The history of the Upside Down remains mysterious. Exactly how and why it came into existence is unclear. Dustin theorised the Upside Down had existed for thousands, if not millions of years. Another theory is that for years, the Upside Down remained the barren landscape we saw Vecna first enter, and it was only after the mothergate opened that the exact 1983 version of Hawkins was copied into the alternate dimension. Through the hive mind, a diverse range of beings fell under Vecna's control, including "Demogorgons", Will Byers and the tunnel-organism in 1984, the "Flayed" of 1985, and "Demobats", as well as the roots and vines strewn across the surface of the Upside Down. Creatures connected to the hive mind would experience each others' knowledge and senses; because of the hive mind, the Upside Down was essentially one gigantic organism; a collection of smaller beings and organisms, unified by a singular consciousness. Even gates, which consisted of the same vines, shapes and forms present within the Upside Down, were probably part of the hive mind. The team had to work closely with Netflix to figure out on what areas of the world they could expand on. Due to Stranger Things being an ongoing show, they had to tread carefully. [2] Eventually they decided to explore Will’s story. Regarding the decision, Houser explained that "Will was less a character" in the first season and "more of a treasure that the adventuring party was trying to find," and the team wanted to explore the Upside Down from his perspective.

Years after escaping Hawkins Lab, two of Dr. Brenner’s former subjects seek to live normal lives. When news reaches them that the lab was shut down they go on a harrowing search for Nine, a powerful pyrokinetic, whose shattered psyche threatens to burn them all to ashes if they can’t find her and free her from her own malevolent imagination. The Stranger Things production team developed a wide range of Upside Down-related designs, with the second season's development being an especially busy period: While this is obviously quite unsettling for Will, his ongoing connection to the Upside Down might provide the gang with an advantage in their fight against Vecna. “I can still remember what he thinks, and how he thinks,” Will told Mike. However, they are sure to not let logic dictate all of their decisions. As long as it’s not cheating the audience and feels like it belongs in their world, the Duffers often use ideas that simply excite them. Explaining any gaps in the mythology that arise is not their greatest concern. [33] Design The Duffer Brothers Recap Stranger Things 2, ‘Chapter Three: The Pollywog’". Vulture. November 1, 2017In an interview with Variety, Ross Duffer did promise that “answers for the Upside Down is really what the basis of season 5 is about.” But rather than sit around and wait for all to be revealed, we’ve gathered up everything we already know about the Upside Down so we can start making our own predictions. I wanted to – badly. But “Stranger Things: Volume I” is pretty much the definition of a “cash-in” – a tie-in comic that exists solely to siphon a little extra dough off of the property��s current red-hot status in the marketplace. Reading these four issues is a little like reading a teaser for a big comic book event – there’s little to no real plot, the art is functional at best, and everything feels slightly obligatory, almost like this comic exists because, well, of course it HAS to, it’s freaking “Stranger Things”!

Jody Houser, the writer of the series stated it was her love for the show that encouraged her to take on the project. "The hardest part was not breathing a word about it for six months!" she told. Penciller Stefano Martino revealed that he was excited working with Houser and also to take on this project giving the right respect to the fan base. [2] Story [ ]

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Following the opening of the Mothergate, the Upside Down began to corrupt the surrounding small town of Hawkins, Indiana. Crops started to rot, and a gigantic vine-like organism, stemming from the Mothergate, burrowed beneath Hawkins; an elaborate series of tunnel-like structures were formed, through which adolescent Demogorgons known as "Demodogs" could travel and congregate. However, in late 1984, Eleven interfered by closing the Mothergate, severing the psychic link between the worlds, and killing the Demodogs and tunnel organism in the process. A piece of the Mind Flayer hiding at Brimborn Steel Works was also affected, its particles scattering across the floor of the facility; dormant, but not destroyed. I saw so many things, then one day I found the most extraordinary thing of all. Something that would change everything. I saw a means to realize my potential, to transcend my human form, to become the predator I was always born to be. The Monster, known by some as the Demogorgon, moved through dimensions by creating temporary gates. It began harvesting the bodies of humans and animals, storing them in the Upside Down version of the public library. Around the same time, Hawkins Lab began investigating the Mothergate and discovering exactly what it contained. On March 25, Max struggled to describe Vecna's domain to her friends, drawing an illustration of the fractured house. Though Max didn't know it, Nancy realized she had drawn a fragmented version of Victor Creel's house. Some time later, Max, Nancy and their friends broke into the abandoned home, looking for clues that could shed light on Vecna's identity.

I was super excited to read this book which contains Stranger Things: The Other Side comics #1-4. Stranger Things is one of my favorite Netflix series (all three seasons), so I grabbed this as soon as I saw it. However, unlike the human world, the mirror-dimension was overrun with alien vines, spores and membranes, being completely devoid of human life. The alien vines, along with the Demogorgons and a species of bat-like creatures, Demobats, were key members of the hive mind. The entirety of the Upside Down was essentially one gigantic organism, with all its contents and agents psychically connected via Henry and the Mind Flayer. [7] Another miniseries, Stranger Things: Kamchatka, follows the plight of a Russian scientist forced to weaponize a captured Demogorgon against his will; this miniseries in turn ties into another miniseries, Stranger Things: The Voyage. Stranger Things’ Season 4: How the Duffer Brothers Channeled Freddy Krueger for the Vecna Monster" IndieWire. May 31, 2022.

Stranger Things: SIX

Honestly, the whole read is slightly depressing, because as anyone who’s watched “Stranger Things” knows, this is a world that’s RIFE with story-potential, that has all kinds of cool and exciting avenues to explore. Yet time and time again, writer Jody Houser seems d However, at times, the two-way nature of the psychic connection was also a point of vulnerability. Any pain felt by the connected entities was shared amongst them; the physical suffering of Vecna's thralls would translate to every other being in the hive mind, including Vecna himself. That said, pain inflicted upon the hive mind produced varied effects, affecting creatures differently based on their resistance and strength. The moment that the Upside Down was quote-unquote “created” inadvertently by Eleven, the set dressing and the world of the Upside Down is frozen in that moment. So like when we’re in Nancy’s room, we’ll discover in the Upside Down that Nancy’s room is as it was season 1 when we first were introduced to it. Then, of course, there’s Vecna, the monstrous evolution of Henry Creel/One who preys on humans’ trauma before gruesomely killing them. Is Vecna the Mind Flayer? Image: Netflix