Stranger Things beastiary: Guide to all the series monsters (so far)

Stranger Things is good at many things. From the writing, the character development, the story, and so much more. The show has also nailed down its monsters!

The creepy creatures from the Upside Down always manage to make your skin crawl. And that was definitely the case from the very start when we meet the Demogorgon. I’d never seen a monster like it!

There’s been plenty more where that came from. And each season the monsters have gotten bigger and scarier. Stranger Things season 4 may be bringing us the most frightening one yet.

Ahead of the upcoming fourth season, we put together a list of all the monsters our friends from Hawkins have encountered so far on the Netflix hit.

Guide to all the Stranger Things monsters (so far)

Season 1: Demogorgon

The main and only creature we meet in the first season is the Demogorgon. It terrorized Hawkins and was able to enter our world from the Upside Down when Eleven accidentally opened The Gate. This happened when Papa’s experiment at Hawkins Lab unintentionally went too far.

The predatory humanoid took the lives of many in town, including fan-favorite Barb. The Demogorgon stole Will away to the Upside Down. For days he was stuck there and tried to communicate with his mother Joyce. Ultimately that’s how she and his friends are able to save him.

Thanks to Eleven’s powers, she kills the creature in the showdown at Hawkins Middle School. But in the process she is taken into the Upside Down. The good news is she was able to escape and get back to our world.

Season 2: The Mind Flayer and Demodogs

We’re introduced to The Mind Flayer in the second season. Also known as the Shadow Monster, season 2’s main antagonist is the supreme ruler of the Upside Down. It’s able to command the Demogorgon and other creatures like the Demodogs and vines (Will was attached to a vine while he was strung up in the Upside Down).

The Mind Flayer first tries to take control over our world when he possess Will. Eleven is able to close the Gate she had previously opened at Hawkins Lab, severing the psychic connection. But that wasn’t the end of the Mind Flayer.

We also meet the Demodogs in season 2, including Dustin’s beloved Dart. Demogorgons are also a part of a species and go through six stages in their life cycle: slug which we saw Will cough up at the end of season 1, pollywog, frogogorgon, catogorgon, Demodog and Demogorgon.

Season 3: The Mind Flayer

As Eleven closed the Gate, Will’s friends and family had to force a piece of the Mind Flayer out of his body, which became dormant when the Gate closed. But in season 3, it opens up again which means the Flayer’s psychic link to our world was activated once again. This time it used Billy as its host. The Flayer begins kidnapping and possessing humans and rats, melting their bodies to create a physical form to fight Eleven and the rest of our young heroes.

This physical form becomes the Hospital Monster Nancy and Jonathan encounter, and then the bigger Spider Monster the group defeats in the finale. Hopper makes the ultimate sacrifice (when we thought he died!) and gives Joyce the signal to close the Gate. The Mind Flayer no longer has control in our world and is banished back to the Upside Down. Hopefully forever.

Season 4: Vecna 

The fourth season’s big bad villain is Vecna, who we catch a glimpse of in the season 4 trailer. We don’t know all the details about him yet, but this monster certainly looks scary! Haven’t the Hawkins heroes been through enough? But this season’s antagonist already has me super excited for what’s to come!

Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 drops on May 27.