Demogorgons (Stranger Things)

Demogorgons are the tertiary antagonists of the Stranger Things franchise. 
They were predatory creatures that inhabited Dimension X and the Upside Down. All Demogorgons encountered thus far are assumed to obey the Mind Flayer and by extension Vecna, and make up part of the Upside Down's hive mind. Under the hive mind’s influence, Demogorgons are murderous, violent and have limited intelligence.
== Description ==
Demogorgons are tetrapods with distinctive flower-like heads. They have oily black blood, like their flying sister species. They are seemingly native to the original incarnation/predecessor of the Upside Down, their presence pre-dating the 'freeze' of November 6, 1983.
== Background ==
In 1983, a fully matured Demogorgon emerged in Hawkins, Indiana, following the accidental opening of a portal to the Upside Down. Although this Demogorgon was ultimately vanquished, it managed to cause significant harm to the human realm before its defeat.
In 1984, Will Byers, who had been rescued from the clutches of the Demogorgon, became a host for the Mind Flayer. This possession enabled Vecna and the Mind Flayer to unleash a swarm of young Demogorgons, referred to as 'Demodogs', upon Hawkins National Laboratory. However, the closure of the Mothergate severed the Demodogs' psychic connection to the hive mind, resulting in overwhelming pain and leading to their mass demise.
In 1985, the Soviet Union advanced experimental technology that granted them access to the Upside Down, successfully establishing a gateway beneath Starcourt Mall. This technology enabled the Soviets to capture at least six Demodog specimens, which were housed in a facility in Kamchatka. Most of these specimens were kept in tanks filled with oxygenated water to maintain them in a paralyzed state, while a fragment of the Mind Flayer was also secured. One specimen, whether by accident or design, grew into an adult Demogorgon. The Soviets occasionally fed live prisoners to this creature, with the intention of potentially weaponizing it.
In 1986, the adult Demogorgon was inadvertently released as Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, Murray Bauman, Dmitri Antonov, and Yuri Ismaylov escaped the facility. During their flight, gunfire from the guards ricocheted and shattered the chamber containing the Mind Flayer's particles, allowing them to escape and enter the bodies of the paralyzed Demodogs, reanimating them. The horde of Demodogs then joined their adult counterpart in attacking the Soviet personnel. The escapees later returned to the facility and successfully eliminated all the creatures, thereby destroying fragments of the Mind Flayer and inflicting damage on the hive mind.
== Stages ==
# Stage 1: Larva
# Stage 2: Pollywog
# Stage 3: Frogogorgon
# Stage 4: Catogorgon
# Stage 5: Demodog
# Stage Six: The Adult
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