After watching Stranger Things, I couldn’t stop imagining a much darker ending, one where everything unravels and hope is completely lost.

In this twisted version that played out in my head, Vecna wins. Eleven doesn’t just lose the fight, she’s pulled into the Upside Down, her mind shattered and twisted until she becomes something else entirely. Hawkins turns into a nightmarish wasteland ruled by cults that worship Vecna, while the core friend group breaks apart in desperation.

Nancy becomes a lone fighter holding on to fading hope, Mike sets out to find the version of Eleven he once knew, and Will? Will becomes Vecna’s pawn, helping him break into the real world. It’s not the coming-of-age triumph we’re used to, it’s an apocalypse, pure and simple.

This darker ending haunted me because it felt so real, so possible. It’s unsettling, yes, but also unforgettable. Sometimes I wonder, would Stranger Things have hit even harder if it embraced the darkness all the way?