Netflix’s smash-hit Stranger Things season 4 has finally met its destined conclusion. With the new big bad Vecna (played by Jamie Campbell Bower), the orchestrator of the havoc in Hawkins, surviving the battle in episode 9 "The Piggyback" against Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown), season 5 is sure to bring an action-packed conclusion to the beloved series. The most unexpected of all: The Upside Down is now bleeding into the Hawkins, setting up a finale season that will be darker than before. Indeed, the concluding season of Stranger Things will certainly explore the beginning of the end in the most epic way.
In all the strangeness of the show, if there is anything that’s far stranger than the Stranger Things series, it has to be its monsters. From the mutated version of dogs and bats to spine-chilling vines, each has quietly preyed on the once quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana in their wicked ways. The town has seen and dealt with it all. While we patiently wait for other ghoulish creatures to appear in Stranger Things season five, which, per The Duffer Brothers interview with Collider, is going to be massive, now would be the time to rank every monster seens in the series thus far.
6 Vines
First introduced in Stranger Things season 1 in the Hawkins Public Library, these vines are relatively less dangerous due to their immobility. However, they have life-threatening capabilities with their snake-like tendrils that can strangulate their prey to death. As such, they are something to be watched out for at each step. In several instances, the vines have attempted to claim the lives of the leading cast, but have failed miserably. For starters, in season 1, Will Byers has his first life-and-death encounter with this monster. Further, in the finale episode of season 4, Nancy, Steve, and Robin have yet another deadly encounter. In both circumstances, the vines have tightly wrapped around the bodies, almost suffocating them to death. Nevertheless, they all manage to survive.
5 Demogorgons
The demogorgons are introduced to the audience in the first season as the prime antagonist. Vicious and blood-thirsty, they have a scary humanoid body with an absurd facial structure and a petal-like mouth with rows upon rows of sharp teeth. They also have unlimited strength along with a bullet-resistant body. Demogorgons feed on flesh and blood, and produce their kinds in The Upside Down. As Stranger Things matured, the monsters upgraded their lethality too. Towards season 4, the creatures have become more agile and clever than introduced previously. They have learned to climb walls and rip things apart. However, they have weaknesses as well, one of them being fire.
4 Demodogs
Demodogs first appeared in the second season of Stranger Things as a seemingly harmless pet (adopted by Dustin), but since then have recurrently taken the screen as human-eating creatures. Their body structure is similar to a dog, but the face is petal-like, akin to the Demogorgon. That said, Demodogs are more agile and lethal creatures from their first introduction. They have claimed countless lives towards the end of the second season. In the Hawkins lab scene, where more than a hundred scientists were killed, one of the beloved lead characters, Bob (Sean Astin), meets his gruesome end too.
3 Demobats
These monsters made their first appearance in season 4 of Stranger Things as a smaller version of human-eating demons. Unlike demogorgons and demodogs, they are flying monsters that can travel long distances in a shorter time. Also, they hunt in swarms. While the first encounter took place in the demonic dimension of The Upside Down, during which Nancy, Steve, and Robin narrowly escaped the attack, the story turned out different for Eddie Munson. Preyed by a flock of demobats, Eddie met the most gut-wrenching character end that created a lot of buzz among fans. So far, these monsters have not hunted their prey in Hawkins town and are specifically restricted to The Upside Down for their hunt.
2 The Mind Flayer
This enormous spider-like monster takes the mantle as a leading antagonist in the third season of the series. Creel first discovered The Mind Flayer in The Upside Down. He then puppeteers it in Hawkins to seek vengeance against Eleven. This dangerous creature shares a hive mind with Demogorgons and Demodogs. Also, the demon parasitically possesses humans (known as the Flayed) to create its army. Throughout season three, The Mind Flayer claimed countless human and rodent lives by melting them down into a goop and absorbing their remains into its body. Its prominent kill after escaping from Byers’ body was Billy Hargrove. And he always likes it cold.
1 Vecna
This new humanoid baddie of Stranger Things has been the master of all the wicked monsters thrown at the town of Hawkins. Unlike other creatures haunting the town, Vecna is and will be so far the most intelligent and dangerous monster introduced in the series, as outlined by Marie Claire. His abilities include telekinesis and illusionism. He preys on the weakest souls by feeding their minds with disturbing visions and finally claiming their lives through an absurd and spooky manner of body levitation, together with twisted limbs and disgorged bleeding eyes. While attempting his kill, he enters into a trance state that makes him vulnerable. Besides this only weakness, the monster, who once had a human form, is the kingpin of The Upside Down and pitted against super-powerful Eleven.