After a successful nearly decade-long run, Stranger Things (2016) officially ended with an emotional series finale. The series became one of Netflix’s most popular original shows due to its adeptness at stirring ‘80s nostalgia and paying homage to classic horror and sci-fi cinema. However, another reason it resonated so well with audiences is its incorporation of Dungeons & Dragons. D&D is one of the most recognized role-playing games and has brought together millions of people who enjoy the creativity and connection it encourages.
Stranger Things pays tribute to the game through its D&D-enthusiast protagonists and by incorporating classic D&D villains into the show. The show’s main antagonist, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), is one of the most iconic D&D villains of all time. Fans of the game, though, may have noticed that Stranger Things gave a nod to another iconic D&D villain in the finale: Strahd von Zarovich.
Strahd Von Zarovich’s Cameo in ‘Stranger Things’, Explained
Stranger Things Season 5 ends with the lead characters playing D&D, much like how Stranger Things Season 1 opened all those years ago. In the scene, the boys and Max (Sadie Sink) are playing a D&D campaign. Given that it was the 1980s, it should be the Ravenloft module, though it appears to include elements of the 2016 remake, Curse of Strahd. Strahd von Zarovich cameos as a mini figurine, which Mike (Finn Wolfhard) slams down on the table to attack Dustin’s (Gaten Matarazzo) character.
Mike even puts on some fake vampire fangs to represent the vampire villain. However, the campaign is much easier than the adventures the teens have faced since the beginning of Stranger Things. While Strahd initially stumps them, the teens summon the mage of St. Markovia and are victorious against Strahd. The teens wrap up their campaign as Stranger Things wraps up its story. While some may accept the Strahd cameo as a fun shout-out to emphasize Stranger Things’ D&D ties, its meaning may go a little deeper.
Who Is Strahd Von Zarovich In D&D?
Strahd von Zarovich is one of the strongest villains in D&D. Like Vecna, Strahd wasn’t inherently evil. In fact, he used to be a warrior, strong, loyal, and courageous. As he became more battle-hardened, though, he began to have darker ambitions, including the conquest of Barovia. He established his power in Barovia, inviting his family members to join him, including his younger brother Sergei. Strahd soon fell for a young Barovian woman, Tatyana, but was heartbroken when he realized the woman preferred Sergei. Filled with desperation and hatred at the betrayal and rejection, Strahd took drastic measures and made a deal with some dark force.
Strahd claimed to have made a pact with Death, though the Curse of Strahd would later hint that he made a deal with the Dark Powers. After the deal, he acted on his jealousy, killing Sergei, subsequently driving Tatyana to take her own life. Castle guards attempted to take him down after the murder, but Strahd finds himself living on. Transformed into a vampire by his pact, he spends centuries ruling over Barovia as a dark lord, coming to control every aspect of the land.
His supernatural abilities, including his knowledge of necromancy, make him nearly unrivaled in power. However, his power comes with a curse: he endlessly pursues and inevitably loses reincarnations of his love, Tayana. While he rules Barovia, it can also be seen as his prison. He’s stuck in his domain, where his power is the highest, paying the price of endless taunting by his greatest desire, and exists in a cycle of life and death, regenerating back in Barovia every time he dies.
How Strahd Fits Into ‘Stranger Things’
It’s not difficult to recognize how Strahd’s story parallels Vecna’s story in Stranger Things. In the show, Vecna begins as a normal child named Henry (Raphael Luce). However, his encounter with a Russian spy who harbors a magical artifact alters the course of his life, eventually transforming him into Vecna. The realm Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) banishes him to, the Upside Down, is much like Barovia in that it’s both his powerful domain and his prison, where he yearns to return to and rule Earth.
There is a tragic element to Vecna and Strahd’s history, as neither quite intended the dark path they ended up on. Even so, they failed to resist the dark side of themselves, transforming into wholly monstrous beings that the heroes must slay.
Stranger Things’ nod to Strahd captures the show’s tragedy and triumph. It is the perfect balance of light and dark, acknowledging the darkness of figures like Vecna and Strahd through its exploration of the corruptive nature of power and evil. It explores the idea of a figure who is unredeemable, choosing to embrace their dark side rather than resist it, even though they always have the choice to select the right side. In the end, it’s up to the heroes to vanquish these figures, ending both the tragedies of these beings’ lives and their torment of others.
When the teens defeat Strahd in a moment of ecstasy during their D&D campaign in Stranger Things, it symbolizes their victory over Vecna and the end of their heroes’ journey.
