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Minor spoilers for Stranger Things, season 5 follow.

With the final battle between Vecna was on the horizon, the heroes of Stranger Things decided it was time to pull out the big guns, literally. Sure, Eleven and Will had their powers, but for Hopper and the rest of our favorite normies, the best defense against the Lord of the Upside Down was the kind John Wick would've preferred. So why, as the last struggle exploded across our screens, didn't Mike Wheeler have a gun?

Well, that was a question that the Stranger Things' writers' room also asked themselves. 

You might be familiar with that discussion if you watched any of One Last Adventure, the Netflix-produced documentary exploring the creation of the scifi show's long-awaited finale. Directed by Martina Radwan, the documentary had the opportunity to explore questions such as this one, questions the show didn't have time to tackle. And in a recent chat with Variety, Radwan herself explained how she saw the lack of Mike's firepower.

"The beauty of the spectacle," said Radwan, "Is that [Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers] always come back to the character. And really, in the writers’ room, I think that becomes really clear. Matt and Ross are really good at that. [...] Not wanting to give Mike a gun — that made sense to me, because once he has a gun, he’s not innocent anymore. He’s not that nerdy kid that plays D&D."

You have to admit - that does make a lot of sense. Seeing a thoroughly adorkable, innocent character packing heat can really throw the audience for a loop (don't believe me? Look closely at the 'dark forest' scene from the original Wizard of Oz and see if you ever see the Scarecrow in the same light). That said, as someone who plays quite a bit of Dungeons & Dragons, the argument can also be made that Mike would know all about preparing weapons in advance of a combat session.

Stranger Things is streaming in full on Netflix now, as is One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things Season 5.

As we all collectively wait for Stranger Things season 5, here's the keys to getting ready:

• How to watch Stranger Things in chronological or release order
• Getting to know the Stranger Things season 5 cast
• There needs to be more death in Stranger Things, says co-star Gaten Matarazzo
• The Stranger Things time jump between season 4 and 5 has been confirmed by Netflix - and it raises some serious questions
• "They land the plane," David Harbour describes the Stranger Things finale, which he calls its "best episode"