The final installment of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers' popular sci-fi saga, which wrapped its record-breaking five-season run on Netflix recently, was certainly the season of powerful female characters and mothers. Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas remained the emotional core of the story but the final season shifted the spotlight to Joyce Byers and Karen Wheeler, two mothers who stepped in and proved their fierce love by confronting Vecna and his forces head-on.After Karen's impressive fight against the Demogorgons in Stranger Things Season 5, Joyce followed suit and boldly beheaded Vecna in the series finale with an ax. The moment marked Joyce’s transformation into an unlikely hero, as she finally found a way to reckon with and avenge the trauma her son had carried since the very first season.In a recent interview with Variety, Matt Duffer called Joyce's heroic moment "the most emotional decapitation in history," which sealed Vecna's fate and concluded the Upside Down lore once and for all.More on this in our story.All about Joyce's heroic moment in the Stranger Things Season 5 finale View this post on Instagram Instagram PostJoyce Byers emerged as the unlikely hero in the Stranger Things Season 5 finale, after she fearlessly took an ax and beheaded the vein-ey monster once and for all. While this moment is boldly taking over social media, the Duffer Brothers had a hard time concluding who should decapitate Vecna in the series' finale.Reflecting on the process of writing this historic scene, the talented duo revealed to Variety:''In the writers’ room, I remember we went through, “Who gets to do the final blow?” It works with all of them in a way. So, we just cycled through, what if Steve does it? What if Dustin does it?''After some back-and-forth, the Duffer Brothers arrived at Joyce. As Ross Duffer said:''And then finally, when we landed on, what if Joyce does it? It felt right for a lot of reasons. She is sort of the mother of this group, the protector. And also, we never got to see her hit anything with that ax, so that felt like such a satisfying way to deliver the final blow to Vecna.''Matt Duffer added:"I remember working with our editor and our composer and just talking to them and going, 'Let’s make this the most emotional decapitation in history.' That was the goal."After Eleven defeats Vecna by pushing him to his death and the Hawkins gang rescues the twelve children from the monster's tree of Pain, Joyce and Will arrive on the scene, only to find Vecna taking his final raspy breaths. In a powerful moment, Joyce picks up the ax and beheads the evil monster in one swift motion, closing his chapter in Stranger Things.While Vecna's beheading is one of the most intense moments from the Stranger Things Season 5 finale, it is equally emotionally charged. Moments before Joyce's heroic act, each character reflects on their painful memories and moments across five seasons. From Barb, Bob, and Eddie's deaths to Will's disappearance, each painful memory finds its satisfactory culmination as Joyce beheads Vecna.The Duffer Brothers unpacked the pivotal moment from the Stranger Things Season 5 finale, calling it "cathartic" for every surviving character and justice for every character who became a victim:''It felt right that it’s just not just a “f*ck yeah” moment. It was also, in a way, a cathartic moment for our characters, who are purging all this trauma that’s been caused here. It’s not just a stand-up and cheer moment. It’s remembering that this evil has caused them so much pain.''Joyce was always the right choice because the story began with her loss. Having her play a decisive role in the end brings the narrative full circle. From the moment Will disappeared in Stranger Things Season 1 to the final stand against Vecna, Joyce’s journey proves that no force is stronger than a mother who never stopped fighting.For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow Soap Central.