Stranger Things reveals the true nature of the Upside Down with another D&D reference

The nature of the Reversed Position has been one of mankind's greatest mysteries. Stranger Things. Even though the characters have become pros at navigating the parallel universe, they still don't know much about it. That changes in a series of season five episodes on Christmas Eve, when a trip to an upside-down version of Hawkins Laboratory gives Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) much more information. Like many other characters in the series, he explains what he has learned to his friends using terms borrowed from the book. Dungeons and Dragons.

[Ed. note: This article contains major spoilers for Stranger Things season 5, volume 2]

The first hint of the Inversion's true nature appears in the third episode of the fifth season, “The Turning Trap”, when the Party turns to Erica Sinclair (Pria Ferguson) for help. ridiculous kidnapping scheme. Erica is annoyed because she enjoys a science class in which Mr. Clark (Randy Havens) is explaining the nature of wormholes, which allow matter to cross galaxies or dimensions without traversing the space between them. As with most times when a teacher teaches a lesson in a TV show or movie, it is very relevant to the plot.

When Dustin discovers that the Upside Down World is surrounded by a wall, forming a circle centered on Hawkins Laboratory, he first claims that the group will find some sort of shield generator there, which they can destroy to remove the wall and find Vecna ​​(Jamie Campbell Bower). But instead he finds a book full of scientific notes from lab leader Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine). Brenner's notes explain that the Inverted Hole is a wormhole connecting Hawkins, Indiana to another dimension. Dustin calls this world “The Abyss” because in D&D it is “a realm of pure chaos and evil.”

Hopper (David Harbor) is less than enthusiastic about yet another D&D reference, and if you share his irritation, we're here to help. Dungeons & Dragons is part of a multiverse that includes several campaign settings such as Ravenloft And Forgotten Realms but also many worlds inhospitable to human life, such as the Plane of Fire and the Nine Hells. The Abyss is a particularly fitting name for the world Hawkins is associated with because it is home to demons, including the demon lord Demogorgon.

Like many other revelations this season, the true nature of the Upside Down was also hinted at in the stage show. Stranger Things: The First Shadowwhich begins with a US Navy ship briefly traveling to another world dubbed “Dimension X”. Ross Duffer told Polygon earlier this month that the nature of “The Upside Down” as a bridge to another dimension harkens back to the first season's mythological document.

“They didn’t call it The Abyss back then,” Duffer said. “I think the placeholder was 'Dimension X' which is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles link. [The brainlike alien Krang comes from Dimension X.] We originally planned to explore this in season two, but then in season two there were too many ideas. So we just kept throwing the can down the road, but it seems only fitting that we finally revealed it in the final season.”

Image: Netflix

Henry gained his powers and connection to the Abyss after being exposed to materials stolen from Brenner's laboratory in Nevada. Brenner then used Henry's blood to create numerous other psychic children, including Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). After Henry killed most of them, Eleven banished him to the Abyss, where the corrupted realm transformed him into his current form. When Brenner later forced Eleven to make psychic contact with Vecna, the connection created the Upside Down and allowed Vecna ​​to begin influencing Hawkins, beginning with the kidnapping of Will Byers.

Vecna's plan is to connect the Void and Hawkins, and he has been working on this for years, building connections between the two dimensions, opening rifts through psychic murders of people, and kidnapping more psychically sensitive children to aid him in the final push. This very much D&D plot. From the abyssone of the first campaigns released for 5th edition D&D, in which Demogorgon and other demon lords invade the subterranean realm of the Underdark. The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide explains that the corrupting power of the Void is so great that if a portal is opened to a plane, it can corrupt the area around it and pull it into the plane.

Traveling into the Abyss is extremely dangerous, as it is infested with demons, and the realm itself is dangerous for mortal creatures. This adventure is recommended only for high-level heroes who can complete a long campaign by making a final stand against an implacable evil to save the world. This is the right place for Stranger Things At the end, the characters use all their experience to go into battle one last time.

First seven episodes Stranger Things Season five is available to stream now on Netflix, with the finale airing on New Year's Eve.