Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) and Holly (Nell Fisher) in ‘Stranger Things’ season 5
Netflix
Volume one of Stranger Things season five sees Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) take on a Demogorgon with a broken bottle, but fans reckon the scene didn’t make much sense.
What Happens In The Demogorgon Vs. Karen Scene?
Sent by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the Demogorgon invades Karen’s home to kidnap her youngest child, Holly (Nell Fisher), chasing them both into the kitchen, where Karen decides to stand her ground.
Karen, who had been drinking the night before, shatters a wine bottle and brandishes it as a weapon.
The creature stands there, seemingly surprised, as Karen lunges and injures its venus-fly-trap-mouth with the bottle, stabbing the Demogorgon repeatedly.
A mother summoning her fierce maternal strength to protect her child is a fairly common trope, but online, some fans reckoned that the scene was inconsistent, and showed a weakening of the Demogorgon.
Fans Question The Demogorgon vs. Karen Fight
The scene was posted to X (Twitter) and attracted plenty of criticism, with commentators pointing out that the typical Stranger Things Demogorgon could effortlessly take down a group of soldiers.
Others posted clips of Demogorgons soaking in bullets like a sponge, slaughtering military men without breaking a sweat.
Many wondered how a mother nursing a hangover and a broken bottle could put up a better fight than trained soldiers, and others pointed out that the monster was standing still, obediently waiting to take damage.
One user even re-edited the clip in an attempt to accurately depict the creature’s strength.
The Demogorgon was the big bad of Stranger Things season one, and the creature’s faceless maw is still a series icon—the moment where Eleven manages to disintegrate one with her powers is one of the most memorable in the series (and is still being referenced in season 5).
Since then, the story has grown quite a bit, and the threats have expanded.
The Demogorgon has experienced something of a power level drop, as it is overshadowed by greater Upside Down entities, like Vecna and the Mind Flayer.
The Demogorgon has been demoted from relentless antagonist to tough-but-disposable minion, a bit like the xenomorphs of Alien in later sequels and spin-offs.
That being said, the scene isn’t quite as imbalanced as critics claim.
While the Demogorgon does stop in its tracks, it is there to kidnap, not to kill, and seems taken aback by Karen standing her ground.
When Karen stabs its mouth with the shattered glass, presumably a sensitive spot, it flinches, which allows her to get a few good hits in.
Most importantly, she doesn’t even win—with a single swipe, the Demogorgon slices her to ribbons and steals her child. Karen barely survives the encounter.
The clip that went viral on X lacked this context, but the full scene shows that Karen fighting back was only a brief moment of pushback, a predator caught off guard by surprisingly feisty prey.
Demogorgon durability is a bit inconsistent, but the scene was a fun hero moment for Karen, and made plenty of sense from a character perspective, as she would do anything to protect her child.
Clearly, Vecna is not sending his best.
MORE FROM FORBES
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2025/11/30/stranger-things-5-fans-have-questions-about-karen-vs-the-demogorgon/
