_updates.jpg)
The final showdown between the Hawkins’ residents and the Upside Down monsters has finally begun!
After a long wait, Netflix released Vol 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 on November 26, 2025, and the story is now moving toward its conclusion, with Vol 2 and 3 set to premiere on December 25 and December 31, bringing the iconic series to an end.
Since this is the final season of Netflix’s hit sci-fi mystery franchise, fans are extremely excited about how the series will wrap up. However, before the epic show concludes, there are still a number of unanswered mysteries about the Upside Down that need to be resolved.
Stranger Things Season 4 left the Upside Down more dangerous, more connected to Hawkins, and more mysterious than ever.
From Mind Flayer’s true identity to the Upside Down’s frozen timeline, here are 7 Upside Down mysteries that Stranger Things absolutely needs to answer by the end of its fifth and final season.
What exactly is the Upside Down?
The Upside Down has remained one of the biggest mysteries of Stranger Things franchise, and despite years of exploration, its true nature is still unclear.
Is it a parallel world, a corrupted copy of Hawkins, or something created by Vecna? While the show has hinted at multiple possibilities, the truth is yet to be unwrapped.
Theory: The Upside Down is a dark, unfinished world that only copies the real one after getting in contact with psychic energy. When Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) opened the first gate in 1983, Hawkins was imprinted onto it, creating a shadow version of the town.
Why is the Upside Down frozen in 1983?
In Stranger Things Season 4, Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) discovered that the Upside Down was frozen on the day Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappeared in 1983.
Why time stopped there and what that means remains a major unanswered question.
Theory: Time in the Upside Down seems to have stopped when Will was taken and the dimension may have captured Hawkins exactly as it was then and never changed because no human mind reshaped it afterwards.
Who actually controls the Upside Down?
The fourth installment of Stranger Things showed Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) shaping the Upside Down, but it is still unclear whether he created it from scratch or just reshaped the existing dimension as per his will.
It needs to be answered whether Vecna is truly the main villain and controller of the Upside Down, or it’s the dimension or any other entity that is using him.
Theory: No one fully controls the Upside Down. It works like a shared mind, with Vecna as the strongest influence, and may reacts to powerful psychic forces instead of obeying one master.
What is Mind Flayer’s true identity?
Is the Mind Flayer a thinking being on its own, something controlled by Vecna, or an even older and stronger force that actually controls him?
Theory: The Mind Flayer could be the Upside Down’s original intelligence or an ancient force that Vecna learnt to manipulate rather than command fully.
Why is Will Byers still connected to the Upside Down?
Even after narrowly escaping the terrifying Upside Down, Will Byers could never fully manage to leave it behind and can still sense the dimension and Vecna. Stranger Things Vol 2 and grand finale need to explain why his connection never fully broke.
Theory: Will Byers – who survived longer than anyone else in the Upside Down – had a prolonged exposure to the dimension during his childhood, permanently linking his mind to it and making him a psychic receiver for Vecna’s presence.
Why are humans so important to the Upside Down?
The Upside Down repeatedly uses humans to survive, spread, and gain control. Why it depends so heavily on people instead of existing on its own remains one of the show’s biggest mysteries.
Theory: The Upside Down lacks emotion, intelligence and biological traits that humans provide, making them useful for control or expansion.
Can the Upside Down be destroyed?
Despite temporary victories, the Upside Down always finds a way back through gates and connections to Hawkins. Whether this dark world can be permanently destroyed needs to be answered by the end of Stranger Things Season 5.
Theory: The Upside Down cannot likely be destroyed because it is a dimension, not a monster. The best option may be sealing it off completely.
