What did the Demogorgon do to Barb?

Few minor characters are as beloved or memed as Barbara Holland (Shannon Purser) aka Barb from Stranger Things. We first met Barb in season one of the Netflix series as the nerdy best friend of Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer). When Nancy begins dating popular jock Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), Barb fears that her BFF might be ditching her for the popular crowd. In episode 2, Barb joins Nancy at a party at Steve’s house, and cuts her hand trying to shotgun a beer. Nancy goes to make out with Steve, telling Barb to go home. Alone by the pool, Barb is abducted by the Demogorgon and disappears. Episode 3 finds Barb waking up in the Upside Down, where she is attacked by the Demogorgon. Nancy searches for Barb and alerts the police. In episode 7, Eleven uses a makeshift sensory deprivation tank to search for Will and Barb in the Upside Down via telepathy, where she finds Barb dead.

Barb is mentioned briefly in the following seasons, but remains largely unacknowledged until episode 7 of season 4, where Vecna brings up Barb’s death while he is possessing Nancy. Vecna, who preys on the shame of his victims, taps into Nancy’s guilt and grief over Barb’s death. Nancy sees an image of Barb’s dead body in her vision of the Upside Down.

So how did Barb, a minor character who disappears 3 episodes into season 1, attain such a cult status? Many viewers saw themselves in the nerdy best friend. And while the core four boys in the series (Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin) are definitely nerds, Barb is different. For starters, she’s a girl, one of the few teen girl characters in the first season. And many LGBTQ+ viewers saw Barb as a closeted queer character with an unrequited crush on Nancy. The internet quickly rallied around Barb as a character, and “Justice for Barb” and “I’m with Barb” began trending on social media. Barb fever was so powerful that Shannon Purser received an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actress in a drama series.

And while Barb didn’t appear in future seasons, she was namechecked by Nancy throughout season two, as she struggles to find closure for Barb and her grieving parents. Barb’s parents hire Murray (Brett Gelman) to investigate her disappearance, and Murray quickly becomes a regular on the series. Nancy wants to tell Barb’s parents the truth about her death, but Steve advises her not to. This forms a rift in their relationship and ultimately drives Nancy towards a relationship with Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). The season 2 finale sees Barb finally getting a funeral.

Barb has inspired murals, memes, style, merch, and was a popular costume choice for Halloween 2016 (yes, I went as Barb and dressed my dog as a Demogorgon). And while Purser has moved onto new projects (Riverdale, Rise) Barb was no doubt her breakout role. I mean, what other minor character gets a full synchronized swimming number during the opening of the Emmys? Barb forever.

(featured image: Curtis Baker/Netflix)

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In the opening moments of Stranger Things season 1, Will is attacked and captured by the Demogorgon. ... This (literally) more cerebral monster is looking for a human host, whereas the Demogorgon that grabbed Barb was just been looking for food or may have screwed up his attempt at appeasing the Mind Flayer.

Is Barb really dead?

Yes, Barb died and did not return for season 2 of this series, as Nancy Wheeler discovered. The other character who appeared in the “Upside Down,” Will, was saved thanks to his friends, mother, and Eleven.

Is Barb the Demogorgon?

Barb is Nancy Wheeler's best friend who was dragged into the Upside Down by the Demogorgon near the start of the first season. In the episode titled The Weirdo On Maple Street, Nancy forces Barb to attend Steve Harrington's house party where Bard accidentally cuts her hand open.

Who killed Barb Stranger Things?

Of course, we've known this for a while—she was killed in season one by The Monster/Demogorgon in the Upside Down pool—but that doesn't make our grief less real.

Did Eleven kill the Demogorgon?

The friends and family of Will Byers, one of the Demogorgon's victims, slowly began to uncover the truth about the creature, with the help of the escaped Eleven. The creature was finally defeated and destroyed by Eleven in a showdown at Hawkins Middle School.

Is DART The slug Will coughed up?

The slug Will coughed up is a baby Demogorgon. He affectionately names the slug Dart. Dart ends up molting into a Demodog and killing Dustin's cat, Mews. The relationship with Dart later comes in handy for Dustin, but try telling that to Mews.

Is there a Barb Season 3?

Viewers learned that Barb, played by Shannon Purser, didn't survive the encounter, igniting a massive following for the character who had hoped to see more of her. ...

Is Barb still alive in Stranger things?

Even in season 1, while we don't see Barb (Shannon Purser) die, we see her dead body in the Upside Down later on. We don't see Hopper die, nor do we see the remnants of his body after his apparent explosion, hence, he's probably still alive.

Is Eleven Hopper's daughter?

