If you know Dungeons & Dragons, you may have a head start on Stranger Things.
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Stranger Things follows a group of outcast kids in the ‘80s, so it’s natural that Dungeons & Dragons is involved. The gang is seen playing D&D in the very first episode, but it is more interesting how Stranger Things incorporated D&D monsters into its story.
Starbreeze Studios
The major threat of Stranger Things Season 1 is a terrifying monster from the Upside Down called the Demogorgon.
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The kids themselves dubbed the monster the Demogorgon, based on the D&D monster of the same name.
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In Stranger Things, the Demogorgon is a predator that the characters compare to animals, like lions. It has an oddly plant-like appearance thanks to the fang-lined “petals” that make up its head.
Wizards of the Coast
In Dungeons & Dragons, Demogorgon (there’s only one) is a much different adversary. A towering demon lord, it has two heads and tentacle-like arms.
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Season 2 introduced an even more terrifying monster in the Mind Flayer, once again named by the D&D-playing crew of Stranger Things.
Like the Demogorgon, it bears little resemblance to its tabletop counterpart, but this time it acts a lot like the game’s Mind Flayers.
Wizards of the Coast
In D&D and Stranger Things, the squid-faced Mind Flayers’ goal is to subjugate other creatures by taking control of their minds.
Wizards of the Coast
Stranger Things has another unofficial connection to Mind Flayers in Billy. Intellect Devourers are minions of the Mind Flayers — they’re literally brains with legs — used to take control of victims.
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Billy plays the same role in Season 3, though he doesn’t need to eat brains or turn into one to do it.
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The biggest connection yet comes in Season 4. In the new season’s trailer, we saw a glimpse of a horrifying humanoid denizen of the Upside Down.
Wizards of the Coast
Its name is Vecna, which should be immediately recognizable to D&D players. Vecna is an evil god in the game, one of its most nefarious villains.