"Where are the demogorgans?": Zack Peter reacts to the final battle with Mindflayer & Vecna in Stranger Things finale

Podcaster Zack Peter shared his reaction to the climactic final battle involving the Mindflayer and Vecna in the Stranger Things series finale, offering both criticism and praise for how the show wrapped up. On January 2, 2026, Peter uploaded a video to X in which he warned viewers that his commentary would include full spoilers for the episode.

In his reaction, Peter argued that the highly anticipated final confrontation felt underwhelming given how long fans had waited for the series to conclude. He expressed disappointment that the showdown was brief and lacked the scale he had expected after nearly a decade of buildup.

Peter suggested that the episode devoted too much time to secondary emotional arcs, particularly involving Nancy and Jonathan, while failing to deliver a decisive and satisfying endgame battle against Vecna. Zack Peter remarked:

“And then the final battle, too short. We waited 10 years. We spent more time with Nancy and Jonathan in the melting room. They gave us a confusing non-breakup breakup when I wanted a final showdown with Vecna. And you mean to tell me that this big, bad, evil, mind flayer can’t defeat a couple of 30-year-old kids? And where are the Demi Gorgons?”

Peter further added that he had previously predicted that the Mind Flayer was the one controlling Vecna, also known as Henry Creel, and expressed satisfaction about being “right” about that outcome.

He said that while he was happy with the characters ultimately defeating him in the Stranger Things finale, he felt the conclusion could have been “a little bigger” and “a little longer.”

“Like, some of the other unnecessary scenes that were so long, we could have cut those and gave us more action. Like, we had worse battles with the Demi Dog than we did with the mind flayer,” Peter added

Peter also explained that he went into the Stranger Things finale expecting a much darker and more emotionally devastating conclusion. He said he anticipated higher stakes, maybe “a bloodbath” and “some kill scenes” that were going to “break” his “heart.” However, that didn’t transpire on screen.

Despite his criticisms, Peter made it clear that he did not dislike the Stranger Things finale overall.

“Overall, I’d give it an eight out of 10. It was solid. It was nice. It had room for improvement. We got back to the main characters instead of the 15 other side characters that we didn’t need,” Zack Peter said.

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What else did Zack Peter say about the Stranger Things finale?

"Stranger Things 5" cast (Image via Getty Images)

In the aforementioned video, Zack Peter offered his candid take on the Stranger Things series finale, weighing in on major character arcs, emotional payoffs, and creative choices from the show’s fifth and final season. While Peter acknowledged moments that worked well, he also didn’t shy away from pointing out storylines he felt missed the mark.

Early in his commentary, Zack Peter reflected on Eleven’s sister, Kali Prasad, also known as Eight, who returned in the finale despite being a divisive character among fans.

Peter admitted that while he never grew to like Kali, her arc ultimately made him reconsider how harshly he had judged her earlier in the series, especially given her fate.

“And when it comes to sister: Kali…I do feel kind of bad because I misjudged her. Now, let me be clear, I still don’t like her, but I do feel a little bad for misjudging her. And you know, may she rest in peace, whatever, I still don’t care,” Peter said.

Peter then moved on to what he described as one of the most anticipated moments of the finale: Eleven’s death. While he noted that the scene was “sad”, he felt the outcome was “obvious” and lacked surprise, especially since he had previously speculated it would happen.

Throughout the video, Peter also shared the kinds of shocking sacrifices he had hoped to see in the Stranger Things finale.

He explained that he expected a major character to die in a way that truly raised the stakes, mentioning Will, Hopper, or Nancy as characters who would have made sense narratively. He joked about Nancy’s constant gun use, suggesting her death would have felt fitting given her reckless bravery.

Addressing side characters introduced in the final season, Peter discussed Holly Wheeler, Mike’s younger sister, who played a more prominent role than in previous seasons. He felt her inclusion ultimately didn’t add much, arguing that several of Holly’s scenes could have been reassigned to Max and still felt “sufficient.”

Peter also echoed a similar sentiment when discussing Derek Turnbow, nicknamed “Dipshit Derek”, a foul-mouthed bully who unexpectedly became a fan-favorite hero.

While Peter initially enjoyed the character’s humor, he questioned Derek’s overall purpose by the end, describing him as “completely useless” and joking that his arc lacked a meaningful payoff.

One of the moments Peter praised most involved Joyce Byers. He highlighted Joyce’s final confrontation with Vecna as a powerful, emotional payoff rooted in her devotion to her son, Will.

“Now, Joyce chopping off Vecna’s head, that was pretty badass. And she did it all for her son, Will. Because guess what? He’s gay,” Peter added.

Given that Will Byers’ coming out was a major storyline in Volume Two of Stranger Things Season Five, Peter expressed relief that the finale didn’t overemphasize it again. He said he appreciated that the episode trusted viewers to understand Will’s identity without repeatedly underscoring it.

Peter also shared his thoughts on the epilogue, adding:

“The epilogue was nice. I did kind of like that scene. It was a bit long, but I liked it.”

In his final assessment, Peter admitted he wished the Stranger Things finale had spent more time on the final battle, but concluded that the ending largely worked.

He praised the closing moments involving Dungeons & Dragons and a new generation of kids in the basement, saying it was the “perfect way to tie it all up” and pay homage to how the show began.

“Again, I wish we would have spent a little more time in the final battle, but I liked it. I was happy with it. And then the way they ended it with the dungeons and dragons and the next generation of kids in the basement…perfect way to tie it all up and just, like, pay homage to season one and how it all began,” Peter concluded.

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Stranger Things Season Five rolled out in a staggered global release throughout fall 2025, with the first four episodes debuting on November 26, followed by three more episodes on Christmas Day. The highly anticipated finale premiered on New Year’s Eve, with adjusted launch times across different regions worldwide.

Edited by Shayari Roy