Stranger Things closes the gate as the Duffers break down emotional season 5 ending: From kids' future in Hawkins to Vecna's choice

After nearly a decade of monsters, mysteries, and growing up in the shadows of Hawkins, Stranger Things has finally closed its gate. With the release of its two-part season 5 finale on New Year’s Eve, the Netflix series brought its story to a carefully considered end, one its creators say they had been working toward for years.

The final episode, titled The Right Side Up, premiered on December 31, bringing the journey of Hawkins and its characters to a definitive close. In a new interview with Tudum, Ross and Matt Duffer have revealed that while the show evolved in scale and scope, its ending was always rooted in something simpler, saying goodbye to childhood and the place where it all began. (Spoilers ahead)



Stranger Things ends exactly where it began. With a Dungeons and Dragons game in the Wheelers’ basement.

Ross Duffer revealed that this ending had been planned for a very long time. The idea was always to close the story by returning to the place that symbolised the characters’ childhoods and the audience’s first introduction to them.



“That basement, specifically the Dungeons and Dragons game, represents their childhoods and how we first met them as an audience,” Ross said. “To say goodbye to it, you have to play one last time.”

The moment carried extra weight behind the scenes too. The Duffers shared that the D&D scene in the finale was also the last scene they ever shot, mirroring the very first day of filming back in season 1. Even the camera movement was designed to echo that original moment.

“It really reminded us of the first day on set,” Ross added. “It felt appropriate that this would be the last thing we ever shot.”

Matt Duffer described the shoot as deeply emotional, noting that the feelings on set closely reflected what was happening in the scene itself.



Before the Upside Down collapses, Hopper (David Harbour) delivers a moving speech asking Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to promise that she’ll fight to survive. Later, Eleven responds with her own monologue, assuring Hopper she’ll make the right choices for herself.

Ross Duffer explained that Hopper’s speech reflects the concern of anyone watching Eleven grow up: he’s lost a daughter before and struggles to let her navigate life on her own.



“She’s been through so much over the years, and we wanted someone to communicate that to her as she’s trying to make this decision,” Ross said. Matt Duffer added that the moment is about growth and independence:“A lot of the finale is about growing up. It’s the end of a long coming-of-age story, and part of coming of age is leaving your parents and making your own decisions. That’s the moment where Eleven reaches that point, and Hopper realises he does have to let go.”



The finale leaves Eleven’s future deliberately ambiguous. Mike imagines her escaping to a small village, a fantasy ending that reflects hope rather than reality. Ross Duffer explained that Eleven had to go, maintaining the magic she represents while allowing the Hawkins story to close.

“For our characters to move on, Eleven had to go away. We thought it would be beautiful if our characters continued to believe in that happier ending even if we didn’t give them a clear answer to whether that’s true or not.”



Fans who have been rooting for Max and Lucas were rewarded with a softer moment amid the chaos. The finale shows the two settling into a date, something Ross Duffer confirmed had been planned for a long time.

“They had a movie date that had been planned for a very long time,” Ross told Tudum.



And yes, the movie choice mattered. According to the Duffers, Max and Lucas were watching Ghost, even though the film itself is never shown on screen.

“We filmed it,” Matt said, explaining that a romantic scene from Ghost was cut because it distracted from Max and Lucas’ own moment. “But that is the movie they’re seeing.”

One of the finale’s most tense moments comes when Steve nearly dies after slipping from the radio tower. While fans feared the worst, Matt Duffer said the scene was never about teasing Steve’s death.

Instead, it was about resolving one of the last emotional fractures within the group.

“It was really about him and Jonathan coming together,” Matt explained. “We wanted those two to find common ground by the end of the series.”

By making Jonathan the one who saves Steve, the Duffers intentionally brought closure to their long-running tension, particularly surrounding Nancy. The moment leads to a deeper conversation between them, clearing the air before the final battle.

Ross added that it was crucial for all conflicts to be resolved before the climax. Steve and Jonathan were the last remaining source of tension, and the group needed to be fully united.

The finale also dives deeper into Vecna’s past, revealing more about Henry and his connection to the Mind Flayer. According to Ross Duffer, the writers did consider giving Vecna a redemption moment similar to Billy’s arc or a Darth Vader-style turn.

But ultimately, they decided against it.

“He’s gone so far at this point to get here; he has to justify everything he’s done,” Ross said. “And the only way to justify that is to go, ‘I chose this, and I believe in this still.’”



Even though Henry is shaken by memories from his past, the Duffers feel he is too far gone to turn back. While they intentionally left some ambiguity about whether young Henry was influenced from the start or acting on his own, the conclusion is clear.

“In terms of where Henry goes, it doesn’t matter,” Ross explained. “He chooses the side of the Mind Flayer at the end of the day.”

In the end, Stranger Things does not just close the gate on the Upside Down, it gently shuts the door on childhood itself, leaving Hawkins and its characters changed, grown, and finally ready to move forward.

Stranger Things finale is now streaming on Netflix!