The Demogorgon from Stranger Things.

Do I even need to say anything else? Such a great bad guy for a first season, it blows the mind. And can we take a minute to talk about Stranger Things second season, too? Don’t worry, no spoilers here. Just the fact that it stayed so true to the first season, kept all it’s charm and scares (anyone else feel like the kids in this movie are a DEFINITE homage to the Loser’s Club in It? Hell, they even share a member) and that is what makes Stranger Things so phenomenal.

It is like every awesome 80s movie, served in little bite-sized portions. Hell, there is even a bully with a mullet now, bringing the “awesome formula” of Stranger Things to 100%. But one thing that really sells us on Stranger Things season 2 is (creature’s name withheld for sake of spoilers) and also the Demogorgon. That is the Stranger Things monster name from the first season for those who forget. It was an amazing creature design (based off a real Dungeons and Dragons monster) which got me thinking, I loved the monsters from season one and two, so what other Stranger Things monster do I want to see next? Let’s go beyond the Demogoron Stranger Things style.

Pulling equally from fantasy, movies, video games and Dungeons and Dragons, here are some monsters we would LOVE to see on some upcoming seasons of Stranger Things.

THE LICH

A face only a mother could love.

The Lich would be a PERFECT Stranger Things monster. Some of you may know it best from Adventure Time (which also uses D&D beasts, btw) and the way he is represented on that cartoon is actually quite accurate to the actual character.

Lich is essentially a re-animated corpse, but one that yields great power and has high intelligence. A very unique twist with the Lich is that there CAN be good liches. Yup, you read that correctly.

So perhaps our crew sees one and attacks, assuming it is evil based on looks alone and we come to find out the Lich is actually another experiment victim like Eleven. Bam, minds blown, and this is just the FIRST entry.

I might lose you on the second one, though……

OWLBEAR

Screw unicorns, I have a new favorite majestic beast!

Okay, fine, you got me. Stranger Things could come up with something way cooler than a creature that is an owl mixed a bear. But I really REALLY want to see a group of young kids fight a giant bear that has an owl face. I don’t know why. I just think that would be utterly fantastic to watch.

This is no Demogorgon Stranger Things, but it is still cool. Safe to say we will not be seeing Owlbear on the show, unfortunately, so let’s go for something cooler and creepier, shall we?

THE THING (from THE THING)

You think THIS is bad, you should see his O-face.

Yes, I am straight-up stealing an enemy from a movie, but come on, The Thing’s basic premise could be adopted and you could have one of the kids taken over by this creature, with some of the kid’s sensing it and some in denial.

It could create a real paranoia between the squad which would be incredibly intense for fans of the show to see, and perhaps it could jump from host to host without them knowing, with the kids having to figure out how to capture it in the state between body-jumps.

Man, who can argue how awesome that sounds?

THE ILLITHID

I bow before the mighty Cthulhu and offer all praises to he who is ancient and all-knowing.

Imagine a wizard’s body and now put an Octopus (or Cthulhu head) on it and you have this beast. Think the Octopus face guy from Pirates of the Caribbean and you have a good idea (also note, very close to the Cthulhu in appearance for you true geeks).

What would make the Illithid such a cool Stranger Things enemy is he has psychic powers that can literally drive people insane or against one another. This dude could be scary AND could turn the group on one another.

That would be a really cool dynamic for the show to play off for a little bit (wink wink).

GIBBERING MOUTHER

The difference between this beast and my Mother-in-Law? This beast has fewer mouths.

I can say for certain that this Dungeons and Dragons creature will NEVER be on Stranger Things, but if it were, so many minds would be forever scarred by what they saw.

It is basically a malformed, living tumor that is covered with moaning and screaming mouths of all shapes and sizes. not a formidable foe in the game, but as a monster on Stranger Things, it could be absolutely terrifying.

Slowly rolling at one of the kids, all the mouth licking their lips in unison. Ugh. It also leaps so there is a good chance we could get a jump scare or three out of this mess of a monster.

ANY CREATURE FROM ANY DARK SOULS GAME

So weird how he looks just like Michael Jackson does now.

I understand you cannot have a giant wolf with a sword in its mouth as a Stranger Things bad guy (as DOPE as that sounds) but the Souls video game series has birthed MANY disturbing creatures (many of which are based on actual D&D and fantasy beasts) that would fit into Stranger Things like a glove.

Just not the Mimic. Anything but the Mimic. A treasure chest that grows teeth and eats you is not that scary, it is just kind of cheap and stupid.

Speaking of cheap and stupid….

KOBOLDS

I have meth-head neighbors that are scarier than these guys, though, real talk.

While sometimes represented as dog-like and sometimes represented as lizard-like, the Kobolds would fit right in based on Stranger Things monster names alone. What could work really well is there could be more than one Kobold. They could be a group of creatures (which is how they are often fought) causing the group to potentially have to break up into groups to try to take them all down.

