Stranger Things Alternate Ending: What If The Mind Flayer/Vecna's Plan Had Succeeded?

All things considered, the series finale of “Stranger Things” was better than that of most popular OTT titles I can think of. Agreed, a section of the fans were not too happy about how things ended, and as is the case with any popular sci-fi media, viewers’ speculations sound much more interesting than what the actual venture can deliver. Still, the Duffer brothers had a particular vision and tone in their mind while planning the conclusion to their story, which they executed while providing closure to the arc of all the major characters. Given the series draws from the classic roleplaying game “Dungeons and Dragons” to make up its narrative element, it encourages viewers to formulate their own conclusions, their personal headcanon. So let us speculate about certain dark alternate endings, especially what might have happened if Vecna and the Mind Flayer had succeeded in their plans!

Spoilers Ahead

The World Merger and Vecna’s Control

The prime goal Vecna had in mind while orchestrating his plan of drawing on the psychic energies of twelve abducted children was to terraform the ‘Rightside Up,’ or the real world, by merging it with the twisted, dark hellscape that is the Abyss. Henry Creel, who received his powers in the first place by accidentally getting transported to the Abyss, always felt the dark dimension to be his true home. In the real world, Brenner and co. exploited him as a lab rat, and later, when El banished him to the Abyss, Henry had a rebirth as the cosmic energies of the Abyss transformed him into the monster, Vecna. Holding a grudge against the world, which failed him, Vecna wanted to recreate it according to his twisted, nightmarish vision. Even though El, Will, and their team prevented the world merger from happening by ambushing Vecna on his home turf, things could have gone much differently if Vecna’s lackeys, like the Demogorgons, Demodogs, and Demobats, had assisted in the final battle. El and Will might have had a hard time taking down the monsters all while defending their powerless friends from the dual threat of Vecna and the Mind Flayer. Unable to stop Vecna from merging the worlds, the heroes would have to witness the Earth turn into a veritable hellscape. Successfully siphoning the psychic energy from the abducted children, Vecna would have become too powerful for Will, El, and Kali to stop. Alternatively, Vecna could have used his elevated powers to take over Will’s mind, subdue El and Kali, and wreak havoc on a defenseless Earth. Dr. Kay and her lackeys were unable to stop Vecna the first time, and it’s safe to guess that they would have posed no threat to an empowered Vecna. Humanity as a species would have turned into a population of mindless thralls, existing only to feed their psychic energy to Vecna. 

Mind Flayer and Vecna’s Cruel Ploy 

In another version of the alternate ending, the Mind Flayer could have subdued the powerless heroes while Vecna remained engaged in a battle with Will and El. I think a lot of viewers were shocked at how nerfed the Mind Flayer was in the final battle. Given the creature had a permanent impact on Henry’s psyche, it was odd to see that it couldn’t even take hold of a single powerless individual during the climactic battle. Had the writers decided to utilize the psychic behemoth in a more interesting way, things would have turned out catastrophic for the heroes. It was already revealed in the finale that Vecna and the Mind Flayer had a symbiotic relationship, and as Vecna sustained fatal damage, the Mind Flayer perished as well. Before Vecna got flanked by El and Will, he could have used his psychic abilities to take over the minds of the rest of the powerless heroes and used them as his pawns against El and Will. Using El’s friends against her would have proven an excellent strategy, as she and Will could have never accepted Kali’s idea of sacrificing a few for the greater good. Having his most powerful opponent surrender, Vecna surely would have dominated the rest of the bunch with ease. The Mind Flayer and Hive Mind connection would have strengthened further and turned Vecna into an unstoppable force. 

Will As Vecna’s Last Vestige

Unlike El or Kali, who manifested Henry Creel’s psychic powers, Will Byers never had any powers of his own and just manipulated Vecna’s abilities through the psychic connection he shared with him. But that doesn’t mean that with Vecna, the Hive Mind, and Mind Flayer’s end, Will is completely off the hook. There is a chance that Vecna’s residual psychic energy still exists in Will, although there is no way of confirming this. In a version of the alternate ending, upon knowing his end was imminent, Vecna could have transferred a part of himself into Will’s mind to use him as a conduit later on. Not that it would have guaranteed Vecna’s win against the heroes, but at least it could have given him a chance to set up an ambush on El’s psychic space. Agreed, Will proved himself strong enough to deny Vecna’s control, but still, at the end of the day, compared to true psychics like El or Henry, he is more susceptible to cerebral assaults. In the light of all the threats he delivered during his last interaction with Will, Vecna’s humiliation in the final battle feels unreal. 

Time Travel Scenario

One of the major, recurrent motifs involving time travel—which was hinted at with the clock imagery in most of Henry Creel’s scenes in season four, with the Upside Down being identified as a wormhole—was inexplicably dropped in the series finale. Vecna chose the exact date to merge the worlds when Will went missing four years ago, further doubling down on the possibility of the finale being a time-bending adventure. It is understandable that the showrunners didn’t want to confuse the audience and hence left out the idea of using temporal connections, but viewers are quite sure that it was in the cards during earlier drafts of season five. It doesn’t hurt to wonder what could have happened if the time travel ideas through wormhole connection indeed would have taken place in the finale. Using his increasing psychic powers, Vecna would have merged the worlds and gone back in time to erase all remnants of his humanity by altering the past. The time travel plotline would have given the makers a chance to give viewers a nostalgic ride by looking back at events from earlier seasons. 

X-Men Connection

From the Hellfire Club to numerous comics references, “Stranger Things” has often paid homage to the 80s classic “X-Men” titles, and in the finale, the makers could have doubled down in this regard. Vecna and the Mind Flayer’s connection was set to mimic a version of Cerebro-powered Charles Xavier, and seeing Vecna invading others’ psychic space to exploit and manipulate their minds would have amped up the dark, creepy narrative treatment. Following the world merger, the combined psychic might of Vecna and the Mind Flayer might have taken control over all the vulnerable minds and turned Dr. Kay’s wolfpack and non-powered heroes on Kali, El, and Will. Taking down the last defense of humanity, their control would have spanned the globe, immobilizing humanity. 

Kali as Vecna’s Mole

Lastly, the final season teased the possibility that, having been experimented on and tortured at Dr. Kay’s facility, Kali had lost touch with her human self. Until the finale aired, some of the fans speculated that Kali might be working for Vecna and shared a common goal of exterminating humanity for how both of them suffered at their hands. Honestly, given how the story ended for Kali, it would have been much more gratifying and emotional to have her side with Vecna and turn against El and co. The stakes would have been higher, and the choice between saving her close ones would have been monumental for El. 

Well, this sums up most of the theories and alternate endings I came up with in my mind while speculating a darker end to the series. Do share your version of the endings as well, and also let us know whether you liked the original ending or not. 

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