Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2: The Upside Down Explained In Detail And How We Misunderstood It So Far

It has been several years since we were introduced to the world of Stranger Things. This amazing Netflix series not only gave us several memorable characters, but it also introduced the fandom to the haunting dimension known as the Upside Down. Every monster, including Vecna, is connected to the Upside Down. However, it wasn’t until Stranger Things Volume 2 that we learned what exactly the horrifying Upside Down is.

Stranger Things’ The Upside Down Is Not What You Think

Image Credit: Upside Down Pictures (via X/@Stranger_Things)

Stranger Things Season 1 explained that the Upside Down is simply an alternate dimension that exists alongside the real world. Hearing about the alternate-dimension thing, we believed it was a similar kind of world, where things work differently. For instance, there may be an alternate dimension where Nazis won the war. Similarly, there may be an alternate dimension in which climate change has already disrupted every human life on Earth.

The Upside Down in Stranger Things and the world of Hawkins are exactly the same, but there’s one major difference. This dimension or world is conquered by an alien entity known as the Mind Flayer. This dimension was basically a mirror image of the real world, but it stopped being the same when this alien arrived.

The science-fiction series confused us for a really long time by hinting at different things about The Upside Down. However, now that it is drawing towards its ultimate end, it wouldn’t be fair if Stranger Things left us without solving the biggest mystery: What is the Upside Down exactly? So, here we are, the penultimate volume of Stranger Things Season 5 gave Dustin the chance to spill the beans to the viewers.

At Hawkins lab, Dustin lashes out at Steve when he says that Eddie didn’t die for anyone; in fact, he just wanted to be a hero. Just after Steve leaves, Dustin gets his hands on Dr. Brenner’s diary, which reveals the true origin of the Upside Down, and it’s nowhere close to what we believed it to be. In reality, The Upside Down is a warmhole, that connects time and space . Initially, Dustin explains that there may be a shield generator powering the energy shield of the corrupted world, where Vecna resides. However, the diary tells a different story.

So, basically, Vecna wasn’t the creator of the sphere; it’s the Science. An exotic matter was responsible for holding the Upside Down together. So, when Nancy shoots it, everything gets soaked in a strange liquid, following the sonic blast.

First Mention of the Upside Down and Henry Creel’s First Encounter

Image Credit: Upside Down Pictures (via X/@Stranger_Things)

Now, you might think that the first person to encounter the Upside Down was Will, but that isn’t correct. Apparently, the first humans to encounter this alternate reality were the staff members of the USS Eldridge, the ship that was part of the Philadelphia Experiment. The top-secret government experiment happened in real life, and the ship disappeared in 1943. And surprisingly, the Duffer Brothers very cleverly implemented this real-life event into the world of Stranger Things. According to the lore, this ship accidentally entered through a portal and made its way into the Upside Down, which at the time was known as Dimension X.

Only one staff member survived the entire ordeal and returned to the real world: the father of the infamous Dr. Martin Brenner. He became obsessed with Dimension X upon learning about it from his father, and that is why he became a part of another top-secret government research project to unlock the gates of Upside Down. However, things go haywire when one staff member of the experiment steals a piece of equipment and hides it in a cave. And guess who stumbles upon this equipment? Yes, it was Henry Creel or Vecna .

The young boy was playing in the cave when he found and accidentally activated the equipment. Henry went to the Upside Down and made contact with the Mind Flayer, but he somehow survived and returned to the real world. But something changed inside of Henry, and this encounter with the alien entity helped him develop his psychic abilities. That is why Henry drew the picture of the Mind Flayer when he was just a child, before he was sent back to this dimension by Eleven several years later.

Dr. Martin Brenner’s Obsession with the Upside Down

Martin was obsessed with unlocking the secret of Upside Down, and somehow, he learned about Henry, the boy who returned from the alien dimension. Martin captured Henry after the boy killed his family and framed his father for the murders. Martin knew that Henry himself would never open the gates to Upside Down, so the doctor used Henry’s psychic abilities instead. Martin helped other children develop such superhuman abilities, including Eleven. And just as we saw in Season 4, it was Eleven who accidentally opened the gates to Purgatory while fighting Henry.

Henry was back home, in the world where he belongs. He used his abilities to gain control over the alien particles in Upside Down and formulated a plan to take over the real world. However, we have yet to learn if he is the true leader of the Upside Down, or if he is still the Mind Flayer who is controlling everything from the shadows. There’s also a possibility that once Henry became Vecna, he became one with the Mind Flayer. If that’s the case, then Vecna and Mind Flayer have become a singular entity.

The Upside Down in Stranger Things is a warmhole, serving as a bridge between space and time.

No, the Upside Down is a fictionalized concept crafted for Stranger Things.

