The epic saga of Hawkins has reached its conclusion. Netflix released the highly anticipated final season of its global phenomenon, Stranger Things Season 5, bringing the battle against the Upside Down to a definitive end. The finale, which premiered on the streaming platform, has sparked intense discussions and divided opinions among its massive fanbase worldwide.
The Final Battle: Who Ultimately Defeats Vecna?
Season 5 culminates in the ultimate showdown between the core Hawkins group and their most formidable foe, the psychic predator Vecna. Leading up to the release, rampant fan theories speculated that Eleven, portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown, would be the one to finally vanquish her "brother" Henry Creel after numerous past confrontations. In a poignant turn, Eleven makes a heroic sacrifice, putting the lives of her friends above her own.
However, the final act of defeating Vecna falls to an unexpected hero. It is Joyce Byers, the resilient matriarch played by Winona Ryder, who delivers the killing blow. In a climactic moment, Joyce severs Vecna's connection to the hive mind by beheading him with an axe. Her action is punctuated by a now-iconic line directed at the monster: "You f***ed with the wrong family."
This decisive move follows the strategic severing of the Mind Flayer's link to the Upside Down by permanently closing the gate, which dismantles its control network.
Why Joyce? The Duffer Brothers Explain the Choice
The show's co-creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, revealed to Tudum that they deliberately chose Joyce for this pivotal moment. They considered various characters from the ensemble cast before deciding on the Byers family heart.
"At the end of the day, it felt like it had to be Joyce because Joyce was the first one [in Season 1] to really take action, to believe that something strange was going on," Ross Duffer stated, highlighting her journey from the very beginning.
Matt Duffer explained the powerful dialogue given to her character, noting it was a carefully reserved moment. "We were looking for a real moment that would deserve stronger language, and we’ve been saving [it]. We felt if we were going to go there, this was the moment for it. Let’s give it to Winona," he said.
A Nostalgic Farewell: Passing the Torch in Hawkins
The series wraps up its longest-ever episode by returning to its roots. The final scene takes place in the Wheelers’ basement, where the adventure first began with a game of Dungeons & Dragons. The original party—Will (Noah Schnapp), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Max, and Mike (Finn Wolfhard)—plays one last campaign before putting their D&D books away for good.
In a symbolic passing of the torch, as the somber group leaves the basement, Mike’s younger sister, Holly (Nell Fisher), and her friends descend to start their own game, hinting at new stories for a new generation in Hawkins.
The Duffer Brothers confirmed this poignant symbolism. "It’s their time to leave it behind and pass the torch to the next group of kids," Matt Duffer said, describing the scene as the characters "leaving their childhood behind." Remarkably, this emotional sequence was both the first and the last thing the team ever shot for the entire series.
Stranger Things, which first premiered on Netflix in 2016, concludes its eight-year run with this finale, leaving behind a legacy of nostalgia, friendship, and supernatural thrills that captivated a global audience.