They are more of a pest than a beast, but based on numbers alone, it could be really cool to see one (or ten) of these finally repped outside of D&D and fantasy video games.

THE WORM THAT WALKS

Now imagine a bunch of these formed together into a human-shape wearing a black cloak and you have the gist.

I want you to imagine a person walking at you, late at night. You can see that person is in a dark cloak. The closer you get you slowly realize it is not a person at all. It is a million withering, slimy worms formed together into a shape that resembles a human as it shambles towards you.

Did I tell you the worms that make up this being devour the living and very few who encounter it (unless they are same level as creature or higher) all die?

Yeah, so there’s that, too. And that name is like a scary-ass horror movie title or a metal band name or something, it just kicks ass, too.

THE SLENDERMAN

This photo is SO REAL because NO teachers would notice a nine foot tall child eater on the playground while snapping this pic. That is just nonsense. He blends right in (<sarcasm font).

This internet born urban legend has become a sort of public sensation, and the show could definitely do some cool version of him. The lanky, long limbs and blank face. The suit, fitted to a tee even though the body shape is abnormal. Visually, it would make for a great enemy, and you could have a “weeping angels” element to it where, if you look away, he gets you, so ONE member of the group has to make sure they are always looking at it.

BUT, seeing as to how this legend led to some real life murders recently, we probably shouldn’t hold our breaths for this one, plus, the Slenderman legend IS getting old, quick.

Still, could be cool to see. You know what else would be cool to see on Stranger Things. A season dedicated to….

A WEREWOLF

At least he is not a SWEARwolf! Those are the f****ing worst! I love you if you get this reference, BTW.

I have no idea why I want to watch the kids from Stranger Things fight a werewolf. I know werewolves are cliche’ and rarely done well (American Werewolf in London and Dog Soldiers being HUGE exceptions) but there would be something really cool about seeing these kids fight a classic monster that we are all already familiar with.

Hell, we can take it one step further and have one of the kids get lycanthropy through medical testing and the group have to figure out how to counteract it. That is a fine line between cheese and cool, but that is half the fun of the show.

Plus, they could recreate this scene from Monster Squad (which is kind of what they are, BTW) and that is a win for all involved, as it is one of the greatest movie scenes of ALL TIME:

If you cannot see this scene happening with Dustin and Caleb, you must not have watched their awesome dichotomy across season 2 yet.

NOTHIC

This gothic nothic is making me nauseous (from my new mixtape, D&D and T&A by Remy C).

This creature may not have much notoriety among D&D fans, but the truth is, when imagining it realized on-screen, the Nothic seems like it could serve as a really cool enemy for the Stranger Things squad.

It has the basic human design (two arms, two legs, walks upright) but that is where all human comparisons end. It is covered in lizard-like skin with a spiky armor surrounding it and one, massive eye that sort of looks right into your soul.

Hell, it could even be a kind of next-level evolution to the first season’s Demogorgon.

TARRASQUE

So the season would consist of the kids being stepped on and the show ending. Great choice!

Okay, all jokes aside, it would be GAME OVER for the Stranger Things kids if they ever encountered this soulless, massive, hulking, killing machine. To even try to explain it is difficult.

Think of every scary dinosaur you have ever seen a picture of. Now mash them up with some movie monsters like Godzilla. Now give it a bunch of tentacles, claws, and a deadly tale, and make it as massive as possible with almost bottomless health and an armored shell and you have a good idea.

The kids would NEVER be able to beat it, but I really just want to see how cool it would look, real talk.

And now, for the ultimate Stranger Things monster….

THE BEHOLDER

It is like, the SPICIEST meatball ever, with teeth and built in spaghetti!

You CANNOT bring up Dungeons and Dragons monsters or even monsters in general without mentioning the granddaddy of them all.

The Beholder was a HUGE and nasty enemy in D&D (and one of the first ever “boss fights” so to speak) and though it may look a wee bit silly for those of you seeing it for the first time, you have no idea how many people would geek out totally to see The Beholder on Stranger Things at some point.

Plus, it also fits into that “Stranger Things monster name” rule of how they have to sound both weird and powerful at the same time. And it would be DOPE to see Dustin drive a fence pike into its eye while screaming something epic.

He deserves that moment, people.

Dishonorable Mention

GELATINOUS CUBE

Yes, it is literally a sentient and evil cube of clear jello that eats people alive. Safe to say we will never see the Gelatinous Cube (a beloved enemy for how cheesy it is in D&D, for real) on Stranger Things. But if we do, it will be official:

That will be the moment Stranger Things jumps the shark.

Only, in this case, the shark is a giant, clear cube of evil jello. Demogorgon Stranger Things, meet Jello and Cosby, from real world.

This is what our monsters look like:

^Far scarier than any monster on this list^