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D'Artagnan, also commonly referred to as Dart, is one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Billy Hargrove) in Season 2 of Stranger Things.
He was a creature originating from the Upside Down that Dustin Henderson temporarily kept as a pet. Dart is from the same species as the original Demogorgon, albeit in an adolescent form, referred to as a "Demodog" by Dustin. It is implied that Dart is the Demogorgon's offspring.
Biography[]
1984[]
When returning home after trick-or-treating, Dustin heard a noise coming from the trashcan. Upon investigating, he discovered a creature and placed it in his ghost trap. Dustin placed the creature in his turtle's tank and fed him a Three Musketeers bar, appropriately giving it the name D'Artagnan after the character from the novel.
The next day, Dustin brought Dart to school, showing him to Mike, Will, Lucas, and Max. After discussing what type of animal Dart could be, Dustin concluded that he had discovered a new species. However, after noticing he resembled a slug (albeit his stage one form) he had thrown up the year before, Will realized Dart originated from the Upside Down. Before Dustin could show Mr. Clarke, Mike took Dart and urged everyone to meet again in the AV club room, excluding Max. When Dart started to emit a screeching sound, the boys opened the proton pack to witness him grow a pair of hind legs. Mike then tried to attack Dart, which caused him to flee and run loose throughout the school. Will eventually found Dart in a bathroom stall; he screeched, causing Will to run away. Soon after, Dustin arrived to retrieve Dart. When the others arrived, Dustin hid Dart under his hat and lied saying he had not seen him or Will.
Dustin then brought Dart home, and continued to care for him secretly while keeping up the appearance of looking for him with the others. After returning home from school, Dustin found that Dart had broken out of the tank and ate the Hendersons' cat, Mews. Realizing Dart was now dangerous upon seeing how he could open his mouth like the Demogorgon, he lured him into the storm cellar and called in Steve to help exterminate him. However, Dart escaped by digging out of the storm cellar, forcing Dustin, Steve, Lucas, and Max to lure him to the junkyard in a final bid to kill him. Dart soon arrived but was joined by several other Demodogs, which started to attack the group until they were called to Hawkins Laboratory by the Mind Flayer.
Dart was not seen again until the group were trying to exit the tunnels underneath the pumpkin patch, when they were stopped by him blocking their way. Recognizing Dustin, Dart did not attack and was easily distracted by Dustin giving him another Three Musketeers bar, allowing the group to escape. Dart did not join the other Demodogs in returning to Hawkins Laboratory, and was ultimately killed when Eleven closed the Gate to the Upside Down.
Powers and Abilities[]
Being an adolescent Demogorgon, Dart possessed abilities that are characteristic of his species:
- Strength: After molting to his Demodog form, Dart possessed enough strength to tackle an adult human.
- Durability: As a Demodog, Dart's skin was thick enough to withstand several gunshots.
- Digging: Dart could dig tunnels in the earth, allowing him to escape the Hendersons' storm cellar.
Additionally, Dart had the ability to “block out” the Mind Flayer's influence; he was able to recognize Dustin when they reunited in the tunnels, and ignored the Mind Flayer's command of returning to the Gate. It remains to be seen if other Demogorgons are capable of this ability, or if it was somehow exclusive to Dart.
Trivia[]
- Dart is the first antagonist in the show to be redeemed soon followed by Billy Hargrove.
- One of the species of frog that Dustin initially believed Dart to be is the Indirana semipalmata. However, the Indirana genus wasn't named until 1986.
- D'Artagnan is named after the main protagonist 'The Three Musketeers', because the first thing Dart ate was a 3 Musketeers chocolate bar.
External Link[]
- D'Artagnan on the Stranger Things Wiki.
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 Villains
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Upside Down Hawkins National Laboratory United States Military Hawkins High Tigers Hargrove Family Soviet Union Others | ||