The final showdown in Stranger Things was initially set to include Demogorgons, but Ross Duffer feared fans might be tired of the creatures.

Netflix’s upcoming documentary that dives into the making of the final season of Stranger Things sheds light on the absence of Demogorgons in the climactic battle against Vecna.

In this pivotal scene, Eleven and her friends confront the Mind Flayer and Jamie Campbell Bower’s villain in The Abyss. Initially, the sequence was meant to include a swarm of the iconic flower-faced monsters, but it was reworked after Ross Duffer expressed concerns about “Demogorgon fatigue.”

This moment is captured by director Martina Radwan in One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5. She noted, “I like the conversation, because it obviously changed, right? And so having them sit there and really explore that – to me, the writers’ room is so fascinating, because you see them thinking.”

Radwan continued, “I love that they were so sure about the Demogorgons in the final Abyss – except Ross was like, ‘Mmm, maybe there’s some fatigue, Demogorgon fatigue.’ And [writer/executive producer] Kate [Trefry] agreed. And you’re like, ‘Oh, OK – so this is not the last conversation. They disagree, and they will resolve it at some point.’ We left it open in the doc because by the time it comes out, everyone knows there are no Demos in the Pain Tree.”

While it’s true that the series sometimes leaned heavily on Demogorgons, the choice to exclude them from the major Abyss confrontation raises questions. Earlier in the season, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) discovered that these creatures didn’t originate from the Upside Down as previously thought. Instead, they were native to The Abyss, using the Upside Down as a portal to the real world. So, why were none present?

It had also been established that Vecna could control the Demogorgons, often using the hive mind to command them, such as when he kidnapped Holly Wheeler and other local kids. A significant part of Will’s journey in season 5 involved learning to connect with the hive mind and siphon Vecna’s power to defeat them. It seems odd to overlook this development in the series’ ultimate showdown.

All episodes of Stranger Things are available for streaming now. If you’ve already binged the season and need a recap, there are breakdowns and reviews available to help clarify the finale’s events.