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You've just found a Stronghold and jumped through the End Portal in Minecraft. Now, you are standing on a small obsidian platform right off the edge of the main island, with the Ender Dragon flying overhead. After over a decade since release, fighting the Ender Dragon is pretty straightforward, but why do you do it?

Related: Minecraft: The Most Dangerous Overworld Biomes, Ranked

Here, we are going to take a look at some theories surrounding the End, as well as the mobs and structures that you can find within. First, let's take a look at the Ender Dragon and what purpose they may have for being in the End.

Who Is The Ender Dragon?

ender dragon viewed from on top of a tower, tethered to 1 end crystal

Based on the game, we know that there is one Ender Dragon in the End, tethered to the main island with it's 'nest' and egg. This begs the question, is the Ender Dragon trapped, or is it the all-powerful being in this dimension?

User Endersnake 77 on Reddit believes that the Ender Dragon is simply the last of its dragon species, and is trying to survive. The End may have once had more dragons, but now, the Ender Dragon that we know is the last one remaining. This dragon has an egg that needs to be protected, so the dragon brought the egg to the central island and placed it in a 'nest' for safety.

dragon egg on top of bedrock portal in the end

The Ender Dragon has a name! In a Reddit thread from 2011, Notch himself said that the Ender Dragon is named 'Jean?'.

When the Ender Dragon is about to die, it heads to the center of the island, where the nest is. This could be the dragon's one last attempt to save its future. Unfortunately, the player ends up killing the dragon and can take the egg. After exploring the End, most players head back to the Overworld, which doesn't have the right conditions for the egg to hatch, and it remains dormant.

Tyrant Ender Dragon

enderman and ender dragon standing next to each other

Many gamers believe that the Ender Dragon is a tyrant over the End, and all that live in it. Instead of being the last of its species and desperately trying to survive, the Endermen view the dragon as a deity that should be worshipped. Because of this, the Endermen are on a 'pilgrimage' to the End, in order to see the Ender Dragon.

In our explainer about the Nether, you can learn about a theory where the Endermen left the Nether in search of the End.

If the Ender Dragon is essentially the Endermen God, why don't they attack you right as you attack the Ender Dragon? This theory proposes that Endermen know the strength of the dragon, so anyone who challenges must be equally strong.

When the Ender Dragon is killed, you get the achievement 'Free The End'. This could be in reference to freeing the End from the dragon's tyranny as a deity who has no qualms with killing its own subjects.

The End Is The Future

end portal in minecraft with no eyes of ender placed

Rather than being another dimension, what if the End was the future? When jumping through the End Portal, you jump forward in time to the 'end' of time.

You can learn more about this theory from Yosherdosher on Reddit.

In this future, the Ender Dragon is the last creature left along with the Endermen. According to this theory, the Endermen care for the Dragon, and have the ability to time travel without a portal, which is why you can see them in both the Overworld and Nether.

A comment on this thread suggests that the Endermen may have, at one point, been normal people. An event (potentially caused by the Ender Dragon) then turned them into Endermen, and now they are cursed to wander the barren world.

Based on this, we think that the Dragon may have corrupted the inhabitants of the End, turning them all into Endermen. Endermen happen to attack the Ender Dragon, which could be one final push to destroy the thing that took their humanity away.

End Cities

Minecraft Two End Cities In The End

One of the main reasons we explore the Nether after defeating the Ender Dragon is to find End Cities. These are giant floating cities with powerful armor, weapons, and Elytras.

On a Minecraft Forum Thread, user bigbadaud21 suggested that prior to the start of the game, an ancient race of master builders lived in the world. This race became technologically advanced as well as masters in alchemy.

Soon, these builders ventured to the End through Strongholds that they created. According to the theory, these builders were unaware that they could not get back to the Overworld, and were trapped in the End.

endermen looking at screen in the end

Now, this race had to adapt to the End, evolving to have long, slender bodies to reach Chorus Fruit. While their appearance changed, they still maintained their knowledge of technology, creating the End Cities that we know before succumbing to the End and becoming Endermen.

This theory fits together with the idea that the Ender Dragon corrupted the inhabitants of the End. Maybe the builders created the tethering pillars on the central island as a final measure to control the dragon.

Are End Cities Airports?

end city displayed from a distance

If these builders created End Cities, what are they? Another Minecraft Forum thread by Byeforever2 suggests that these cities are actually 'airports'.

End Cities float and give off the appearance of 'control towers' often found at airports. Some of these cities have ships, while others don't. There is a possibility that End Cities without a ship have already been sent off, while some ships never made it. This explains why the ship is at the very top of these cities, along with Elytras.

Shulkers

Minecraft Shulker In An End City

Shulkers seem to not fit into any particular theory. Many threads write off the shulker as a creature that just happens to live in the End.

Rather than just being creatures, what if Shulkers were created by these builders? Shulker shells have a pattern incredibly similar to Chiseled Deepslate, which could be evidence that Shulkers were made by the builders, and used as guards for their End Cities.

Overall, Minecraft does not officially confirm any of these theories. At its core, Minecraft is a sandbox game that allows you to do anything you want. With little narrative, you can decide the story for yourself, and adapt your world to what you believe.

Next: Mods That Add New Dimensions To Minecraft