live their lives. The Party members are ready to graduate as the class of '89, and there's a big reunion to see them get their diplomas. Dustin is valedictorian and gives an epic speech against conformity.

The older teens, who are now in college, also return. Jonathan is at NYU, filming a student film against capitalism, while Robin attends Smith College. Nancy dropped out of Emerson and is now working at a newspaper as a trainee. Fan favourite Steve has stayed back in Hawkins as a little-league baseball coach and teacher. The foursome plan to have more reunions in the future. Reinstated police chief Hopper and Joyce finally have their date at Enzo's, where he asks her to marry him. Hopper has a plan for their future, as he has been offered a job as chief in Montauk, New York, so they can be closer to Jonathan and Will.

How does Stranger Things end?

The show started with a Dungeons and Dragons game in the basement of the Wheeler house, and it ends with one too. They reunite for one last epic game where Mike becomes a storyteller to look ahead into their futures. After noticing something off about Eleven's sacrifice, he imagines Kali casting one last illusion spell so El could escape. He feels she is out there somewhere in the world, staying away from them so no one can capture her.

The end also hints at the Party's futures. Lucas and Max are still going strong in their relationship. Dustin studies hard at university but still makes time for his friend and mentor Steve. Will has moved out of Hawkins to a big city, where he seems to be dating another guy. Mike goes on to become a storyteller. The final scene is the passing of the generation. As Mike and his friends leave, they are replaced by Holly and her friends, including Delightful Derek (Jake Connelly), who come down to start playing their own D&D campaign.