This Stranger Things 5 theory ‘proves’ who the Mind Flayer actually is, and I’m convinced

The biggest question since the very start of Stranger Things has always been the same. What is the Mind Flayer? And more importantly, who is it and what does it actually want?

Now, there’s a theory that finally answers all of that. According to this theory, the Mind Flayer isn’t just a monster from another world. It’s actually Kali, aka 008.

So here’s the full explanation for why Kali, aka 008, could be the Mind Flayer and the real villain of Stranger Things 5.

Kali escaped before everyone else, and that changes everything

via Netflix

Kali didn’t escape Hawkins Lab with Eleven. She escaped earlier. Possibly even before Henry. And that timing matters more than it seems.

Some think Henry helped her get out. That would explain why she still calls him “brother” and speaks about him with trust instead of fear. Eleven has never called Henry her brother, but Kali does. And it doesn’t sound forced.

Because Kali escaped first, she had something no one else had, time. She had time to understand her powers, to survive in the real world, and to connect with whatever existed beyond the lab before anyone else even knew it was there. Basically, she had a head start.

Her powers work exactly like the Mind Flayer’s influence

via Netflix

The Mind Flayer doesn’t usually kill people directly. It controls them. It manipulates them. And it feeds on fear, anger, guilt, and pain. That’s exactly how Kali’s powers work.

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She creates illusions. She forces people to relive their worst memories. And she pushes negative emotions and even tells Eleven that anger makes her stronger. Back in season two, that sounded like advice. Now, it sounds more like a rule.

The Upside Down is powered by suffering, and Kali has always known how to create it.

The Mind Flayer’s absence is suspicious

via Netflix

One of the strangest things about season five is how little the Mind Flayer has been mentioned. For a creature that once loomed over the entire show, its silence is loud, unless it hasn’t been gone at all.

If the Mind Flayer has been operating through a human form, or was never separate from one, that absence suddenly makes sense.

The number 008 details and the name Kali don’t feel accidental

via Netflix

The Mind Flayer is almost always shown with eight limbs. Kali is 008. Henry was obsessed with spiders, which, surprise surprise, have eight legs. Stranger Things doesn’t do random details, especially with the numbered kids.

The name Kali is also more than just a name. In Hindu mythology, Kali is the goddess of time, destruction, death, and rebirth. She represents endings, cycles, and necessary annihilation.

Given how carefully Stranger Things uses symbolism, it’s hard to believe these choices were accidental.

Kali’s behaviour towards Eleven in season five is a big red flag

via Netflix

Kali keeps pushing Eleven towards staying behind on the bridge. She says it’s the only way to end everything, the lab, the experiments, the whole cycle.

But Eleven is the only person powerful enough to stop the Mind Flayer. So if Eleven is gone, the threat is gone too.

Kali doesn’t attack Eleven. She doesn’t threaten her. Basically, she convinces her. She makes sacrifice sound logical and unavoidable. If Eleven chooses it herself, the Mind Flayer wins without a fight.

Whether this theory is right or not, Kali is a very suspicious character, and I don’t trust her one bit.

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