&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "What is the Abyss? The real home of Vecna and new dimension of Stranger Things")
Almost nine years after the Duffer Brothers first introduced the world to the Upside Down, they have finally revealed what it truly is, revealing that it’s not what audiences believed for years.
In Chapter 5, “Shock Jock,” of Volume 2, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), uncovers the truth while going through the journals of Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine). Shocked by what he finds, he says,,"Everything we have ever assumed about the Upside Down has been dead wrong."
One of the most eye-opening revelations of Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2 is the introduction of a completely new dimension, the Abyss, explaining its connection with the Upside Down.
The mystery of Upside Down.
Volume 2 doesn’t just explain the Upside Down; it also reveals the dimension where Henry Creel, aka Vecna(Jamie Campbell Bower), and his creatures have been living all along. As Dustin explains his findings to the group, he introduces this newly discovered dimension and names it the Abyss. The name comes from Dungeons & Dragons, where the Abyss is known as a realm of pure chaos and evil.
As Dustin explains Upside Down in the simplest of words, “Henry and his monsters have been using it to cross right back into Hawkins.''
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Still from Stranger Things Photograph: (X/Netflix)
What is Abyss?
In episode 7, Dustin shares what he read in Dr. Brenner’s journal, revealing that the Upside Down is not a separate world but a portal between Hawkins and another dimension.
Using a diagram shaped like a cylinder with a circle at both ends, Dustin explains the physics behind what Upside Down acts as a bridge connecting Hawkins to another world, the Abyss. During their discussion in the Chapter 7, the group realises that the Abyss is the true home of Vecna, the Mind Flayer, the vines, the Demogorgons, and every creature seen so far.
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Still from Stranger Things Photograph: (X/Netflix)
Vecna was sent to this alien dimension after Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) banished him during their first fight at Dr. Brenner’s laboratory. It was there that he transformed into a humanoid monster made of live vines through his body. Even at the end of Season 4, when Vecna was shot by Nancy (Natalia Dyer), he returned to the Abyss to recover his strength. This is also why Eleven was unable to locate him in the Upside Down.
What is the Abyss like?
In Stranger Things, the rocky landscapes with steep canyons, stormy yellow skies, and the realm where Vecna keeps his captured victims are all parts of the Abyss. Even the lands that were shown after Holly escaped from Vecna's clutch are the Abyss.
To rescue the trapped children, the group begins their final mission, the last crawl and this time they are going to Abyss, crossing the path of Upside Side Down.
