At a Glance
- Stranger Things’ finale credits were turned into a D&D manual.
- Inspiration came from the 45-minute epilogue of Return of the King.
- Imaginary Forces suggested the D&D style after the Duffer Brothers pitched Will’s notebook idea.
- Why it matters: Fans get a unique visual homage that ties the show’s love for tabletop gaming into its final episode.
The Stranger Things finale closed with a creative flourish that many viewers found unexpected: the end credits were rendered as a classic Dungeons & Dragons manual. The idea was born from a mix of the show’s love for role-playing games and a nod to the lengthy epilogue of Peter Jackson’s Return of the King. Behind the scenes, the Duffer Brothers and title company Imaginary Forces collaborated to bring the concept to life.
From LOTR to D&D
Matt Duffer explained that the 45-minute epilogue of the final season felt similar to the length of Return of the King’s epilogue, which inspired the decision to create an extended credits sequence.
> “We thought about Return of the King a lot, just in terms of the length of the epilogue… If you do that, the epilogue feels absolutely perfect and not long at all.”
The Duffer Brothers first pitched the idea as a simple illustration of Will’s notebook, but Imaginary Forces suggested doing it in the style of a real D&D manual.
Credits Design and Tribute
The final credits feature color images and a range of illustration styles that echo the evolution of D&D manuals from the 1980s onward.
Matt Duffer noted that the illustrators from the original 1980s manuals were brought back to give the sequence a nostalgic feel and to signal a definitive end.
> “What’s cool about these D&D manuals is there’s color images… over the years, the style of illustration changes… We brought back illustrators from the actual 1980s who drew in the manuals all the way back then. So it really came full circle, and, mainly, we wanted it to feel finite, right? I mean, that was really the key. We wanted to feel like ‘The End.'”
Ross Duffer added that the credits also paid tribute to all actors, including those whose names couldn’t be listed contractually, such as Joseph Quinn (Eddie) and Shannon Purser (Barb).
The Duffer Brothers did not address the fan theory that Stranger Things was a role-playing game all along, but they did mention that Dungeons & Dragons already has Netflix tie-in editions for tabletop campaigns.
- Joseph Quinn (Eddie) – RIP
- Shannon Purser (Barb) – RIP
- Other unnamed actors – tribute
Key Takeaways
- The credits merge D&D nostalgia with a definitive end to the series.
- The 45-minute epilogue length mirrors Return of the King’s finale.
- Actors, including those omitted contractually, are honored in the finale.
The end credits of Stranger Things’ finale combine nostalgia, homage, and a definitive farewell, all wrapped in a playful D&D aesthetic. Fans can now appreciate the creative journey that culminated in a unique visual finale.