He is the chief of police in Hawkins, Indiana, who, throughout the first three seasons, investigates the strange occurrences in the town. Hopper is portrayed by David Harbour....Jim Hopper (Stranger Things)

Why did the Demogorgon attack will in Stranger Things?

• Luckily, Stranger Things fans have come up with different theories on why the Demogorgon targeted Will and what draws the attention of the creature – here are some of them. In season 1 of Stranger Things, Nancy deduced the monster is drawn by blood as Barb had cut herself prior to being attacked by it, leaving a trace at Steve’s house.

How did Barb get taken in Stranger Things?

• The pool lights begin to darken, as Barb looks at her thumb in curiosity after her blood dripped into Steve's pool. In this stranger things pool scene, the demogorgon then comes as Barb turns around. This is where Barb is taken by the demogorgon in the pool scene, and where Barb gets taken to the upside down.

Why was the Demogorgon at the Byers House?

• In season 1 of Stranger Things, Nancy deduced the monster is drawn by blood as Barb had cut herself prior to being attacked by it, leaving a trace at Steve’s house. When setting up a trap for the Demogorgon at the Byers’ house, Nancy and Jonathan cut their hands to attract the creature and it worked.

Why did the Demogorgon want Hopper's body?

• The demogorgon wanted live bodies to harvest the demodog tadpole/eggs. We don't know 100% what demogorgons and thesselhydra are. In season one, we saw a big hatched egg when hopper went upside down to rescue will. There are a lot of mysteries and fan theories.

Image via Netflix

Stranger Things became a worldwide phenomenon when it premiered in 2016, but its popularity wasn’t the only phenomenon. Nancy Wheeler’s best friend, Barbara Holland (Shannon Purser), affectionately known as just Barb, did more than provide context and plot for the first season. She also stole the hearts of viewers around the world. To this day, Barb remains one of the most beloved fan favorite characters in the series, long after her death.

Since the moment we met her, Barb has provided endless reasons to love her. Her innocence, her dedication to her friendship with Nancy, her classic 1980s outfits — each detail made her more relatable and charming. Even the Television Academy loved her: Shannon Purser earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. 

For that reason, Barb’s death at the hands of the Demogorgon and the Upside Down set off a seismic event of complaints from Stranger Things fans, declaring that Barb deserved the same time and attention Will Byers received from the town of Hawkins. 

We know — even though the show is only in its fourth season, it’s been six years and 29 episodes since Barb’s lost her life. Her re-appearance in chapter seven of season four rightfully conjured up memories of her storyline from season one, but the series of events feel a little hazy after all these years. How exactly did she meet her end? Here’s what you need to know. 

Back in season one, Barb and Nancy were best friends. Nancy, by way of dating Steve Harrington, was fast on her way to the popular crowd, however, which meant Barb was slowly getting elbowed to the sidelines. 

One night, Nancy convinced Barb to go with her to Steve’s house for a party. Reluctantly, Barb obliged and it was clear she felt uncomfortable the whole night, especially when she was urged to shotgun a beer — about the last thing Barb would voluntarily do. In the process of trying to be cool, Barb accidentally sliced open her hand with a knife. After the party died down and everyone went their own way, Barb was still bleeding. Nancy told her to go home, even though they were supposed to have a sleep over that night, so Barb dejectedly shuffled her feet through Steve’s backyard and sat on the diving board by herself, absentmindedly dangling her feet over the pool. Drops of blood dripped from her still-fresh wound into the tranquil pool beneath her feet. Then the nearby lights flickered and went out. A menacing shadow slowly crept over her shoulder and, right when Barb looked up at the camera, we saw a Demogorgon and the screen went black.

If there was any question as to whether Barb survived the Demogorgon attack, the next episode began with her fighting for her life in the Upside Down. As this was happening, Nancy was getting it on with Steve Harrington in his bedroom — a fact that still haunts Nancy to this day, and serves as a major plot point in season four.

Throughout the season, Nancy and Jonathan worked to find out what happened to Barb and Will. Eventually Will’s body turned up, but Barb’s never did. It’s only when Eleven psychically traveled to the Upside Down via a sensory deprivation tank that she saw Barb’s decayed body and knew she was dead. It’s the same decayed body Nancy saw when Vecna lured her into his psychic trance in season four. 

Cries for Barb’s return have echoed through the Stranger Things fandom for years, but unless a new Upside Down entity has the ability to conjure the dead, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see her again. That is, unless it’s in the form of a flashback. We’d much prefer that to some zombie-like reappearance. We love Barb too much to see her as anything other than innocent and happy. It’s truly a testament to both the character and the actress that we still think fondly on her time on the show all these years later.