Stranger Things Series Finale Explained: How It All Ended

This article covers the entire Stranger Things series finale. If you haven't watched, stop here. The ending deserves to be experienced fresh.

The Final Battle

The Stranger Things finale brought together every thread from five seasons. Eleven facing Vecna for the last time. Hopper protecting his found family. The Party using their combined knowledge and skills. After nearly a decade of storytelling, the Duffer Brothers had to stick the landing—and largely did.

Character Fates

• Eleven's journey and her relationship with her powers
• Mike and El's love story
• The Wheeler family's arc
• Steve, Robin, and Nancy's triangle
• Dustin and Suzie
• Lucas and Max's heartbreaking story
• Will's connection to the Upside Down
• Hopper and Joyce's decades-long romance

Thematic Resolution

Stranger Things was always about the power of friendship and found family. The finale reinforced that the Party's greatest strength was never Eleven's powers but their bonds with each other.

• Growing up and the end of childhood
• The cost of trauma and the possibility of healing
• Government overreach and conspiracy
• The power of love and music (yes, really)