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2: The Upside Down Explained in Detail and How We Misunderstood It So Far - 3

Aparna is a Senior Entertainment Writer at Beebom with 4 years of experience in the industry. Specializing in Jujutsu Kaisen and everything horror, she brings in-depth insights and a passion for storytelling to her coverage. Recently, she has interviewed Abby Trott, the voice actress behind Demon Slayer’s Nezuko and Dandadan’s Momo. She has also interviewed Adam McArthur, the one to voice Yuji Itadori in JJK, delivering exclusive content for fans. Previously, she contributed her expertise to some notable publications including Sportskeeda, Dexerto, and Forever Geek, honing her craft in entertainment journalism.

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Stranger Things is over; yeah, it’s really over. The final episode of Season 5 has just arrived on Netflix, and boy, it was surely an exciting journey. And now that it is over, fans may find it hard to move on from the brilliance of Hawkins and the Upside Down. Well, if you’re in the same boat of sadness, here are some other TV shows like Stranger Things you should watch now.

1. Dark

Image Credit: Wiedemann & Berg Television (via Amazon)

Release Date: December 1, 2017
Director: Baran bo Odar
Cast: Jonas Gerzabek, Louis Hofmann, Andreas Pietschmann, Dietrich Hollinderbäumer, Ella Lee, Maja Schöne, Lena Urzendowsky, Angela Winkler
Seasons/Episodes: 3/26
IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 8.7/95%

Dark might seem different from Stranger Things on the surface, but if you dig deeper, you might discover why we chose it for this list. It is a small town mystery, with missing children driving the plot. On the other hand, like the Upside Down mirrors Hawkins in Dark, you will see different realities existing in layers.

Dark revolves around four interconnected families, who are connected to each other across multiple generations. After a child goes missing, a hidden passage is discovered beneath the caves of the town of Winden. The series shows that a generation’s past sins are never buried; they are simply passed on to the next.

2. Fringe

Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television (via Amazon)

Release Date: September 9, 2008
Director: J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
Cast: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, Mark Valley, Seth Gabel
Seasons/Episodes: 5/100
IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 8.4/91%

Now, you might love seeing Dustin talking about Parallel Universes, time, and every other sci-fi mumbo-jumbo. Well, you’ll see that all of that is discussed in Fringe. This show revolves around unexplained crimes linked to advanced science. In the show, they call it the “fringe science.”

Overall, Fringe is a TV show like Stranger Things that will surprise with its complexity, and of course, with its several alternate dimensions that ultimately threaten humanity. Sure, you don’t get a band of kids fighting off the inter-dimensional threat, but you still get amazing characters like Olivia Dunham, Walter Bishop, and his son Peter.

3. The Umbrella Academy

Image Credit: Dark Horse Entertainment (via Amazon)

Release Date: February 15, 2019
Director: Jeremy Webb, Paco Cabezas, Peter Hoar
Cast: Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Mary J. Blige, Cameron Britton, John Magaro
Seasons/Episodes: 4/36
IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 7.8/78%

The Umbrella Academy may not be as popular as Stranger Things, but believe me, it’s an awesome show that features some amazing band of characters. In Stranger Things, we have one or two superhero kids, and in The Umbrella Academy, every character has some sort of superpower.

The film centers around the Hargreeves siblings, who reunite after the death of their adoptive father. Each one of them has some ability, and one way or another, the siblings are dragged into tackling issues like alternate timelines and the end of the world. Of course, The Umbrella Academy might’ve disappointed many of us fans in the end, but if you can digest an underwhelming end, it’s for sure an amazing show to watch.

4. Alice In Borderland

Image Credit: Robot Communications (via Netflix)

Release Date: February 15, 2019
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Nijirō Murakami, Ayaka Miyoshi, Aya Asahina, Dori Sakurada, Sho Aoyagi, Riisa Naka
Seasons/Episodes: 3/22
IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 7.8/78%

Honestly, if you have Netflix and you still haven’t watched Alice in Borderland, then you are seriously missing out on one of the best TV shows like Stranger Things. Alice in Borderland is a Japanese show that centers on a group of people stuck in what we’ll call an alternate dimension. These people have to take part in a variety of deadly games to make it out alive.

Yeah, in a way, Alice in Borderland is a mix of Squid Game and Stranger Things. But of course, don’t expect to see any flesh-eating monsters in this one. Still, the mystery around Borderland and the people running this place is as great as the mystery of Upside Down .

5. Archive 81

Image Credit: Atomic Monster (via Netflix)

Release Date: January 14, 2022
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Cast: Mamoudou Athie, Dina Shihabi, Evan Jonigkeit, Julia Chan, Ariana Neal, Matt McGorry, Martin Donovan
Seasons/Episodes: 1/8
IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 7.3/87%

Compared to Stranger Things, Archive 81 is a slow-burning horror that leans more towards a serious side. The show is basically Dan Turner, who is trying to restore the videotapes recorded by Melody Pendras. The events recorded in these videotapes lead Turner on a mystery hunt where he comes across threats like alternate dimensions, occult rituals, and a cult.

Sure, Archive 81 may take some time to grab your interest, but once it does, you stay in it until you see it to the very end. It not only entertains you with a variety of characters, but it also questions you on every stage by making you question what’s real or not.