Eleven’s Spinoff Return Officially Continues A Stranger Things Season 5 Problem

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Millie Bobby Brown will reprise her role as Eleven in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, a new show that acts as a prequel to the original series. However, this new series won’t fix problems some fans had with season 5. Tales from ’85 is set after the events of Stranger Things season 2 and will also include familiar faces like Hopper, Mike, Dustin, Will, Lucas, and Max.

The upcoming Stranger Things prequel, set in the winter of 1985, will be animated and geared towards a broader audience, making it more family-friendly than the original series. However, Tales from ’85 will still deliver the horror and science fiction fans love, with fresh dangers emerging from the Upside Down.

Finding out how the story ends in Stranger Things makes the upcoming season feel a little less exciting, even though it will be fun to see the characters when they were younger. Fans who were hoping to see Eleven and Max’s friendship continue may not get what they’re looking for.

Eleven & Max Won’t Be Friends Yet In Stranger Things: Tales From ’85

Since the animated series Tales from ’85 is set before season 3 of Stranger Things, Eleven and Max won’t be friends yet. Max first appeared in season 2, but she didn’t actually meet Eleven until the ninth chapter of that season. And even then, Eleven wasn’t thrilled about meeting Max, as she’d seen Max talking with Mike.

Early in season 3 of Stranger Things, Eleven starts to feel less jealous, which helps her connect with Max over their problems with boys. While they knew each other before the season began, they weren’t really friends yet. Unless future stories change what we’ve seen, there’s likely still some underlying tension between them.

Eleven & Max’s Dynamic In The Stranger Things Prequel Won’t Make Up For Season 5’s Problems

Image via Netflix

Max was Eleven’s first female friend and quickly became one of her closest. In the fourth season of Stranger Things, Eleven desperately tried to save Max, and ultimately brought her back to life. However, when the two reunited in the fifth season, the moment felt a little disappointing.

After Max regained consciousness following her near-death experience in Stranger Things, she briefly saw Eleven at the hospital, but they didn’t share a long, heartfelt reunion. They did work together during the final battle in the show, though that moment inside Henry’s mind didn’t last. Max was present when Eleven told everyone she was going to leave, but the two characters didn’t have any further scenes together.

Max was clearly deeply affected by El being gone, as we saw when she reacted to Mike’s explanation of what happened. It would have been nice to see them share more scenes together in the final season, though, because the show’s earlier timeline makes a close friendship between them difficult to explain.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Is Also Adding Another Young Female Character

Netflix

The new story, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, is adding to the show’s history by introducing a new young female character, Nikki Baxter. She’ll become part of the group as the dangers from the Upside Down grow in Hawkins.

Given Eleven’s initial reluctance to include Max, it’s likely she’ll be wary of Nikki too, at least when they first meet. Since Nikki wasn’t part of the main storyline, the new series, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, will have to reveal what happened to her. Even if Nikki becomes friends with Max or Eleven, it won’t make up for the lack of strong friendships shown in the fifth season.

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2026-02-01 21:28