Demobats

**Demobats** are flying predatory creatures originating from the Upside Down. They are part of the hive mind controlled by Vecna, and are seemingly related to Demogorgons.

## History

### 1986

On March 26, 1986, demobats attacked Steve Harrington when he entered Watergate. Two of the creatures ate away at his sides while the third attempted to strangle him. He was eventually saved by Nancy, Robin and Eddie. The four beat down the demobats and eventually retreated into the woods when a swarm arrived. Later, when they are biking to the Upside Down version of Forest Hills Trailer Park to escape through the gate created there from Chrissy Cunningham's death, a demobat spots them and alerts Vecna.

A swarm of demobats later overwhelmed and killed Eddie who, attempted to fight them off after selflessly leading them away from both the aforementioned gate and Dustin Henderson.

Elsewhere, in Kamchatka, Murray Bauman burned a horde of Demodogs to death; the hive mind was overwhelmed with pain, causing the entire Demobat swarm to drop dead.

## Description

The Demobats have a bat-like appearance, and are eyeless with a gaping toothy maw, similar to the Demogorgons. They have a vine-like tail which can be used to strangle their prey.

Demobats are connected to the Upside Down’s hive mind, and act as Vecna’s spies throughout the dimension. They are ideal spies, as they are small and can go easily unnoticed when immobile; furthermore, Demobats can fly, unlike any other member of the hive mind. Demobats have black blood, just like their humanoid counterparts.

## Behind the scenes

The term "Demobat" is technically an 'unofficial' nickname, as it is not spoken within the show itself, unlike "Demogorgon", "Mind Flayer" and "Vecna". However, the creatures are referred to as such in officially licensed merchandise, and by members of the production team.

Lead concept artist Michael Maher, Jr. and the rest of the *Stranger Things* production team explored a wide range of Demobat designs for *Stranger Things 4*. Some designs were especially 'alien', while others were more spider-like (likely intended to tie into other spider imagery in *Stranger Things 4* that involves spiders). An early iteration of the bat had a head and body which would split open horizontally.

Concept artConcept art by Michael Maher, Jr.Concept art by Michael Maher, Jr.Concept art by Michael Maher, Jr.Concept art by Michael Maher, Jr.Concept art by Michael Maher, Jr.Concept art by Michael Maher, Jr.

## Trivia

* Nicknames for two new 'Demo-creatures', "Demospiders" and "Demobats", were spotted in *Stranger Things 4* merchandise. While the Demobats did appear in the fourth season, the Demospiders were seemingly cut from the final story.
* Eddie Munson meets his demise due to the Demobats: ironically, one of his tattoos was a flock of bats.
* Demobats are capable of biting through fabric and leather, according to the lead makeup artist, Amy L. Forsythe.

## References

1. ↑ "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab"
2. ↑ "The Piggyback"
3. ↑ “10 Things We Learned on the Set of 'Stranger Things' Season 4” *Collider*. April 18, 2022.
4. ↑ The official teleplay for *"The Massacre at Hawkins Lab"*
5. ↑ DEMOBATS\_CPT – MICHAEL MAHER JR
6. ↑ "Spotlight: Production Design with Chris Trujillo", from the *Stranger Things* YouTube channel
7. ↑ Demo Bats: “Stranger Things” Creators Tease the Gothic New Season 4 Threat
8. ↑  'Stranger Things’ Lead Makeup Artist Amy L. Forsythe﻿﻿﻿ Is Emmy-Nominated and Ready to Detail Her Work - *Cosmopolitian*. August 16, 2022.