The final season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” had to answer some major questions, but it left fans with one more — is Eleven still alive? The series concluded following Eleven’s apparent death in the collapsing Upside Down, but it also saw Mike theorize she had faked her death, with no clear indication of whether or not he was right. The series’ creators, the Duffer brothers, have revealed why they will likely never confirm what really happened to Eleven. The “Stranger Things” finale proved divisive among the series’ fans, but the episode’s closing moments split opinions in more ways than one. Beyond arguments over whether it was a fitting ending or not, fans were divided between those who believe Eleven sacrificed herself and those who believe she lived on.
“I don’t know if we want to say,” said Ross Duffer in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter when asked if the writers were choosing to believe in Eleven’s survival. “Obviously, we’ve had these conversations with Millie [Bobby Brown] too, and we all have our own interpretations.” The writer explained that it was important for the audience to find their own meaning in the ending, without the creators taking that away by revealing their own interpretation.
Matt Duffer added, “There’s a point in not knowing,” saying that knowing what really happened would minimize Eleven’s sacrifice. Referencing Mike’s decision to believe Eleven was still alive, Duffer said that from what he had seen on social media, “It seems like people are choosing to believe.”
The Stranger Things 5 documentary weighs in on Eleven’s fate
Following the release of the “Stranger Things” finale, Netflix gave fans a look at the making of the series’ final season in the documentary “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5.” The documentary, directed by Martina Radwan, offered a look inside the writers’ room on the final season of “Stranger Things” and brought fans behind the scenes on set. Given Radwan’s extensive access to the series’ writers and the production process on the final season, she was able to offer some further insight into how “Stranger Things” concluded Eleven’s story.
Speaking to THR, Radwan said of the ending, “The whole point of it is that you have to understand it for yourself, whatever you want to see.” She emphasized the importance of the audience’s engagement with the finale, saying, “You have to participate. You can’t just sit and watch and get spoon fed.”
When asked whether the writers themselves had come to a decision on what actually happened to Eleven, Radwan picked up on a moment in the documentary that addressed the question. She recalled the Duffer brothers saying Eleven “represents magic, and magic has to die for everyone to move on. But you hold it in your heart, you never let go of that.” While not a definitive answer on whether Eleven survived, this does give some insight into the Duffers’ thoughts on the matter.
