Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown Weighs in on Whether Eleven Created the Upside Down

Stranger Things Season 4 has already shed insight into a number of long-running questions audiences have had about the series, including key insight into the Upside Down. Episode 7 of the series shows Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven using her powers against a threat, with her telekinetic abilities being so strong that the first portal to the Upside Down emerges in Hawkins, Indiana, explaining why so many bizarre events have been happening there. Some viewers, however, think that Eleven herself is responsible for the creation of the Upside Down, with Brown sharing her insight and claiming that it was always there, it was just Eleven that created the connection between the real world and the unsettling realm. Stranger Things Season 4 – Volume 2 debuts on Netflix on July 1st.

"[Series creators Matt and Ross Duffer] did tell me [Eleven created the gateway]. She does. She opens the rift," Brown explained to Variety. As far as whether she created that dimension, Brown detailed, "This is too big of a debate for me to answer. I'm so worried. I think -- no, no, no. I think that the alternate universe was always there. That is always going to be under Hawkins. I just think she has access to it. I don't think that she created the Upside Down. No, I think that it was always there, I think she just created a gate to it which no one could before."

Stranger Things has offered audiences a number of mysteries over the years, with the origins of the Upside Down surely being one of them. In the first season, the demogorgon escaped from that realm, seemingly capturing Will Byers to take back to the Upside Down and kicking off the entire narrative. Subsequent seasons have seen all manner of threats attempting to invade Hawkins, with this season finally confirming that it isn't so much that Hawkins is a hotbed of activity, as it was merely where Dr. Brenner's facility was where he was conducting research on Eleven, eventually resulting in the opening of the portal. 

Given the sprawling size and scale of the Upside Down, despite there being more episodes of the series on the way, it seems unlikely that we'll get a complete explanation for the Upside Down, as it likely has ancient origins.

Stranger Things Season 4 – Volume 2 premieres on Netflix on July 1st.

What do you think of Brown's explanation? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!