During the penultimate chapter of Stranger Things, Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) finally demystifies the true essence of the Upside Down. Armed with Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) clandestine research, Dustin clarifies that the Upside Down isn’t the alternate reality they once imagined. Rather, it serves as a transitional conduit. This bridge links the town of Hawkins to a primeval realm Dustin dubs “The Abyss.” This nomenclature draws directly from Dungeons & Dragons lore, where The Abyss is depicted as a territory of unadulterated entropy and malice.
Looking back at the events of Season 4, Vecna—formerly Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower)—never explicitly named this desolate void, yet the Abyss is exactly where Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) exiled him in 1979. It wasn’t until 1983, while Brenner was pushing Eleven to locate Henry, that she inadvertently manifested the Upside Down as we know it.
Interestingly, “The Abyss” wasn’t the initial title for this otherworldly space. It was originally conceptualized as “Dimension X.” According to reports from Variety, Netflix requested a comprehensive mythology breakdown from Matt and Ross Duffer during the show’s first season. In their 20-page explanatory document, they referred to this realm as “Dimension X.” This term permeated early scripts, conceptual designs, and even the prequel stage production, Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
For fans of 1980s pop culture, “Dimension X” likely triggers memories of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which features a similarly named hostile territory. Matt Duffer confirmed to Variety that this was a deliberate nod to the TMNT franchise. Although the two iterations of Dimension X share few narrative traits beyond being a fountainhead of extraterrestrial peril, the connection offers a fascinating lens through which to view the Duffers’ original vision for the Abyss.
Image: Paramount
While the Ninja Turtles began their journey in comics, it was the iconic 1987 animated series that popularized Dimension X. Most notably, it is the ancestral home of Krang, the disembodied alien intellect who conspired with the Shredder to conquer Earth. Cartoon logic in the ’80s and ’90s was often fluid; consequently, Dimension X was occasionally described as a distant galaxy, though it was primarily treated as a distinct, separate plane of existence.
Krang once reigned supreme over Dimension X before being cast out to Earth under mysterious circumstances. This realm also hosts several other iconic entities, such as the Rock Soldiers—a militarized race of lithic humanoids—and the Neutrinos, a peace-loving, hot-rod-racing species that speaks in stylized 1950s slang.
Much like the Abyss in Stranger Things, TMNT’s Dimension X is defined by perpetual strife. In an early episode, Shredder asks if his partner’s home is a place of “total war,” to which Krang enthusiastically agrees. This war-torn environment is visually characterized by a crimson atmosphere and suspended rock formations—a striking aesthetic parallel to the hazy, red-tinted void where Henry Creel first arrived in the Abyss.
Given the many iterations of the TMNT franchise, Dimension X has seen several reimaginings. The 2012 Nickelodeon series offered a more sophisticated take, where the realm was inhabited by the Utroms. In this version, “the Kraang” were not a single being but a collective hive mind serving a singular leader known as Kraang Prime. This shared consciousness bears a notable resemblance to the hive mind Vecna utilizes to command his Demogorgon legions.
A crossover event in the 2012 series suggested that all versions of Dimension X might actually be the same location, accessed through different points in the multiverse. While this was a treat for long-time fans, it highlighted the contradictions in Krang’s various origin stories—ranging from being one of many brain-creatures to being a dinosaur-like alien stripped of his physical form. During the 1980s, creators were rarely concerned with rigid continuity.
Paramount
Modern viewers, however, are far more fastidious. There is an immense expectation for Stranger Things to reconcile every narrative thread by its series finale. Whether the show can successfully explain the mechanics of the Abyss remains to be seen. If questions linger, we may have to wait for future spin-offs to provide clarity—much as later TMNT series eventually fleshed out the mysteries of Dimension X.
Source: Polygon
