3 Years Later, Stranger Things' Crossover With A $17 Billion '80s Franchise Is Aging Better Than Season 5

Image via MovieStillsDB Published Jul 31, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT An experienced Editor representing Canada via ScreenRant's Team Anime, J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com. His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023. Sign in to your ScreenRant account While there are plenty of memorable adventures to be had across much of Netflix's now-former flagship series Stranger Things, some reasonable criticisms dragged down what should have otherwise been a triumphant final season. Season 5's technical and visual issues, plainly seen by viewers, alongside the execution and pacing of key plot developments, left something to be desired. That being said, beyond an overly neat ending, there were still enjoyable enough elements so as not to derail the show's last moments for everyone. In review of the series and its legacy, though, some wacky and visually stunning adventures can be found off the main Netflix hub. Despite the series being largely steeped in sci-fi horror, with much of its primary "party" of characters deeply fixated on Dungeons & Dragons, the notion of a crossover with a long-running comic book franchise may still be a surprise. But thanks to the team effort of Stranger Things comic publisher Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing, another 1980s legend got the perfect chance as the main party visited New York City in 1985 on a trip that'd soon turn the Big Apple upside down. Between seasons 2 and 3 in this non-canonical story, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Eleven join Mr. Clarke on a fun trip to the city, but soon meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Stranger Things Goes To New York City In A Visually Stunning Crossover Despite the visual shock of seeing Eleven at one point wearing the iconic Ninja Turtles bandana, if any wacky 1980s crossover realistically needed to happen, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was about as outlandish as it comes for Stranger Things. But despite wildly different creatures across both properties, the integration of both the Upside Down and mad scientist Dr. Baxter Stockman made for surprising synergy, bringing Demogorgons, Demodogs alongside Mousers and Utroms for the party and the Ninja Turtles to encounter together. This is just a taste of what's to come in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Stranger Things. Unsurprisingly, the encounter isn't entirely out of character, with the characters quickly drawn to New York's vast subterranean network. Much like other Stranger Things comics, this story plays fast and loose with the series canon, although for obvious reasons this instance is particularly given a pass. Rather than season 5's revelations about the Upside Down as a pocket dimension parallel to Hawkins, Indiana, this story portrays the realm as something that's always present, with even a place as enormous as New York City having its own variant. It's naturally not canonical, but it introduces frightening prospects, especially with one key full-page look at the Mind Flayer dominating the Manhattan skyline. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Stranger Things creative team features the following: Artist: Cameron Chittock Artist: Fero Pe Colors: Sofie Dodgson Letters: Rus Wootok Series Editors: Chase Marotz & Jonathan Manning Series Editorial Assistant: Nicolas Niño Collection Editor: Alonzo Simon Collection Group Editor: Kris Simon Collection Designer: Shawn Lee But it's not an inorganic clash of stories, either. Stockman's hostile Mouser robot concept is adapted to the Demodogs as he encounters them and wishes to harness their abilities, creating a fresh new abomination for the Ninja Turtles to tackle. Stockman's fascination with the Upside Down even leads him to capture Eleven, prompting a team effort to rescue her, with plenty of glorious shots of the Ninja Turtles tackling various Stranger Things monsters, and even key panels of Will, Mike, and Lucas picking up the weapons of their green comrades to join the fight. Conceptually, it's out there, but reads well, and spares any TV calibration excuses to enjoy to its maximum potential. The TMNT X Stranger Things Crossover Is A 1980s Dream Come True For those either nostalgic for the 1980s, or for the corresponding Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird origins of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in their Mirage Comics days, there's plenty to love in this crossover. The art style brings the two core groups together, along with all the shock of suddenly meeting an anthropomorphic rat the size of a tall human with Master Splinter, and feels authentic in the process. True to this TMNT era, the Turtles' bandanas were all a matching red color, with the alien race of Utroms and the TCRI calling back to the story's earliest days. It thus becomes a fascinating instance of trivia appropriate for the era, since the miniseries in question is set in 1985. Realistically, any particular 1980s franchise collaborations would have been especially fun for Stranger Things fans. After all, Ghostbusters came out of the same era, and was overtly referenced with corresponding Halloween costumes in season 2. Even Terminator would have been perfectly fitting, especially with Linda Hamilton's appearance in the final season. But, given the comic medium handling this crossover, it was only appropriate to bring the core group together with one of the most iconic franchises to truly emerge out of graphic fiction from the era. The best part is, this wouldn't be the only crossover for Stranger Things to come out of Dark Horse's comics run, with another featuring their all-time favorite pastime more directly than ever. But that's a story for another day. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Stranger Things is available to read on demand either on GlobalComix, OverDrive, or physically via participating stores and online book retailers. Created by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird First Film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) Latest Film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Upcoming Films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2 First TV Show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Latest TV Show Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is a multi-media franchise that began with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s comics in the 1980s. Throughout the years, their comic books expanded to movies, TV shows, video games, and toys. Most notably, the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for nearly a decade and has become a nostalgic staple of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Several other movies have featured the four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael), including the trilogy of live-action films in the ‘90s and the more recent movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Stranger Things Created by Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer First TV Show Stranger Things Latest TV Show Stranger Things Upcoming TV Shows Stranger Things, Stranger Things Animated Series First Episode Air Date July 15, 2016 Cast Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, Jamie Campbell Bower The Stranger Things franchise is a cultural phenomenon that blends supernatural horror with nostalgic 1980s references. Created by the Duffer Brothers, the series follows the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, as they face the terrifying realities of a parallel dimension known as the Upside Down. Since its debut in 2016, Stranger Things has become one of Netflix's most popular and critically acclaimed series, spawning multiple spin-offs and expansions, including an animated series and a stage play.