With that ambiguous ending leaving fans scratching their heads, we have a few theories as to the fate of Eleven in the Stranger Things finale.
Spoilers ahead for the finale of Stranger Things!
After almost ten years, Stranger Things has finally come to an end. Vecna has been vanquished, Hawkins and the world are safe, and our ragtag group of heroes are happy—sort of. It’s a pretty bittersweet ending. The kids are not kids anymore: they’ve grown up, and that last DnD game with the new generation taking over and Mike closing the door is a tearjerking “passing-of-the-baton” moment, and a sign that this chapter has now closed. Even the young adults planning to meet up once a month was cry-worthy because every adult knows they’re never going to meet up anymore because of life.
But perhaps the most heart-wrenching moment was Eleven being absent from the gang’s DnD table and graduation because she died… well, sort of. The Duffer Brothers have made it clear that it was always the plan that El wouldn’t be there, but they’ve also left El’s true fate ambiguous. In fact, the only ones who know are the both of them and Millie Bobby Brown, who is under strict orders not to tell bestie Noah Schnapp, who played Will.
It seems like we’ll be left speculating for the foreseeable future, so here some theories as to what truly happened to Eleven in the finale of Stranger Things.
[Hero and feature image: Netflix]
Theories on Eleven and her fate in the finale Stranger Things—and why they don’t work
Eleven is dead
The theory: Let’s get the most upsetting theory out of the way like ripping off a band-aid. Pretty straightforward: Eleven did sacrifice herself, which was her plan all along, thus ending the vicious cycle of producing more Henrys/Vecnas, as well as more women dying because of the military’s experimentation. She perishes along with the Upside Down, which also means that the connection to the Abyss is no more—unless, of course, another Papa builds a new wormhole, meaning a new Upside Down.
Why it doesn’t work: Gotta be honest, there really isn’t any good reason as to why this doesn’t work aside from the fact that it’s freaking upsetting. Like the rest of the gang, we choose to believe.
Mike’s theory is correct and El managed to escape
The theory: The scenes showing Mike’s theory (which is exactly that: a theory) is real: the Eleven everyone saw standing in The Gate who was swept away was an illusion by Kali. Notably, this El didn’t get a nosebleed when using her powers nor did she sport the “011” tattoo on her wrist, which further suggests this isn’t really El. The real Eleven was able to sneak to the Radioshack, made her way through the tunnels, and escaped from Hawkins. That last scene showing her taking in the sight of a US Military-less town with two waterfalls is El finally getting some peace, for both her and her friends.
Why it doesn’t work: The finale shows Mike coming up with this theory after he realises that the kryptonite machines were present at The Gate, yet El managed to speak to him in The Void, meaning El still had access to her powers. That’s how he theorises that the El in The Gate isn’t real, because if it was, the kryptonite machines would render her powerless.
But would it? The storm that destroyed the Upside Down was raging powerfully yet never affected the real world because it was a different dimension. The kryptonite machines were in the real world while El was still in the Upside Down, so it’s possible that the machines didn’t have any effect on her, which was why she was able to still access her powers. And just because she had access to her powers doesn’t necessarily mean she survived, especially since she was set on sacrificing herself to end the cycle.
Another important facet of this theory is Kali, who Mike theorised was the one producing the illusion of El at The Gate. She had a pretty severe gunshot wound, and this theory hinges on Kali not just staying alive long enough but also being strong enough to conjure the illusion, and that’s not too likely.
El did escape, just not in the way Mike thinks she did
The theory: Kali was already dead when El was at The Gate, meaning that it was really her that Mike saw. The machines had no effect on her because of what was mentioned previously. So El was in the Upside Down during its destruction and still had her powers.
Now, just because we saw The Gate disappear doesn’t necessarily mean that was the exact moment the Upside Down was destroyed. If the storm continued to rage on, El was still there, and probably using her powers to the max to try withstand the storm.
This also means that she could have found another exit. After all, it was shown in this season that there were plenty of ways to enter the Upside Down, not just The Gate. If the destruction of this dimensional wormhole was not instantaneous, and Eleven still had her powers, it’s possible she made her way out using another exit.
Why it doesn’t work: That storm was no joke. Even with Eleven’s powers, it would take great skill and effort to not just survive the collapsing dimension but also make her way to another exit.
El escaped, but she was never on the truck back to Hawkins
The theory: The illusion didn’t start at The Gate but on the truck, which means that wasn’t really El with the gang. After climbing down the radio tower from The Abyss, El looks like she’s making up her mind. We see her next on the truck with Mike, but are we really sure it’s her? It might be that El slipped away long before the rest of the gang got back to The Gate and returned to the real world.
Why it doesn’t work: Again, this would require Kali being alive, and also keeping up the illusion for much longer. But maybe El figured out how to do illusions. That’s unlikely though.
Kali’s illusions are proven to be illusions once someone touches them, so if the El on the truck wasn’t real, her cosying up to Mike should end the illusion. However, it doesn’t.
El managed to get away… for a bit
The theory: Mike’s theory was right and El did slip away into the Radioshack, but that’s where his being correct ends. In between the Radioshack and freedom, the military recaptures El, and she is taken by Dr. Kay to a new facility where, sadly, the cycle starts all over again as new potential Vecnas are created.
Why it doesn’t work: Apparently, there is a theory much more upsetting than Eleven dying. No. Just no.
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
