Just when we thought we've cracked the code on everything that was going on in Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers and the rest of the show's writers decide to throw us a curveball that we definitely did not see coming. You would think that after five seasons of this show, we'd have a really good understanding about what the hell the Upside Down is. Apparently, though, it's actually a lot more complicated than we thought and it was all hidden in a notebook that we haven't discovered just yet. This also meant that our favorite Hawkins citizens had no idea what they were up against either, causing some major consequences along the way. So what exactly is the Upside Down?
Here's everything we know about the Upside Down in Stranger Things.
Wait, isn't the Upside Down just an alternative universe of Hawkins?
Well, that's what we all thought until now. However, in Stranger Things season 5, episode 7 it is actually revealed that the Upside Down is not an alternate dimension or universe of Hawkins, but that it's actually a wormhole.
In trying to find out more about the supposed shield generator around the Upside Down, Dustin discovers a notebook from Dr. Brenner that reveals that the other world is a wormhole that must not be destroyed or else it will bring the Upside Down and their own world along with it.
"It’s not another world. It’s a wormhole," Dustin tells Steve. "A bridge between two points in time and space, between our world and another."
So what happened when Nancy shot the Upside Down?
When Nancy shot the energy source around the Upside Down, she causes a disruption in the wormhole, causing it to open up and suck everything in there. However, since it was just a small moment and not a huge disturbance, it didn't destroy the whole thing.
What's the other world that is connected via the Upside Down?
Of course, the wormhole has to connect to another world and we soon discover it to be the Abyss. This is the world where Holly and the other kids are currently physically trapped in by Vecna. Henry has been using the Upside Down to get between Hawkins and the Abyss all these years, which means the Hawkins crew can also use it to try to save them and bring them back home.
Ultimately, Henry's plan is to bridge the two worlds together for good. Not only does he view the Abyss as an ideal place because it is a "realm unspoiled by mankind," but bridging the two worlds and bringing everyone into the hive mind would make him the most powerful being in the universe.
