3 Reasons To Believe Mike’s Theory About Eleven in Stranger Things (& 3 Not To)

Stranger Things Season 5 hands out happy endings like they’re hot cakes. After defeating Vecna and the Mind Flayer, most everyone returns to Hawkins and tries putting their lives back together. Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max all give school a try, and after 18 months, they’re ready to graduate and join the real world. As for the older kids, Robin, Jonathan, and Nancy all leave Hawkins behind to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Steve can’t bring himself to go, though, wanting to settle down in the town he grew up in. But even a couple of Hawkins diehards, Hopper and Joyce, see the benefit in leaving and talk about moving to New York before getting engaged.

The only main Stranger Things character who doesn’t get to ride off into the sunset is Eleven. When she and her friends get through the portal back to Hawkins, Dr. Kay and her goons are waiting for them, leaving her with no choice but to sacrifice herself to ensure their safety. Mike doesn’t understand her decision, but he eventually comes up with a story that helps him wrap his head around the situation. Here are three reasons to believe Mike’s theory about Eleven in Stranger Things and three not to.

Reason Not to Believe: the Government Gives Up

One of the stranger things about the show’s epilogue is that there’s no mention of the government. It’s still present in Hawkins when El sacrifices herself, but 18 months change a lot of things. If El really were still alive, Kay would surely be hunting her down, turning her new peaceful home into a battleground. The fact that the villain just takes the young girl’s death at face value should say a lot.

Reason to Believe: the Number of Waterfalls

Early in Season 5, Mike talks with Eleven about their plans after Vecna is defeated and the Upside Down is no longer a threat. He wants to travel with her to a place with three waterfalls and live out their days in solitude. However, in the epilogue, Mike is hard on himself for pushing such a childish idea, believing that if he had a better plan, Eleven would’ve been on board. Well, there’s hope for him yet because the place his beloved travels to in the vision has two waterfalls, teasing that she may have loved his idea from the jump.

Reason Not to Believe: Kali Would’ve Died Already

There are more than a few holes in Mike’s story, as it’s hard to believe that Eleven was able to use her powers and get back through the portal without anyone noticing. He fills in the gaps by explaining that Kali was casting her magic from afar, only making it look like Eleven was caught up in the explosion. But that idea doesn’t really hold weight because, even if Kali survived her gunshot wound, the destruction of the Upside Down began at Hawkins Lab, her last known location.

Reason to Believe: Hopper’s Speech

Hopper doesn’t trust Kali as far as he can throw her, and his gut turns out to be right when it comes to light that El’s sister is trying to get her sibling to go down with the ship. After learning that information, Hopper explains to El that she deserves to live and have everything that other kids do. At the time, it seems like she’s receptive to his message, and it’s unlikely that her mind changes by the time she exits the Upside Down.

Reason Not to Believe: Mike Needs the Story to Be True

Even after the time jump, Mike isn’t doing very well. He constantly thinks back to that night and all the things he’s missing out on because El isn’t around anymore. Hopper gives Mike a pep talk that at least gets him to attend graduation, but the pain remains. With that being the case, Mike creates a story that helps him and all of his friends move on. It doesn’t have to be rock-solid because the only purpose it serves is to give them better closure than they got.

Reason to Believe: the Spinoff Potential

While the Duffer brothers want the audience to come to their own conclusions about Eleven’s ending, things are sure to change as the years go by. There are already talks about Stranger Things spinoffs, and while it’s unlikely any of them will focus on Eleven, there may come a day when the powers that be want to get the band back together. Eleven can’t be left out of the fun, so her fairy tale ending could become a reality.

Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix.

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