After a decade on Netflix, Stranger Things officially came to an end with its Season 5 finale — and while fans said goodbye to Hawkins, many were left with lingering questions about the show’s emotional (and, to some, confusing) final moments. As online debate swirled and reactions ranged from heartfelt praise to intense backlash, the Duffer Brothers largely stayed quiet while the final episodes rolled out.
Now that the series has fully wrapped, Matt and Ross Duffer are opening up about the ending, the discourse surrounding it, and the creative choices that sparked so much conversation. In a post-finale interview with Variety, the brothers addressed the criticism head-on, including claims that certain scenes were unnecessary — a sentiment that circulated widely on social media and review platforms.
Responding to the backlash, Ross emphasized the long-term intention behind one of the most talked-about moments of the finale. “The coming out scene is something we’ve been building to for nine years now. It was a really important scene for us, and a really important scene for Noah [Schnapp] — not just from a thematic point of view, but also a narrative point of view,” he explained.
That narrative purpose, Ross added, was deeply tied to the show’s core themes and its final villain. “This show has always been about our characters overcoming evil, and in order to overcome this evil, Vecna, in so many ways, represents all the dark thoughts and the evil of society. And for our characters to overcome that, it really becomes about embracing themselves, and then also embracing one another and coming together.”
Scroll through our gallery below to read everything the Duffer Brothers have said about Stranger Things Season 5.
