Stranger Things has gotten progressively darker with each season, but these abandoned twists would have made the show more sinister — or, in some cases, far more absurd. With Stranger Things Season 5 bringing the Netflix series to a close after almost a decade, it’s the perfect time to look back on how it became a cultural phenomenon. This could mean rewatching Stranger Things‘ most pivotal episodes, or it could involve recounting its biggest surprises. It could also include looking at plans for the show that didn’t pan out.
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As with any TV series, the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix hit has undergone its fair share of changes from the ideation stage through its five seasons of execution. Not every part of the original vision has made it into the show, and that’s probably a good thing. Although it’s interesting to learn what could have been, some of Stranger Things’ abandoned ideas were probably too dark to work.
5) Eleven Originally Died in Stranger Things Season 1
The end of Stranger Things Season 1 is bittersweet, as it sees Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) sacrificing herself to close the gate to the Upside Down and save her friends. Of course, we know that Eleven doesn’t die or remain in the Upside Down — and with the finale’s Eggo tease, that outcome seemed obvious right after finishing it. However, according to Ross Duffer, the original plan was for Eleven to die. In the book Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down, he explained, “Eleven was going to sacrifice herself to save the day. That was always the end game.”
However, with Stranger Things getting renewed for another season, the Duffers understood that they needed to bring the character back into the fold because “the show just wouldn’t really work without Eleven.” It’s a fair point, as it’s hard to envision the Hawkins gang surviving one more outing without their psychic-powered friend, much less four of them. And Ross admitted that they’d realized “how special Millie [Bobby Brown] was,” which also factored into her return. In hindsight, it’s a huge relief that they didn’t actually kill Eleven. However, this being the original end game does raise questions about how safe she is heading into Stranger Things Season 5.
4) Steve Wasn’t Originally Supposed to Be Redeemed
Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) has become one of Stranger Things‘ most beloved characters over the last four seasons, but he doesn’t start out as a catch. When he’s dating Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) in Season 1, he’s actually kind of a jerk. He begins to redeem himself by the end of the first outing, and his storyline over the next three seasons — and his friendships with Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Robin (Maya Hawke) — gradually make him a much better person. In Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down, Ross revealed this wasn’t always the plan.
“This Steve character, he was just supposed to be this giant douchebag,” Ross explained. And as it turns out, it’s thanks to Joe Keery’s performance that Steve’s redemption happened. This change of plans worked in the show’s favor, as it laid the groundwork for what would become a strength of Stranger Things: portraying flawed characters with a believable amount of nuance. The series would be much darker without the hope that its worst characters could improve.
3) Will Was the One Who Killed Bob in Season 2
The Mind Flayer possessing Will (Noah Schnapp) is one of the darkest developments of Stranger Things Season 2, especially as it uses him to spy on and kill its enemies at Hawkins Lab. This twist was almost more devastating, however. A post from the official X account of the Stranger Things Writers’ Room reveals that, initially, “a possessed Will was going to kill Bob.” Given Will’s personal connection to Bob Newby (Sean Astin), this would have made this storyline much worse. Not only would Will feel the guilt of it more deeply, but he would have had a strained relationship with Joyce (Winona Ryder) because of it.
Bob’s Stranger Things death feels more fitting as-is, with him sharing one last glance with Joyce before a Demodog takes him by surprise. Bob nearly making it out of the lab still keeps tensions high, and Joyce witnessing the scene adds a layer of tragedy. Traumatizing Will might have upped the shock value further, but the moment remains emotional regardless. Even for Stranger Things, using Will for this would have been too dark.
2) Eleven Mercy-Killed Her Own Mother in Season 2
Perhaps the darkest Stranger Things twist that never happened is Eleven killing her own mother. Yes, you read that right: Eleven was originally supposed to kill Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins) as an act of mercy in Season 2. This is another fun fact from the Stranger Things Writers’ Room’s X account, which doesn’t give further details about the Duffers’ plans. We know Eleven visits Terry before searching for Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) in Stranger Things‘ sophomore season — and although she and Terry communicate mentally, the latter is stuck in a loop she’ll never get out of.
Perhaps that’s what the writers were trying to save her from, but the optics of killing Terry because of what happened to her aren’t great. It would also be a cruel thing to do to Eleven. Like Will, she’s been through more than enough without piling on trauma for trauma’s sake. It’s for the best this development was left on the writers’ room floor.
1) Hopper Teamed up With Alexei’s Dad in Season 4
Many of Stranger Things‘ abandoned twists are so disturbing, they would have left audiences speechless. However, there’s one that’s actually comical — mostly because it’s just too coincidental to believe. According to the Stranger Things Writers’ Room’s X account, Hopper (David Harbour) was initially going to team up with Alexei’s (Alec Utgoff) father in Season 4. Yes, Alexei, the slurpee-loving Russian scientist from Season 3.
Perhaps this would have offered some closure after Alexei’s tragic Season 3 fate, but it’s hard to believe Hopper would have happened upon his father, of all people, while in a Soviet prison. The town of Hawkins might be that small, but the outside world isn’t. Thankfully, it seems the writers realized this was too out there, even for a show like Stranger Things.
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