Stranger Things‘ series finale gave send-offs to all the major characters, revealing Mike becomes a writer, Lucas and Max settle down together in Hawkins, Will moves to a new city, and Dustin goes to college. Of all the fates, though, none are as ambiguous or debated as that of Eleven, with star Millie Bobby Brown now weighing in. Stranger Things‘ ending for El sees her seemingly stay behind as the Upside Down collapses, dying with it, but is that what really happened?
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Mike posits his own theory for what really happened to Eleven: that her appearance at the gate was an illusion conjured up by a dying Kali, and that she actually escaped, moving away to live a peaceful life. It’s designed in a way that characters and audiences alike can make up their own mind about her fate, and whether, like Mike and the rest of the gang, they believe in the happy ending. Speaking with Netflix Tudum, Brown discussed how El’s decision was something she had wanted for “a very long time,” calling it “so beautiful and cathartic.” She adds: “I just think it’s incredibly important that it all ends for her, and the suffering and the pain end.” But what about Mike’s theory and Kali’s possible illusion? Brown says:
“I kinda love that ending, that there is just such a bigger purpose to Kali’s powers. Everything has a purpose, and everything is there for a reason.”
Was Stranger Things’ Ending For Eleven The Right Choice?
Eleven’s fate is one of several reasons Stranger Things‘ finale has divided fans, for a variety of reasons. Some think she deserved better, others who feel a more definitive ending would’ve been stronger, and plenty of possible plot holes that’ve been pointed out (such as how Kali would’ve known when to start the illusion, if she even survived long enough to do so), all of which are valid points.
Brown is right, though, in that it was important for El to finally be the one taking control over her fate, something she’d never beeb able to do before. That was made clear in the finale itself by her speech to Hopper, which set up her decision to stay behind. At the same time, having El definitively die, given everything she’s been through, feels like a rather cruel twist, so it is nice to have the ambiguous, more bittersweet option to believe in as well.
Whether it’s real or a coping mechanism, the story of Eleven’s survival gives hope to Mike and the others, which allows them to be able to properly move on, something he might not have been able to do if she had died. For the show, it also serves as a way to draw a line under the Upside Down story and truly end things. That is, of course, unless El returns in a spinoff somewhere down the line. While there are no plans for that, the ambiguous ending certainly makes it possible.
All seasons of Stranger Things are now streaming on Netflix.
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