Millie Bobby Brown Reflects on Eleven’s Bittersweet Stranger Things Farewell
Millie Bobby Brown shares her thoughts on Eleven’s emotional ending in Stranger Things, calling it both beautiful and cathartic, while also revealing her fondness for Mike’s alternate vision of her character’s fate.
While the conclusion of Stranger Things season 5 left some viewers feeling let down, Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, has a different perspective. In the finale ’s pivotal moment, Eleven chooses to remain inside the gate as Hopper ’s bomb goes off, obliterating the Upside Down and everything within it —including herself. Speaking with Tudum, Brown described this decision as “so beautiful and cathartic,” adding that it was something she had hoped for “a very long time.” Eleven’s sacrifice ensures that neither Dr. Kay nor anyone else can ever exploit her powers for evil again, closing the door on any future threats.
“I just think it’s incredibly important that it all ends for her, and the suffering and the pain end,”
Brown explained.
Mike’s Hopeful Story and Alternate Ending
Yet, the story doesn’t end there. In the epilogue, Mike Wheeler, Eleven’s boyfriend, refuses to accept her death. Instead, he tells his friends that Kali projected an image of Eleven at the gate, while the real Eleven slipped away behind the soldiers. In Mike’s imagination, Eleven is alive and well, living in Iceland and visiting the waterfalls they once dreamed about. Brown admitted,
“I kinda love that ending, that there is just such a bigger purpose to Kali’s powers.”
The Fate of Eleven: Open to Interpretation
The question of whether Eleven survived remains unanswered. On the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, the Duffer brothers, who created the series, revealed that they intentionally left Eleven’s fate “ambiguous,” allowing fans to decide for themselves what became of her. Only the Duffers and Brown know the truth. Meanwhile, Sadie Sink, who stars alongside Brown, offered her own take during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon:
“I think she’s dead… I think, like, Mike’s story is just one last story.”
Stranger Things Legacy Continues
The entire Stranger Things saga is now available to stream, inviting both new and longtime fans to revisit the journey. For those eager to dive deeper, reviews and guides to the best shows on the platform offer plenty of ways to keep up with the latest in TV entertainment.